Please note that this is a joint blog with NOTA blog site, take care, Kieran & David.
Like everyone else, we’ve had our share of
worries and concerns as we enter the rising side of the COVID-19 curve.
Canceled trainings, travel, and classes, ensuring the safety and wellbeing of
loved ones have shaped the lives of many for a long time to come. For many of
us, it’s the state of not knowing that is the most frustrating. On the other
hand, there are some areas of good
news, such as indications of decline in some areas, and medical advances in
others. And proving the axiom that “Alone I travel faster; together we travel
further”, the word “caremongering”
has entered our lexicon.
At this writing,
numerous state chapters of ATSA, regional branches of NOTA (NOTA Scotland) and
ANZATSA has had to cancel or postpone its conferences, workshops, seminars, and training.. Ditto with the otherwise seemingly indestructible NAPN
conferences. Many trainers are taking to web-based and videoconferencing
technologies, where the questions of the day involve the best ways to break
participants up into small group discussions and paired practice exercises.
Everywhere we look, discussions abound about how to balance the needs and
rights of our clients with our own obligations for self-care and safety. These
discussions have ranged from how many clients in group therapy in some areas to
whether or not clinicians can work with videoconferencing platforms and which
methods adhere to confidentiality laws. Additionally, these discussions raise
questions of access to online technology, which can be a challenge to some of
our clients because of the conditions to their license conditions, the speed of
internet in certain areas and whether professionals can work from home (i.e.,
access to encrypted networks and client reports).
One opportunity that
we all have in these uncertain times is to work on our messaging. As the world
talks about “social distancing”, we are painfully aware of the elements of
social isolation that have long been recognized as a risk factor for offending
and re-offending. Professionals in our field find themselves in a subtle bind:
Social isolation is a risk factor in some respects, and yet social distance is
a protective factor in others. How do we ensure that we don’t approach clients
as if they are one more surface to sanitize?
Maybe it’s time to
move beyond focusing on the construct of social distance and turn our message
in other directions. Instead, we might think of this in terms of promoting
“physical distance and safety” and “creating a healthy space”. From a
prevention perspective, social distance can facilitate abuse and create the
conditions where people at risk of committing an offense, whether for the first
time or as part of an ongoing pattern may be more likely to do so. For this
reason, we should also think of increased social isolation as an opportunity
for us to intervene and talk about prevention.
Of course, creating and
transmitting healthy and safe spaces can begin with maintaining a positive and
hopeful attitude (which itself is a protective factor against illness) and with
being careful with media coverage. In some ways, the rapidly escalating strong
emotions inspired by media coverage may be a bigger risk factor for negative
outcomes all around. As one comedian observed, “If I don’t watch the news, I’m
uninformed. If I do watch it, I’m misinformed.”
The messaging from
leaders is also a lesson for all in our field and provides an opportunity to
reflect on what messages our clients and colleagues get from us. One world
leader has already tried to monetize the eventual vaccine. Another has blithely
reminded us that many of our loved ones will die. Yet another, from Ireland — a
country that knows about staring directly into the eyes of violence,
starvation, and despair— reminded his country that “Together we can save
lives.” This last example gives us an opportunity to reframe our message to our
clients, ourselves, and each other: at the very least, we’re all in this
together. That’s one small step we can take to reduce social isolation.
Finally, there is one
small message that we can remind ourselves about providing excellent
assessments and treatments to people who have abused. For years, our field has
grappled with providing the best evidence-based services, while implementation
science has reminded us that optimizing service delivery can take years. Every
time we’ve thought about the importance of implementing best practices, we’ve also
thought about how long it takes to implement even the most basic of safety
interventions, such as handwashing and seat belt usage. One silver lining to
the Coronavirus crisis is that at least handwashing is up. As with reducing
sexual violence, simply getting people to talk about the issues and forge a way
forward can change lives for the better.
Many organizations have offered advice for
professionals in this field;
British Psychological Society: https://thepsychologist.bps.org.uk/volume-33/april-2020/coronavirus-psychological-perspectives
British Association for Counselling and
Psychotherapy: https://www.bacp.co.uk/about-us/contact-us/faqs-about-coronavirus/
Centers for Disease Control: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-nCoV/hcp/index.html
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