VICTORIA -- A Victoria therapist is seeing an increased number of crisis calls as fears over COVID-19 continue.
Therapist Ginger Henderson, who has been practising for seven years, says self-isolation can cause anxiety, stress, confusion and emotions people have never felt before.
British Columbia health officials announced on Tuesday a total of 617 cases of novel coronavirus in the province, 44 of them in the Island Health region.
As the number continues to climb, Henderson says she has noticed an extreme escalation of anxiety and people needing professional help. She has taken her services online to provide digital support.
“A lot of people are going ‘I don’t know what to do,’ and these emotions are bigger than what people are used to dealing with,” she says.
“We are all in this together and this is such uncharted territory. None of us really know what to do next,” she says.
Instead of thinking ahead, Henderson advises to stay present and focus on what is going on today. She also suggests using guided mediations on YouTube or online applications such as Calm and HeadSpace.
“If what you’re doing right now is holding it in and not reaching out, is it working for you? Or are you in the hamster wheel a lot of people are in?” says Henderson.
If people are struggling financially, Henderson and her team are offering to help people in the Greater Victoria Area at a discount.
“We are really dedicated to making sure people have support and if that means people are financially strapped we are all really just sitting here available for them,” she says.
“We are all in this together.”
