Why Therapy is Important During a Global Pandemic

For all of us, our lives completely changed around March. Jobs and health insurance were lost, schools shut down, and many parents had to figure out how they were going to be able to work when their children were home. During this time, we may not have understood the impact that these changes caused on our mental health. Not only our mental health, but our children’s mental health.

I often hear a lot of parents say “my child is so resilient” or “my child doesn’t understand what is going on.” They are correct that children are resilient, but what they don’t understand is what their child may have went through during the past six months. Our children were forced to stop in-person school, and no longer had the opportunity to see their friends, teachers, and staff at their school. Many of our younger children have no means of communicating with their friends. Not only was the social aspect taken away from them, but for some so was the safety. There are so many children in our community that fear being home due to drug/alcohol/physical/emotional abuse. School is what they consider their safety zone where they are able to have food, comfort, and a place where they feel important. So when children are acting out or hiding away in their rooms, remember that they have had to change their way of living as well, and they are trying to process all of the changes that were forced upon them.

Whether you have chosen to send your child back to in-person setting or decided to do online learning, let us remember that school is no longer the same as it once was. School may not feel like the safe zone anymore to some children. Let’s give children some grace, love and understanding. If your child or if you know of a child that is struggling, don’t hesitate to reach out to us. This is our job! We will help them process the changes, process their emotions and help them get through this time. Our children matter, and so do their emotions and thoughts.

Feel free to contact us, or schedule an appointment.

Lindsey Zimmerman, LMSW