Abstract
The mission of the international Hospital, Health and Addiction Workers, Patients and Families Work Group is to reduce and when possible prevent COVID-19-related psychological trauma and to facilitate developing resiliency and post-traumatic growth. Through reflections, this chapter highlights four major areas of the members’ clinical work, including trauma, international and national leadership roles, the national impact of the pandemic and policy implications for at-risk populations, and dissemination of clinical interventions.
The following personal reflections emphasize a broad view of trauma and resilience that incorporates somatic perspectives, bearing witness and advocating for others in a compassionate manner, utilizing a flexible mindset, and the emotional reactions as therapists to gain insight into their patients’ experiences. The leadership work is reflected in each group member’s roles and actions, including developing mental health clinics, facilitating support groups and coping strategies, and international research on promoting positive health behaviors. The dissemination work is available through our Speaker series, publications, and Psychology Today Blogs, speaker series, Web Page, and publications. Specifically, the blogs highlight the complex challenges psychologists were facing in their clinical work during the pandemic and how existential, humanistic, mind-body, and creative approaches can deepen the work.
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Author Note
The Hospital, Health and Addiction Workers, Patients and Families Work Group at the APA Interdivisional Task Force on the Pandemic would like to thank the group members for their contribution to the chapter including Tina Balachandran, Denise Bossarte, Denise Carballea, Betsy Gard, Adam R. Klyczek, Judy Kuriansky, Soffia Palsdottir, Janet Plotkin-Bornstein, Mary Beth Quaranta Morrissey, Evelyn Rappoport, Rita Rivera, Judy Roth, Kirk J. Schneider, Patricia Villavicencio Carrillo, and Ann F. Wimpfheimer.
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O’Reilly-Landry, M., O’Gorman, P., Gordon, R.M. (2023). The Hospital, Health and Addiction Workers, Patients and Families. In: Figley, C.R., Walker, L.E., Serlin, I.A. (eds) Pandemic Providers. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-27580-7_6
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