A COVID-19 Pep Talk: Introducing The Phoenix Clinic at CCRC
If ever there was a way to survive, the act of humor is inherent. “2020 is cancelled!” or “When the outside opens again, I’m throwing a New Year party. We’re starting this year from the top!” are phrases that shield the pain of these uncertain times in laughter. One of the key elements of humor is that there are always nuggets of truth, and in what feels like a semi-/post-pandemic world, it seems like the hopes and visions that many of us had planned for the year lay ravaged by financial upheaval and mental anguish. Our hospitals overflow, and our mortality rates increase. The technical strain of e-learning and remote work persists, and unemployment rates rise. Racism and its vast digital reach remain, and our individual and collective anxieties grow by the hour. Yet, we wake up every morning (read: maybe early afternoon). Our feet hit the ground. Our lungs fill with air, and even if we’re worrying, we’re existing and thinking with the mental faculties to do so. We are granted another chance every time we’ve awaken over these past two months, to take care of ourselves, to take care of each other during this time, to hurt and heal, and to build still.
So, this is a COVID-19 pep talk (and if the word pep talk causes you grief, think of it as a friendly note from someone who cares about you… because I do). This is to all of us, who even in the middle of this tragedy, have found moments of triumph and still dare to hope for the future. We do not know what it holds, but if you are still here, there is still more here for you. 2020 isn’t over.
You’ve found ways to show up for yourself so well over these past two months. I’ve heard us being kinder to ourselves. Those voices of critique and pressure, though still present, have spoken of your strengths and held compassion for the worldly, professional, and the personal expectations that exist for you.
You’ve gotten active, gone for walks when you’d have complained of the weather, virtually found peace in yoga. When your body is on track and can breathe and feel you (and you can feel your body) even in the midst of a trauma, you fair differently on the other side with more tools than torment and more understanding than unraveling.
You’ve pooled your resources. From schools administering e-learning and providing lunch to the healthcare providers leading remote check-up appointments and teletherapy to the hotel industry supporting those who live without homes, we have rallied around each other, showing tangible kindness to our most vulnerable populations.
You’ve connected with so many folks, and BOY, have I seen us really connect with each other in authentic, warm, life-changing ways. We’ve had Zoom graduation parties and drive-by baby showers. Some of us have attended remote graveside services, and some of us have been just recently afforded home-based internet services to connect and engage in ways we never could have imagined.
You’ve allowed yourself to feel your feelings and name your emotions. Because who wouldn’t need to communicate with both your head and your peace in mind when you’ve been working in the middle of your home for the past 60 days? You’ve had to name the experiences of being isolated away from loved ones. You’ve had to understand the impact of your routine being upended and not being able to lift weights the way you’re used to and not travel the way you had grown accustomed and not have the job you need because of a lay-off or an indefinite furlough.
You’ve even planned for the future. You’ve worn your masks to view new properties as your first foray into property management. What you haven’t spent on food (and it’s okay if it’s been a lot), you’ve been able to save for the first time in years. You’ve still gotten acceptances into undergraduate and graduate school, worked on resumes and CVs, interviewed for school leadership positions, and you haven’t run away. You put your mask on. You put one foot in front of the other, and you’ve risen. We’ve risen.
In this time and in this place, I have seen us collectively decided that though we may still be in the fire, there is as much healing and building that can be done right now as there will be at the end. 2020 isn’t over. For this reason, we, too, at the Chicago Center for Relationship Counseling prepare to open our affordable mental health clinic and internship program in downtown Chicago, the Phoenix Clinic at CCRC. There is currently and is expected to be a very present need for mental health support in our community at-large; there are increases in domestic violence as well as expected increases in suicide rates, depression, and anxiety (Holmes et al., 2020), and we must rise now. In seeking to proactively create an equitable and collaborative space for clients and therapists, our mission at the Phoenix Clinic at CCRC is simple: we are committed to launching folks into the world to thrive. By connecting those with less access and limited resources to therapeutic and community resources to the support of budding therapists with competency, compassion, and cultural sensitivity, we strive to heal, learn, grow, and rise together.
So, the next time you hear someone cancelling the year in jest (or in all psychological earnestness), remind them of their recent victories, “You went on that walk today, man,” or “You ate before 3:00 p.m. for three days this week,” or “Congratulations on your graduation/marriage/baby or all three,”, or even “I know you can’t really spend it anywhere, but at least you got paid!” Remind them that they’re doing the best they can. Remind them that if they are still waking up, there’s still a chance. And if you or a loved one are still really struggling to cope with this thing or we make it to our launch of services here at the Phoenix Clinic in August 2020 and you’re still in need of someone to talk to, someone who understands, and someone skilled in providing quality therapeutic support for communities with limited income and/or the ability to pay, come find us in Chicago. We’ll be ready, and we will rise with you.
Source:
Holmes, E. A., O’Connor, R.C., Perry, V. H., Tracey, I. Wessely, S., Arseneault, L., Ballard, C., Christensen, H., Silver, R.C., Everall, I., Ford. T., John, A., Kabir, T., King, K., Madan, I., S. Michie, Przybylski, A.K., Shafran, R., Sweeney, A., … Bullmore, E. (2020. Multidiscplinary research priorities for the COVID-19 pandemic: A call for action for mental health science. Lancet Psychiatry, 7(6), 547-560. https://doi.org/10.1016/S2215-0366(20)30168-1.
