Dear International Counselling Colleagues,
We wish to show our solidarity and support to all those working to alleviate suffering as a result of the spread of the coronavirus/covid-19 outbreak worldwide.
We hope our colleagues will stay safe. We recommend close monitoring of factual information provided by the World Health Organization (WHO) and reputable media organisations. We know that our colleagues around the world are thinking of all those affected and send their support to all healthcare staff fighting this virus. Global Coronavirus Case Tracker: HERE
On this page you will find:
- Information on IAC supports for counsellors during this time.
- World Health Organization (WHO) advice to counsellors and mental health professionals.
- Updates and advice for counsellors from a sample of national counselling associations.
1) IAC Supports and Resources for counsellors during the coronavirus pandemic:
- Support Groups: IAC Executive Council Member Desiree Carlson is running support groups for counsellors -- All details HERE. If you would like to run similar sessions in your region of the world please contact Desiree: info@desireecarlson.com
- IAC Practitioners RoundTable: IAC Executive Council Member Nate Perron is hosting the next Counselling Practitioners’ Round Table (CPRT) meeting on October 30, 2020.
-
IAC Webinar Series Presents: Cultural Relativism (Oct 2, 2020). Presenter: Desiree Carlson: Recording: HERE Access Passcode: XT=Lt%62
- IAC Webinar Series Presents: Talking about Feelings a tribute to Otto Rank, Carl Rogers, Fritz Perls and Virginia Satir in Times of Covid-19. Presenter: Dr. Dirk Rohr. Recording (23/6/20): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lsdQkZCUhXk
- IAC Webinar Series Presents: 'Wellness during Covid-19: Considerations for our Classrooms, Co-workers, and Families" -- presented by the University of the Cumberlands, Kentucky, USA, on the 17th of April 2020. Please see the recording HERE and Powerpoint slides HERE
- Online Counsellor Support Groups (ITALY): Please see the details of support groups for counsellors in Italy being organised by ASPIC under the supervision of Dr. Claudia Montanari HERE
- Practitioners RoundTable: IAC Executive Council Member Nate Perron hosted a special Counselling Practitioners Roundtable (CPRT) meeting on April 11th as a support during the coronavirus pandemic. See the meeting summary HERE
- Information on UNESCO's (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) response to the COVID-19 outbreak: HERE
Resources and information for counsellors working online: Counsellors, Educators, Students and Organisations worldwide are adapting to working, teaching, and learning from home. Here is some information to assist:
- Working Together Apart HERE
- Building rapport with youth via Telehealth HERE
- Anxiety and Depression Association of America (ADAA) offers many free webinars and resources and support which can be found at https://adaa.org/finding-help/coronavirus-anxiety-helpful-resources
- Child Mind Institute does various live events on Facebook (Many of them are Covid-19 specific) and can be found at https://www.facebook.com/ChildMindInstitute/live/
- Family Caregiver's Alliance's COVID-19 and Caregiving webinars (7) can be found at https://www.caregiver.org/fca-webinars
- National Association of Social Workers' resources to support clients during the Coronavirus pandemic: https://www.socialworkers.org/Practice/Infectious-Diseases/Coronavirus/Supporting-Clients-During-the-Coronavirus-Pandemic
- American Psychological Association has developed extensive guidelines for telepsychology: www.apa.org/practice/guidelines/telepsychology
- COVID FAQ for Therapists (This blog shares guidance for therapists): https://www.zynnyme.com/blog/2020/3/12/covid-19-plan-for-therapists-questions-answers-and-guidelines
- Telehealth Implementation Playbook: https://www.ama-assn.org/system/files/2020-04/ama-telehealth-implementation-playbook.pdf
- COVID-19 Telehealth Toolkit: https://www.telehealthresourcecenter.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Telehealth-and-COVID-19-04.2020-UPDATE.pdf
2) World Health Organization (WHO) Advice to Counsellors: Embrace providing care through Skype, video-conferencing, or similar means. Read and share our guidance on "Mental Health and psychosocial considerations during the COVID-19 outbreak" available HERE
Other related WHO materials:
- IASC MHPSS Briefing note on COVID-19 : Includes messaging for specific populations. Available in Chinese and Arabic (at the bottom of the link)
- WHO Coping with stress during COVID-19
- WHO helping children cope with stress during COVID-19
- Social stigma associated with COVID-19
- WHO How to address social stigma powerpoint
- Social media cards: please share via your social channels or retweet from WHO channels
3) Updates and advice for counsellors from a sample of National Counselling Associations:
- Asociacion Argentina de Counselors HERE (offering free telephone counselling throughout all of Argentina!)
- Trinidad and Tobago Association of Psychologists (TTAP) HERE -- Video HERE
- British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy HERE
- American Counselling Association: HERE
- American Mental Health Counselors Association HERE
- Canadian Counselling and Psychotherapy Association (CCPA) HERE
- Psychotherapy and Counselling Federation of Australia (PACFA) HERE
- Irish Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy HERE
- National Board for Certified Counselors (NBCC) HERE
- Deutsche Gesellschaft fur Beratung / German Association for Counselling (DGfB) HERE
IAC wishes to support our members so please do not hesitate to contact us at ceo@iac-irtac.org if you have any additional suggestions for this page.
Thank You
