Teletherapy during COVID-19

I never imagined sitting in my guest room at home for hours everyday having phone/video sessions with my patients. But after 2 weeks here I am falling into an entirely new routine. I wasn’t sure how switching to telepsychology would work. Can we still find that space to talk on that very personal level in this very different format? The answer I have discovered is yes. There is that initial awkwardness. But I am finding the

Therapeutic space is attainable via phone/FaceTime. There are various ways in which we can offer our people a safe environment. It can be crucial for a patient to have this place for themselves in order to recover or discover a capacity for managing life’s difficulties especially at this time. With the shelter-in, we need to continue to connect. So telehealth it is.  I have found several articles I feel can be helpful. I repost these on my Facebook page Sheree Bill PsyD.- such as ‘Psychological Responses to the Quarantine’ by the APA and ‘How social groups can do Good While Indoors’by Casey Newton.

If you are thinking about beginning therapy through teletherapy you might want to read, ‘7 Tips for Making the Most of Online Therapy During the COVID-19 Outbreak’ by Sam Dylan Finch.

Stay safe and feel free to connect.

Senior Blog

Following World War II there were more babies born than ever before. This “boom” in births happened between 1946-1964. The projection has been that when these boomers become seniors they would pose an economic threat. As retirees they would no longer be producing and therefore drain the system especially healthcare Less producers, more dependents.At the same

At the same time research is telling us that we are living longer than ever before. Does extended years of retirement mean more of a drain? Let's look at that. The way we think about aging has typically been thought of as time to slow down.retire, “the Golden Years” and by the way are your affairs in order? This large generation of boomers more than any generation before has the opportunity to change the way we think about aging.

Mickey Mantle was quoted as saying,”If I knew I was going to live this long I would have taken better care of myself”. We have a chance to redefine retirement and think about what we want these bonus years to look like. This is exciting for not only current seniors but for all following generations.

Our attitude has a profound effect on our physical, mental and emotional health. This new mindset enables this age group that is currently living the bonus years right now to take advantage of this mindset. There is new research everyday informing us of ways to better manage already existing conditions and ways to be proactive and stay healthy longer. If health insurance companies are on board and offering preventative care options then we need to be in the mindset to take advantage of them. Mental health ( you knew it was coming) can be crucial at this time. There is a correlation between how we approach this time of life to patterns of thinking we have established through the years. Physical, mental and emotional health are all connected.It's one system. As a psychologist I have seen the enormous impact the emotional has on us physically and mentally. In the beginning it can be difficult. That is why the name of this website is COURAGE TO BEGIN. We live in a time where we can have some say in living healthier offering an opportunity for: reflecting on our life and perhaps making a change, defining what we feel is important and personally meaningful, discovering unknown passions and talents, pursuing a second career? This is a good time to be this age. If we can make this shift to a new way to think about aging we will be passing on a gift to generations that follow.

I will be sharing current articles and research that I think are valuable. My goal is to sift through the latest research and find what speaks to living a healthier happier life.

During the operation and after the age of 99, which is another. Definitely enjoyed every part of a contest for one reason why this twist. Sammanfogning här grant applications so i have bookmarked.

health.Harvard.edu is a subscription newsletter that provides informative reports and studies.The email series “Blood Pressure and your Brain” issue #7 in a series on blood pressure ends with an Italian study that says NEVER TOO LATE. Controlling blood pressure can reduce the risk of cognitive dysfunction.

Speaking of NEVER TOO LATE.  The following two painting were done by my grandfather who began taking lessons when he was "SIXTY" and became a very talented artist after retirement!

Young Adult Blog

I will be adding information that young adults are finding useful as I hear about it. For now here are a few things I hope you find useful.

APPS:

  • Mindshift (free app for help managing anxiety)
  • Headspace ( 10 free 10-minute meditations)
  • Digit (free app)

WEBSITES:

BLOGS: Broke Millennial

BOOKS:

  • Aspiring Adults Adrift by Richard Arium and Josipa Roska

Open by Andre Agassi

LINKS

All Is Lost

While I was working on this website I watched the movie All is Lost .written and  directed by J.C. Chandor and starring Robert Redford.  The movie has almost no dialog. Its focus is on one man (unnamed man which I shall call Redford) who sails  off on a lone voyage and becomes lost at sea.  Redford is very resilient, methodically focused on the task at hand,  taking each crisis in stride  almost to the feeling of detachment..Standard for most sailors is to carry a location devise. Also  when taking on water first  to notify  authorities   then to attempt to handle the emergency.   My  impression is that he has become  defined by his self reliance and  reaching out for help has become a risk that no longer registers as an option.

What begins is a series of crises that Redford attends to until he finally runs out of options and must abandon ship.   He was not able  to overcome  the final crisis,.. There is nothing else he alone can do.  He has  thrown up  his last  flair.   On his face we can see his acceptance of "all is lost".

As Redford sinks downward. into the sea,  a boat appears.  It is  a person with a search light. A hand reaches down into the water toward Redford.  Redford swims up toward the surface and clasps the outstretched hand. Fade to White.  .In an interview with 'Television Without Pity', Chandor explained Fade To White:

There are 21 frames of white right at the last moment that I put in there and that's a little unusual because it lights up the theater in a weird way.  But in my mind, it was a way of cementing the end of the film and locking it in your mind, so it's your film,  I'm handing it over.  Hopefully , you’re learning something about yourself and starting to think about that.

Reportedly audiences are divided into two camps as to the ending of the movie.

One camp believes Redford dies  and the  extended  hand is that of a spiritual being guiding him into the beyond. . The fade to white represents  the afterlife.

The other camp believes Redford reaches out clasps the hand and is saved by the person in the boat.

That whatever pain/hurt/regret that caused Redford to decide to  go it alone allowed  room for the acceptance  of. help. He did reach up, trust an other and  an other was there. He was not alone.  All is not lost.

I think many of us can relate to this part of Redford that wants to go it alone. Its an experience we all have had. Children can express this very honestly: "You have hurt me. I don’t need you. I will do it by myself." The parent sees the hurt and reaches out to repair.  But what if this hurt and disappointed happens too much? What if there is no attempt to repair? That is the feeling I had watching Redford. It did not feel like watching a man at peace, enjoying time alone or dealing with a not yet repaired disappointment.   Watching him felt tragic.  That he was stuck alone in a place of protecting from hurt and disappointment.  He was hurt beyond  trying  to contact help. This movie was a good illustration of what happens when hurt becomes cemented. in us. and blocks the possibility of connecting when one is hurting and  in need. .   In the end it took a life and death crisis for Redford to turn toward an other.  He chose to be saved.  I believe this represents a life changing moment.   A life time of isolation and self- sufficiency broke open to a moment of acceptance of need for an other.    Fade to white.

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