Working During the Coronavirus Health Crisis: An Open Forum

We invite all IARPP members to join in our online project: Working During the Corona Virus Health Crisis: An Open Forum to discuss reactions, thoughts and concerns, whether theoretical, clinical, or personal about the crisis that we are coping with around the world.

We have invited an international panel to open the conversation, starting Saturday, March 14 (noon Eastern Standard time) and running until Sunday, March 22 at 6 PM (again EST — i.e. NY Time).

We thank the panel for jumping in on a moment’s notice to paricipate in this on-line forum. The panelists will start the conversation wtih opening posts, commenting and reflecting on the current situation from their own unique vantage points, both geographical and clinical. After the initial inter-panel exchange over the weekend, we will open the forum to all IARPP members.

Please join in this conversation. We hope that having the opportunity to connect and share experiences in this global on-line format will be helpful, enabling each of us to feel part of a holding, containing and mutually supportive community of clinicians and, more importantly, human beings grappling with an uncharted and frightening situation. We invite you to share ideas about your practice, working remotely, your reactions emotionally, and the particular challenges and struggles you are facing individually and with your patients during this time.

How can we as clinicians hold our patient’s anxieties as we grapple with our own? What is our role during this time? What are the challenges we face in endeavoring to provide the kind of clinical responsiveness our patients need at this difficult moment? How do we balance “self-care” with personal and clinical responsibilities? Are there particular theories or modalities that you are drawing on as you work through this complex moment? Are there particular insights or suggestions you can offer to the community for navigating through this period? In short, we welcome the community into this forum and thank you in advance for all of your contributions.