09/01/2022
As a private practice C*C, I feel this every day.
SHARING from a child psychologist….
I'm a child psychologist. The latest restrictions that were announced today, and those that have been in place for the last nearly 2 years, are making it very difficult for me to do my job supporting children with mental health problems or developmental disabilities.
It's hard to help a child with anxiety when we are constantly being reminded of the worst case scenario.
It's hard to help a child with depression when all of their social connections and activities have been cancelled.
It's hard to help a child who has experienced trauma who needs stability when we never know what to expect.
It's hard to help a child with OCD when our entire society has become germophobic.
It's hard to help a child with a developmental disability who can't understand why all of this is happening.
It's hard to help a child with ADHD who struggles to learn from a screen.
It's hard to help a child with emotion regulation problems when their parents are stressed and unable to provide emotional support to their family.
It's hard to help a child with Autism who has difficulty managing changes in routine when things can change minute by minute.
It's hard to help a child with family conflict when they are being told to avoid certain family members.
It's hard to assess whether a child has a learning disability when their education has been constantly interrupted for the past 2 years (for some, their entire educational career).
And all of these things are hard on kids/families without pre-existing mental health struggles too!
No amount of deep breathing will help if the big picture is feeding into these mental health problems.
It's time for a more balanced approach. Let's voice our concerns for the sake of the next generation.
FordNation
Windsor-Essex County HEALTH UNIT
DO BETTER!!!
