Pandemication Blues – people are hurting in more ways than one
I don’t know about you, but when I ask my clients what’s going on when they come into the office, I expect to hear about their back, their neck, their knee, some physical problem. But these days when I ask that question, I often get answers like, “I’ve been kind of depressed.” I’ve heard that so many times lately. Have you?
I’m only working a couple of afternoons a week on clients that I know well and have been following the covid precautions carefully wherever they go. Everybody else, I refer out. But some of the therapists I usually refer people to are not working. I understand! It’s challenging to know what’s best to do in this pandemic environment. There is a lot of conflicting guidance.
Meanwhile, people are hurting – in more ways than one. When my clients walk out the door feeling wonderful, both physically and mentally/emotionally, it gives me a feeling of satisfaction. And I’m glad I made the effort to come into the office and work on them, even with the masks, the intense air filtration, and the increased sanitization.
But I have the luxury of picking my clients carefully and limiting my office hours. My landlord is only charging half rent. And I don’t need to take everyone that comes along, especially if I don’t think they’re covid-careful. I know that a lot of other therapists don’t have that luxury. I understand! I’ve been there before.
It’s a challenging situation in so many ways. One thing I wrestle with is wondering if I should stop working on clients. Then I could put my focus on my training, writing, and music projects. But I know that my clients depend on me to be there. Meanwhile, there are many less therapists available than the need/demand these days. This shortage of therapists actually existed well before the pandemic started for several reasons. The pandemic has made it much worse.
I don’t have the perfect answer to all these challenges. Everyone has to do what seems appropriate for them and their loved ones in this situation. I hope that you are staying healthy and finding some happiness every day, even in the little things. I write this as I watch the birds and hummingbirds feeding on the feeders outside my window. Focusing on little joys each day helps me to stay grateful within the chaos.
On another more business-oriented note, if you purchased any of our online courses, remember to complete them well before July 31 if you want to use those CEUs toward your next license renewal or to upgrade to MMT or MTI. That’s when the current ‘health emergency’ is set to end. The governor may extend it again, given the spike in cases around the state, but we can’t predict that he will do that.
And you may want to finish your courses before the website servers are hammered by those waiting until the last day. As always, if you need help printing your CE certificates, just contact me. I can see your progress on each course and your quiz scores via my portal to the website, so it’s easy for me to verify which courses you’ve completed and print the certificates. If you have any questions, just let me know.
If you haven’t purchased your online courses (or DVD courses) yet, this is your best opportunity. The courses are still heavily discounted to licensed therapists. It’s an excellent way to get CEUs and professional bodywork training without putting yourself and loved ones at risk. And the courses will be available to you long after the health emergency is over. You can register on our secure website by using this link here or by calling me at 800-584-1562:
https://roltraining.com/product-category/courses/
Stay well, John