It has been a long minute

By Christina Lacey

Since the last time I wrote, much has happened.  Not only personally and professionally, but globally. I would like to reflect on these last two years of this pandemic from a therapists point of view.  I work through my private practice but also as an online counselor in NY.  So I have spoken with people from all over NYS before March of 2020 which was wonderful. People from the cities, the Adirondacks and the other parts of NY that are not so well known. 

So when March of 2020 came I had some on line clients that had been with me and others that I would meet soon.  At first it was quiet, not many new clients coming in and my regulars were quiet too.  That only lasted about 2 weeks. It seemed like people needed to get a slight handle on things. What was going on. Stay home from work, work from home. The first few clients came in struggling with what was going on. I did not have any more information for them. I was in the dark too. The majority of these clients were coming from NYC. 

As days went on, more and more clients were coming online, joining the online therapy sites that had already been created. Good thing. People reaching out for help, someone to talk to. Many of these people lived in apartments. Studios. One, two, three bedroom apartments they shared with roommates. Many of them fearful of coming out of those rooms, isolating themselves away.  I spoke with a number of clients who were trying to find work, learn new ways to work from home and even live with their families full time. Some were just alone, hearing the sirens go by 24 hours a days for weeks with no end. Some close enough to the hospitals to see the refridgerated trucks in the parking lots. And then some who were working in those hospitals. Then there were those who lost their friends and family members.

What they shared was unimaginable, for me who lives in a bubble of a small town in a small city. News reports on all day. Some of which was confirmed by clients and some more horrific that the news didn't show. 

At this time, I was a therapist that was there to listen, to empathize and validate their grief and fear. This went on for months and months. I learned how many clients I could actually truly give my time to in a day without becoming useless to them. 

Some of those clients I still have today. I look forward to seeing them in our online video session. They had gone through so much and I was lucky enough to be there with them.  From this I am very proud that I had this chance.  I am honored that I was there to listen. 

Location: Clifton, NY 14428, USA
As a Marriage and Family Therapist, I see individuals and couples mostly. I enjoy working with my clients and learning about them and how they can be better as an individual and also to others around them.

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