Creating ‘Cultures of Care’
Do you remember being amid people, maybe even those whom you have known for a long while, and still feeling very lonely? Did you wonder – ‘what’s wrong with me, why can’t I be at ease anywhere, why do I feel distant or out of place?’ Did you feel that despite the best intention and amazing company, you didn’t belong? What is this experience of isolation that leaves us disconnected, untethered and out in the cold?
Mostly it is the feeling that no one really gets me, and the gnawing sense that no one really cares. The epidemic of loneliness is a profound manifestation of unmet emotional needs and disconnection. It is a complex interplay between individual experiences, societal influences, and psychological dynamics. The antidote to loneliness is connection and community, and most importantly- cultures of care. And as a community of therapists, social agents and healers, we can help create, sustain and embody these cultures of care.
While it is quite commonly acknowledged these days that ‘it’s okay to not be okay’, what a person really needs when they are not feeling okay, is for someone to notice that, to remember their absence, to miss their presence and ask – ‘Hey, are you okay?’ For that, one needs to care enough, and to know how to express that care. In my work as a therapist and mental health educator I see this as a transformative part in the healing journey of my clients and learning curve of my students.
What does it really mean to care? Care as a feeling, care as an action, care as ideology and care as practice are all different seams in the fabric of psycho-social community work. Care is also very contextual and cultural. How do you express care in your culture and community? How do you want to be taken care of? When was the last time you asked someone how their inner world is? When was the last time someone asked you – how are you really feeling?
Authentic care is radical. Care, in its truest, deepest sense, is being a safe space for someone. Care can be felt, generated, expressed and experienced anywhere, with anyone, at any time. And as therapists, we can embody and facilitate this process. We can help build cultures of care that address the core of mental suffering. We can enable individuals to lean into the warmth of a community that knows how to care.
