Written by Matt Warren, LMHC MDIV (Executive Director, Senior Clinician)
The overlapping national crises of this year have taken a massive toll on the mental health of our communities. Recent reports indicate that roughly 40% of Americans have experienced symptoms of depression, anxiety, and/or increased substance abuse since April and that the prevalence of such has more than tripled during the COVID-19 pandemic as compared to previous years. Demand for mental health services has skyrocketed at roughly the same pace, leaving providers stretched beyond capacity and still just barely scratching the surface of these seemingly inexhaustible needs.
This has certainly been the case at Harbor during the past six months. We are privileged to be able to serve our community at such a critical time and with higher volume than ever before. At the same time, it has also been a uniquely taxing and heavy season for our staff. Mental health providers are, in many ways, serving as “front line workers” amidst this particular aspect of our current crises. As human beings, they are faced with all the same stressors and hardships as most people during this time, while, as therapists, they are also called to carry the overwhelming burdens of a wide range of people afflicted in a wide range of ways by these very same circumstances and to do that with absolute steadiness and compassion. To complicate things further, the boundaries between personal and professional life have been blurred as most services are provided via telehealth typically from a private space in one’s own home and with greater fluidity of schedule. This results in an often jarring shift back and forth between personal stressors and concerns and those of the clients with very little buffer in between.
And yet…
Our team at Harbor has been unwavering throughout this challenging season – unwavering in their empathy, wisdom, patience, resilience, prayerfulness, and care. They have also worked hard to ensure that they are being sustained in body, mind, and spirit while carrying the unique burdens of serving on the “front lines” of mental health during this time. So to celebrate them, we wanted to highlight their voices and let them share their insights on how they have been managing to “survive” under the many pressures of the season.
To read the reflections shared by our team, click here to download our latest newsletter and sign up to receive our monthly newsletter at the bottom of this page. To learn more about this fantastic team, click here.
