As the pandemic rages on, with rotating regulations, numbers of cases, and thoughts on its seriousness, therapy is increasingly in high demand.
Reports indicate that many people have expressed feelings of anxiety, depression, and insomnia since the start of the pandemic. As a result, the demand for effective help and trained professionals has skyrocketed.
Anna Miller, a licensed professional counselor at Dallas Therapy Collective, shares some of the trends that she’s noticed.
“We’ve had a lot of first-time therapy goers,” she states. “Since we’ve been re-introducing ourselves to the world, a lot of them are reporting symptoms of depression and anxiety. About being nervous to be in public; being nervous to leave their homes; [and,] being nervous to go somewhere without wearing a mask.”
Josh Miller, the business manager of Dallas Therapy Collective, agrees with Anna and the reports of increased anxiety amongst patients.
“What we went through as a world is a shared trauma experience,” he states. “We’re a very certain people; we want to feel like we’re in control. And when that control is stripped from us from multiple directions, it creates a really deep sense of fear and anxiety.”
As a business manager, Josh is responsible for screening clients and setting them up with the best fit therapist. Aside from issues related to finances, personal health, and re-socializing, Josh states that many people are experiencing an “existential crisis” due to the uncertainty caused by the pandemic.
To address the anxiety caused by uncertainty, Anna implements the method Stop and Reassess with her clients.
“Anxiety tells you that you’re in danger or something bad is going to happen, and it’s easy to just let that dictate whether or not you’re going to do something. With the stop and reassess strategy, you check in with yourself and say, ‘How am I doing? Do I need to be alone for a minute? Are there any needs of mine that I need to attend to so that I can take care of myself and maybe continue enjoying whatever this thing is that I’m trying to do.’”
The Dallas Therapy Collective is a team of licensed therapists and professionals specializing in anxiety counseling, spiritual abuse, LGBTQ therapy, childhood trauma, depression counseling, couples counseling, and EDMR therapy.
For more information on their services or to book a session, visit their website here.