By: Cinthya Chin Herrera, PsyD
Across the country, most states have joined the the remainder of the world in moving nearly every aspect of our society into digital spheres. In the Bay Area, many service providers have begun exploring the intricacies of working from home. At times this has meant connecting with kids, teens, families, and adult clients remotely through phone, video, or other telehealth modalities, and often in the context of new evolving demands from families and our communities.
With the call to action for many providers to maintain the continuity of care for essential services, we find the need to re-balance ourselves and move beyond the technology challenges and general uncertainties to fully ground ourselves in values underlying the CANS–collaboration and client care.
Our clients thrive when they feel safe, seen, heard and helped. This calls on us to be there–not to fix, but to provide the containment to hold all the new needs and strengths that are arising with these changing circumstances. The ability to maintain a transformational relationship in the context of a pandemic is founded on the ability to provide clients a steady, authentic presence in a sea of unknowns, and to commit to their care, understanding that in times like this, your services are needed more than ever.
Social distancing does not need to mean social isolation. But it does mean that we have to be intentional about connecting. While we may not be able to provide quick fixes or cures to the pandemic, our presence holds healing and transformative power. Remember, there is value in maintaining and tending to those relationships, innoculating against fear with accurate information, and reminding families that we are still committed to their transformational change and intend to still see them face-to-face when this is all over.
To download a free, recent webinar by Drs. Lyons and Fernando about completing the CANS and ANSA during this time of social distancing, click here.