Working through (and beyond) Covid-19

We’re told we are living through unprecedented times. I suppose we are. I’m 53 and I’ve never known such a time. Lockdown, everything closed down! Workplaces pulled down their shutters and more importantly, the tragedy of hundreds of people dying each day that ought not to have died. And although things are starting to reemerge from lockdown for many it has been, and remains horrendous! As the shutdown occurred on 23rd March all the training we had booked in was cancelled and I remember the feelings of anxiety and uncertainty building within me. 

I’m very lucky, I know that. I am fairly financially secure, not rich by any means but I had a sense of being OK, I was so conscious of that not being the case for others and as the lockdown took hold it was amazing that the Government announced the furlough scheme and whilst that didn’t impact on me, it meant that my fellow director Sandra Saint could at least maintain some income whilst I, buffeted somewhat due to other financial support could look at continuing to work. That’s not to say that I wasn’t feeling under a huge amount of pressure and worry that my/ our businesses would fold.

What did I do? Well, I focused on what I could do. What I needed to do. I completed the outstanding assignments for my psychotherapy training with the TA Training Organisation, I was so pleased to have finally completed the work that would ensure that I had achieved my Foundation Certificate in Transactional Analysis and lay the foundations for my Diploma exam as I wanted to write more and spend time thinking…

However, that didn’t really happen. Sure I completed my assignments and then NUCO training, the fabulous organisation that I and Golden Tree CIC are linked to, responded brilliantly to the need to respond to mental health needs and provide training on First Aid for Mental Health. Almost immediately they had the Level 1, 2 and 3 courses pivoted online. That was a lifeline! 

SUEZ have committed to having up to 10% of their staff trained in the Level 1 qualification, First Aid for Mental Health and it has been a privilege that they have chosen us to work with because of our experience and skill in mental health training. We've worked at many places around the country delivering this course. But without NUCO creating the distance or blended learning programme this would have stuttered to a halt…We pivoted online and have delivered many courses to some amazing people (over 150 people qualified in the Level 1 FAfMH course). I’ve also delivered a number of webinars (#newexperiences) on mental health, anxiety and maintaining wellbeing as well as creating videos based around the five ways to wellbeing (#newskills) learning to use imovie and Doodly

The Teesside Training Hub, an amazing collaboration between Redcar and Cleveland Mind and Teesside Public Health and LA that we have been connected with for many years, were very keen for training to continue. Golden Tree CIC were commissioned to create videos about responding to mental health issues for those working on phone lines as well as continuing to provide training around First Aid for Mental Health. I have delivered and have several L1, 2 and 3 courses booked in between now and September.

We have worked with North Yorkshire LA providing training online FAfMH training, adapted our Managing Distress and Courageous Conversations in the Workplace training for online delivery and I have continued to work with my psychotherapy clients online, building my practice.

Anxiety and anger have played a major part in the work that I’m dealing with in therapy, (I think it will form part of another article later on transference and counter-transference) and indeed the webinars that have been delivered to some amazing people.

So what’s the point of this piece? Well I suppose it’s to tell you all about the stuff that I’ve been doing, but more than that, I think it’s about adaptation and responding to situations. It’s about not giving up, recognising all of our abilities and our capacity to grow.

The last few months have been a struggle, a huge change and it has not been easy. I’ve been exhausted, stressed and anxious but I’ve made a choice to embrace that change and with that embrace the exhaustion, stress and anxiety has dissipated.

Thanks for reading

feel free to contact me via LinkedIn or at [email protected]