In December 2022, in addition to our online training for therapists, we published our annual Wise Therapy Spotlight publication to support giving voice to a variety of viewpoints within our community. Our most recent collection of essays and artwork from our psychotherapy training community and beyond was published in December 2022.
Thank you to all who submitted to this edition, and congratulations to our published authors who responded in such an inspiring way to the question, “How do you sustain hope and resilience?”
Enjoy this essay response by Maria del Carmen Rodriguez. Download the full PDF publication here: Wise Therapy Spotlight December 2022 Issue
Instilling Hope and Love in the Age of COVID-19 & Other Pandemics
Maria del Carmen Rodriguez, Ph.D., LPC, NCC, NJ-DRCC
There is no doubt that many individuals and other living creatures on Planet Earth have been profoundly tested since early 2020. As a counselor educator, I provided my graduate students a chance to freely express their thoughts and feelings during every class of the 1st year of the COVID-19 pandemic. Paramedics, nurses, mental health specialists, hospital aids and other 1st responders who were counseling trainees shared the many ways that the pandemic touched their lives. Many of them were profoundly impacted by the unique stressors associated with this major life event in addition to the daily stressors they already faced.
The ones who were first responders presented unique challenges as they felt the huge responsibility of helping other Americans infected with COVID while worrying about the safety of their own families.
They knew how easy it could be for them to inadvertently bring the virus home. These students did all they could to avoid spreading the illness at home, posing additional stressors for them. They isolated in order to protect their loved ones and this choice prevented them from receiving both emotional and spiritual support.
For many Americans who were able to work from home, the situation presented new challenges and opportunities.
Negotiating home space with other relatives for extended periods of time was an eye-opening experience. High school students were asked to help younger siblings with their school work and house chores at a more intense level. Families with school age children took on more responsibilities as the children were coping with the emerging needs associated with virtual learning. Hopefully, parents have gained new appreciation for the incredible work that public school teachers do to educate our children.
The many Americans who were not able to work from home lived with the same fears of becoming infected with COVID just as the healthcare workers shared before.
These workers had to find creative ways of isolating from their loved ones to prevent the spread of the virus to their loved ones. So many workers did what they needed to do to keep this country going. I am forever grateful for their determination, courage and sacrifice.
I provided pro-bono counseling to members of socially disadvantaged communities who called for mental health support. They wrestled with overwhelming fear, the trauma of losing relatives and not being able to care for them when they needed it the most or failing to congregate to pay their final respect. They struggled with insufficient economic resources to meet their needs. They had conflicting demands. On one hand, they practiced social distancing (as the health officials requested) and on the other hand, they missed having face-to-face contact with extended family and neighbors which brought so much meaning to their lives.
How did I instill hope and resilience to all those community members and relatives that I had the honor of interacting with during these challenging days?
I allowed them to connect to their breathing. I used a percussion based musical instrument to help them silence the inner noise and facilitate their connection with the life force dwelling within. I gave them space to freely express their pain and anguish. I acknowledged their discomfort and confusion and reminded them that their spiritual strength and capacity to love was present even in the darkest hours. I respected the silence of their tears. I invited them to re-connect with whatever spiritual traditions nourished their soul. I encouraged them to reconnect with nature, the arts or any other source of healing and inspiration.
When appropriate, I shared the grief that my own family was experiencing.
I was able to connect with others in need because I paid attention to my own emotional and spiritual process and honored my needs. As healers, recharging ourselves physically and spiritually enhances our professional performance and personal well-being.
The difficulties associated with this health crisis have given the people of this planet an opportunity to caliber our values and priorities.
Dealing with a health crisis of this magnitude has been life altering for many. Providing support to many citizens negatively impacted by systemic racism & other sources of oppression has also been transformative. Both pandemics have profoundly touched me. I would like to think that the person that I am today is better because I have survived these life tests and shared this journey with so many Americans in need. Above all, I acknowledge their suffering and despair and pay tribute to their creative ways of affirming their humanity during these remarkable times. Namaste!
“We have to become still in the midst of the turmoil so we can observe clearly how our actions and the actions of others, past and present, fit together in the tapestry of life. In the timeless instant when we stop moving and simply witness the moment, the dust settles and the big picture emerges” – Dr. Alberto Villoldo
Learn more about Maria and her work on her website.
If you would like to be inspired by more of the essays and artwork published in the Wise Therapy Spotlight December 2022 Issue, Click to Download the PDF now.
Maria del Carmen Rodriguez has been a full time, tenured faculty working for the Department of Counselor Education (Nathan Weiss Graduate College) in Union, NJ and a graduate of New York University. In her teaching, she has motivated new counselors to facilitate clients’ holistic healing. Her research examines the role of folk-healers in progressive mental health care and culturally inclusive counseling.
María del Carmen has presented her research in local, state, national and international counseling conferences. Her community involvement includes service as a state certified disaster response counselor, and mentor to doctorate students.
