"After months of isolation, it felt like staying home was becoming more risky than going out. So with some trepidation, I accepted a dinner invitation from friends and colleagues Alana Gissen, LCSW, and Patricia Stauber, RN, LCSW. The joy we felt was palpable. We decided that our mental health was paramount, and if we were to continue to help others during this trying time, we needed to take care of ourselves."
"In June 2021, still reeling from the pandemic's impact, a second unimaginable tragedy struck our community. A condominium in Surfside collapsed killing 98 people. This catastrophic event deeply shocked us all. Once again, Miami's mental health professionals were being called upon to respond to a massive, unprecedented crisis that was simultaneously impacting us, our patients, and our community. A few of us lost family members, and many lost friends, or patients."
Multiple personal and communal losses in 2020 and 2021 left therapists deeply affected while continuing clinical work and adapting to telemedicine. Small intentional gatherings of colleagues provided palpable joy, prioritized mental health, and created ongoing peer-support dinners that lifted participants. The Surfside condominium collapse in June 2021 forced mental-health professionals to respond to a communitywide tragedy that also affected many clinicians. Many therapists lacked specific training for such events yet continued to aid others. An experienced grief therapist proposed a healing day for therapists. Community support, shared trauma, and intentional connection protected clinicians from burnout and fostered resilience and purpose.
Read at Psychology Today
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