With one of the biggest pandemics in history coming in and intervening with our lives, it has brought in lockdowns that have destroyed people’s livelihoods and made it difficult for people to obtain financial means to support themselves and their family. One line of work that has been affected by the virus are counsellors, who mainly work with their clients in person. Not only does it affect counsellors, but it affects their clients who may rely on these sessions for their mental health. I spoke to Bernice, who is a self-employed counsellor, on how COVID has impacted her practice.
What would you say the role of a counsellor is? “I feel that my role as a counsellor is to be there to guide people through any issues they bring, whether their issues are in the past or present. I look at myself as if I’m in a car with a client and they are in the driving seat, as they are in charge and in control, and I am in the passenger seat guiding them. Often the road is never straight ahead, so we may take a left turn or a right turn. To successfully help my client, I aim to build a relationship to develop trust which involves showing my compassion, inclusivity, empathy and not any judgement of their situation.”
Before COVID-19, what were your sessions like? “They were always face to face. I didn’t have to worry about there being a suitable distance between us, if there was ventilation, face coverings and other things like that. The size of the room didn’t matter, as long as we both had a comfortable chair to sit in.”
How did lockdown affect your work? “The first national lockdown in March almost closed down my business completely as everything was shut, so I wasn’t able to do face to face meetings with my clients. I only had one client that was willing to have our sessions on an online platform, and she only attended every other week. It was a shame, as my business had really started picking up in January and then I went from ten to twelve hours of work a week to one hour every other week.”
Do you have an understanding of why your clients didn’t like the idea of online sessions? “Some told me that they just prefer the face to face contact and being in the room with me. Some just didn’t like technology, there was literally a barrier between us. Often, I think for people it is the privacy element. If they live with other people, they are conscious that people in their household can hear them or they just don’t have the quiet space to have our sessions. Another big reason was WIFI issues, there can be glitches and delays which is inconvenient and disruptive to the flow of the sessions.”
How did you feel about online sessions? “It’s a means to an end. It does work, I’ve got some clients who were new to therapy in lockdown who had only ever done online sessions and I think some people will continue to do it this way. It suits some people as they don’t have to travel for a start and some people can fit it in their lunchbreak if they want to. I still prefer seeing the whole of someone as I feed very much off of not only what someone is saying but also their body language and facial expressions and with virtual therapy, I can only see them from their shoulders up. There’s also occasionally a distraction and I can tell if people might have their phones in their hands, as I see their eyes divert down towards a screen. It’s okay, but ultimately, for me, it is not the same.”
When restrictions were lifted, what were sessions like? Did you have any stress or concern? “When the lockdown lifted in July, I was unsure on what to do so I discussed it with my supervisor. She still only does online work, and some people I used to train with do the same as they feel wary to come back to working in person. But I had a few of my clients ask me about starting face to face sessions again. I am very lucky that the room I use is a nice size so I was able to create a space where there was a two-metre distance between us. I have lots of measures put in place which include, putting a sheet put down over the seat which gets washed after every client. I use a disinfectant spray for the room and I have a hand sanitiser gel available. I also wear a visor every session and leave the door open for ventilation. With these measures in place, I didn’t feel nervous as I was being as safe as I can. I was happy to be back as I was feeling quite low and was losing confidence in my ability.”
Do you feel that the government has done enough to support the self-employed, specifically counsellors? “I was quite lucky as I had three year's worth of tax returns, which meant I was able to claim on the furlough scheme, which was a help to me. I also don’t just rely on my wage, so I realised I was fortunate. So, for me it was enough, but I know that hasn’t been the case for everyone. If I’d only completed two year's worth of tax returns, then I wouldn’t have been eligible, so it is different for different people.”
Have you noticed any affects COVID and lockdown has had on people’s mental health? “With the second lockdown starting in the Autumn and Winter seasons, it is colder and gets darker earlier, which I feel can add to people’s low mood and take its toll. With the first one being in the summer, I feel that people found the lockdown more manageable as they could go for walks, do gardening or see friends and family outside. But this time, there is less hope and it’s almost like, when is it going to end. I think people were hopeful in the beginning that it would be finished by July and then it came to September and it was still here. Now it just seems that there is no end. It has affected people’s relationships; some people may have become closer and for others it has intensified issues that they’ve had. For people that have social anxiety for instance who may fear going out, they have actually really enjoyed the lockdown as they don’t feel there is any pressure on them to socialise. Another positive aspect is that a lot of my clients have had the time to reflect on their lives and wanting to make changes.”
In conclusion, like most professions, counselling has had to adapt to a new way of working for their clients in order for them to feel that they have a safe space, whether that be online or in person. COVID-19 has increased levels of worry and anxiety in the population, so it is important that therapeutic services are still available in order to support people through these difficult and uncertain times.
I appreciate that not everyone can afford therapy, so if you feel you need some help please look at these help line numbers below:
Samaritans- 116 123
Papyrus- 0800 068 4141
