Mark A. Stebnicki - Counseling Practice During Phases of a Pandemic Virus

During the early phases of the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic, the refrain repeated in American popular culture was that “we are all in this together.” Also during 2020 were a rise in White nationalism, systemic racism, political divisiveness, the propagation of media-driven conspiracy theories, civil unrest, and economic disintegration, all interacting with this lethal virus to hinder the public health and safety of Americans. To complicate matters even further, there was an ongoing 20-year war on terrorism, cyberattacks on our homeland security infrastructure, and the insurrection at the Capitol on January 6, 2021. Overall, it is my contention that we are not all in this together, because this statement assumes that all persons are living life at the same level of medical, physical, and mental functioning.

The statement that “we are all in this together” also implies that we all enjoy the same benefits and privileges in terms of socioeconomic status, access to quality health care, jobs, civil rights, as well as adequate support systems and other resources. Thus, we are not all in this together. Many Americans do not recognize the seriousness and lethality of the COVID-19 pandemic based on their questioning of the use of vaccines, wearing masks, social and physical distancing, and other virus hygiene protocols. Instead of “We are all in this together,” I would offer the reframe “We are all our own best support system.” It is only when we can come together in the present moment that good things will unite our communities and regions. Until then, many Americans are surviving at a basic level instead of thriving.

The medical, physical, psychological, behavioral, psychosocial, and economic impacts of viral contagions have catastrophic impacts on individuals, groups, communities, and cultures. Pandemic viruses mimic other natural disasters, such as floods, hurricanes, tornadoes, wildfires, and earthquakes, all of which also occurred in 2020. However, a pandemic disaster involves other losses, such as the large-scale loss of life, health, jobs, careers, educational opportunities, social and entertainment activities, as well as many other things. This pandemic disaster is not confined to one geographic location. Rather, this viral contagion has had a global impact. All the calamity of 2020 will be etched and mapped into the human consciousness in an infinite number of ways. The result will be a historical trauma that lives in the mind, body, and spirit of humankind, much like the Black Death of the 14th and 17th centuries in Europe and the Spanish flu at the start of the 20th century in America.

The number of extraordinary stressful and traumatic events has grown worldwide since 2001. Anyone who watched the January 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol in Washington, DC, by pro-Trump extremists knows that this September 11th-style attack on the homeland has threatened psychological safety and security in an already tense COVID environment. Fears and anxieties over the war on terrorism; catastrophic natural disasters prompted by climate change; mass shootings in schools and entertainment venues; and the spewing of toxic chemicals by large industries that poison our air, water, and food supply have become integrated with fears and anxieties associated with a pandemic virus that has threatened humankind. Fueling our fears and anxieties are videotaped images that replay on 24-hour news stations and a daily dose of other frightening stories in print and electronic media. Thus, we are surrounded by a daily digest of trauma unfolding in real time. The only breaking news stories missing from this list are a zombie apocalypse or alien invasion. For some, planet Earth does not appear to be a safe place to live.

Today we are singing a new anthem because of the paradigm shift in disaster mental health response. There is a world full of sickness introduced by a highly infectious viral contagion. We are required to reconceptualize how to heal the mind, body, and spirit of individuals, groups, communities, and cultures affected by a new natural disaster: novel coronaviruses. The new normal in mental health is that anxiety and fear of the next pandemic viruses may have become integrated into our psychological and emotional well-being. For some, the idea of a deadly germ in our environment has sparked neurotic thoughts, feelings, and behaviors that have become chronic and persistent patterns leading to mental health issues. Thus, the anxiety and fear we feel around a continually present viral contagion has been integrated into our unconsciousness. Overall, the emerging COVID Generation requires an intensive research agenda to identify, recognize, and explore the unique mental and behavioral health characteristics of individuals, groups, communities, and cultures that have difficulty living optimally. It is paramount that mental health professionals facilitate new meaning and understanding with COVID survivors. Cultivating a perception and attitude of healing the mind, body, and spirit will teach us how we can thrive rather than just survive pandemic disasters.

Counseling Practice During Phases of a Pandemic Virus is a comprehensive and foundational resource for mental health counselors and allied helping professionals. This work identifies, discusses, analyzes, illustrates, and differentiates characteristics of the COVID-19 pandemic from other natural disasters. It offers a compass to facilitate the use of pandemic disaster strategies with adults, adolescents, and children. A key asset of this work is the pandemic risk and resiliency continuum (PRRC) theoretical model, which offers mental, behavioral, and psy chosocial health benchmarks that can potentially be tracked throughout phases of a pandemic virus. The PRRC model has been critically reviewed by a panel of eight experts in disaster mental health response, epidemiology, medical and psychosocial aspects of illness and disability, and applied behavior science. Feedback from the subject matter experts was integrated into and is reflected in the PRRC theoretical model.

Counseling Practice During Phases of a Pandemic Virus is essential reading for members of the counseling, psychology, and public health professions. The ongoing public health crisis has created documented medical, physical, and mental health impacts on our overall well-being. We cannot watch from the sidelines: Failing to respond is not an option if we care to thrive, rather than just survive, during this pandemic virus. So how do we come out of the darkness and into the light and bring new meaning to such catastrophic and traumatic events? How do we facilitate good medical, physical, psychological, emotional, social, psychosocial, occupational, spiritual, and cultural healing during a pandemic disaster?

Most COVID-19 cases are identified and treated in health care settings by medical professionals who have little or no training in the assessment, diagnosis, and treatment of psychiatric conditions associated with mental, behavioral, and psychosocial health conditions. Thus, education and training regarding the screening of mental, behavioral, and psychosocial health issues would enhance patients’ overall medical, physical, and mental functioning. This work is a unique resource for mental health and other allied helping professionals who work in a variety of clinical, school, and community-based health care settings. The intention is to prepare professionals to meet the intense challenges of pandemic viruses in the 21st century. More specifically, this work

1 identifies children, adolescents, adults, and families who are at low, moderate, and high risk for mental, behavioral, and psychosocial symptoms related to pandemic viruses with the intention of triaging the most at-risk persons for follow-up services;