Right now you may be feeling lost and hopeless every time you read a headline. Its understandable, we are certainly living in scary times. Our fears and anxiety are all incredibly high right now, and many likely are already feeling as if they are at their tipping point.

Its important to remember that even in these uncertain times, there are still people trying to help. As Fred Rogers once said, always look for the helpers.

In today’s A Conversation With we spoke to Nicole Cormier. Cormier is a therapist here in London that is still practicing, albeit virtually, throughout our current health crisis. She answered some of our burning questions we had about the state of mental health right now, and what the future may hold.

Can you tell us a bit about yourself and why you went into psychology?

I completed my PhD in Clinical Psychology at Ryerson University in Toronto in August 2019. I specialize in individual adult psychotherapy, supporting folks with a range of things including depression, anxiety, trauma, and abuse, but I feel particularly at home helping folks who are going through major life-changing experiences – grief and loss; break-ups, separation, divorce, and affairs; workplace harassment and discrimination; supporting LGBTQ folks who are coming out, transitioning, and navigating social and interpersonal challenges; and helping university students with adjustment to leaving home, dealing with academic and social difficulties, and uncertainty about career directions and life planning.

I went into psychology because I am fascinated by people – by their stories, their motivations, their struggles, their resiliency, and how they cope with challenges. I love how every person is so unique and brilliant in their own way, and getting to share in so many different lives and stories is a privilege.

In what way do you think this time of crisis is affecting the mental health of everyday people?

The national and global response to COVID-19 is unlike anything we’ve ever seen in our lifetimes. There is no road map for dealing with this, so we’re all feeling the weight of the uncertainty, the unknown, the lack a clear way forward.

Yes, we all know what we need to do to reduce the spread of the virus, but for the halo of consequences around the pandemic – for people’s careers, for their relationships and family lives, for their health, and for their futures – there are endless questions and no answers. Sitting with uncertainty is something we – as a neo-liberal culture focused on control, self-improvement, and mastery – are quite uncomfortable with, and I think people are feeling this very keenly.

I think a lot of people are still in shock – things don’t seem quite real, and there are a lot of differences in how people behave when they are in shock. Some people freeze up and put things on pause to figure out what they need to do next.

Some people go into denial and try to continue on with their lives – we’re seeing a lot of this in people who are breaking quarantine, refusing to cancel travel plans, or resisting/ignoring social distancing policies. And some people feel an unbearable pressure to somehow control the situation – this is where the hoarding of toilet paper, hand-sanitizer, and canned goods comes in, but we also see more productive, pro-social actions, with people taking social distancing, self-isolation, public health recommendations, and social cooperation very seriously. Unfortunately, though, there are a lot of elements of COVID-19 that are entirely out of our control, and no amount of effort to create certainty or order will change that.

Because of the collective stress of all these unknowns, almost everyone is feeling increased anxiety. Unfortunately, anxiety about something that affects everyone on such a global scale is contagious – the more we focus publicly on COVID-19, the statistics, the global responses, the tragic stories – the more collectively fearful we become.

Social media is really inflaming this right now – the mix of factual information, speculation, and people voicing their anxiety and distress is escalating all our collective panic and self-doubt. One of the most important things I’m telling my clients is to either unplug from, or strictly filter, their social media and news consumption. Sticking with one-on-one communication is a better strategy right ow, because it helps you to control the flow of new information and “tap out” when you feel yourself getting too anxious. Group online activities are still important – one possibility is to make an online social group a “COVID-free zone” and focus on other diverting topics instead.

Another important point is that when we are in situations we can’t control, distraction is usually the best way to cope. Finding ways to keep your mind occupied – either fun ways, or productive ways – is really important now. While social distancing makes this especially challenging, there are a lot of ways we can still keep busy.

Using social distancing as an opportunity to pursue hobbies, projects, or activities you’ve been putting off because you’ve been too busy is a great option – whether that’s writing a novel, learning to crochet, starting a video game live-stream, or reorganizing your bedroom, it’s all going to be helpful.

I’ve heard the feeling of discomfort people are experiencing could actually be grief on the macro scale, could you speak towards this?

I think that makes a lot of sense. In my comments above I was speaking about people being in shock, that really connects up with the idea of a shared grief response. Grief is a process that occurs with any loss, not just with death – and while some may lose loved ones because of COVID-19, many more people will be facing barriers in their careers, their income security, their plans for starting or growing a family, their academic goals, and their social lives.

The traditional five-stage model of grief (denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance) is a solid model, but a lot of people don’t know that the stages aren’t sequential. They can be experienced at the same time, or in different orders, by each individual.

However, most people who grieve will go through all of these things at some point in the process, so I expect to see people grappling with these stages in the coming weeks and months. These responses are all normal, so if you’re feeling these things yourself, it doesn’t mean you’re weak, or that there’s something wrong with you.

With speculation that our new way of life lasting from anywhere between six and eighteen months, what types of concerns do you have for our overall well being?

My primary concern is that depression often results from periods of inactivity. Depression is strongly linked to lack of stimulation and action – that’s why we see it so often in people with serious injuries or illnesses that prevent them from doing their usual activities for a period of time. That’s one of the reasons I’m really highlighting the importance of people finding meaningful and enjoyable things to do while social distancing – COVID-19 may require a bit of a shift in what you’re doing, but it doesn’t mean your whole life needs to come to a standstill.

I am concerned as well for the potential for serious increases in social isolation – this is effectively the point of social distancing, but social connection and cohesion is essential for human survival and well-being. As such, I think it will be vital for us to find alternative ways to feel connected – whether through virtual technologies, acts of charity and helping, focusing on improving relationships within our immediate social circles (i.e. family, partners, children, best friends), or (ideally) a combination of these.

How has COVID-19 affected your professional life?

I’ve had to adapt quickly to a work-from-home setup. I transitioned my practice to virtual-only on Monday the 16th, and I’ve been working to adjust my home office setup so I have more reliable hardware and internet connectivity.

However, one of the biggest challenges has been my clients’ varying levels of comfort with virtual therapy. My concern is that people will be reluctant to access help and support they need because they are intimidated or frustrated by the changes in format. Fortunately, the majority of clients are agreeing to give it a try, and my first week of virtual therapy has gone really well. There have been some technological bumps but having telephone as a reliable backup minimizes disruptions to the therapy session.

Can you tell us a bit more about what a virtual session would look like?

Video psychotherapy isn’t too different from in-person therapy. Eye contact is more difficult to maintain in a video chat, and sometimes connectivity issues affect audio and video quality, which can be frustrating. Some clients have difficulty finding private areas where they can attend a virtual session at home, as well.

However, aside from these issues, I’ve found virtual therapy is just as effective as working in-person. Telephone therapy removes our ability to read non-verbal information and body language, which can be a little unnerving, but telephone sessions can be very effective and are a far better option than having no access to psychotherapy.

In fact, I’ve found that for some clients, virtual psychotherapy is easier and more comfortable than in-person therapy. This is especially true for people with social anxiety, trauma clients who are hyper-vigilant or feel unsafe in public spaces, and people with physical disabilities and chronic pain. There are some general benefits to virtual psychotherapy as well, including reduced transportation and commuting costs, increased scheduling flexibility, and ability to access therapy from remote locations and communities – our practice is now able to serve clients across Ontario with our virtual platform, which can be really important in communities that don’t have psychological services.

Practice info:

London Psychological Services

Tel: 226-234-0713

Email: lps@londonps.ca

Web: www.londonps.ca