Family & Community Resilience

Even prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, few school had adequate mental health resources, with one school psychologist often having responsibility to serve the entire student body of multiple schools. Teachers and administrators, often charged with the functional duty of student psychologist were not only untrained for this responsibility, but often in need of support themselves. While the priority of achieving high test scores continues to drive the daily education process, first addressing related and unrelated pandemic trauma with resilience strategies is finally being recognized.

The COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting economic recession have negatively affected the mental health of most people, while amplifying the challenges for those already suffering from mental illness and substance use disorders. During the pandemic, about 40% of adults in the U.S. have reported symptoms of anxiety or depressive disorder, up from 10% who reported these symptoms during the first quarter of 2019. Many adults are reporting specific negative impacts on their mental health and well-being, such as difficulty sleeping (36%) or eating (32%), increases in alcohol consumption or substance use (12%), and worsening chronic conditions (12%), due to worry and stress over the coronavirus. As the pandemic has worn on, isolation and job loss highlight family and community challenges.

Managing the effects of Covid-19 as a parent presents traumatic challenges on many levels. Remote working, job loss, family health and personal mental health lead a long list of parental challenges. These are compounded by the need to serve as untrained child and marriage psychologists in environments personal and family isolation that has never been experienced. Divorce rates are up, professional therapy for children and parents has dwindled, while economic and unemployment trends have been unfavorable. The dance between allowing a modicum of socialization, while practicing safety has required parents and community organizations to draw on a previously unseen level of innovation.

Managing family, marriage, employment and personal health is a lot, but can best be achieved with a solid foundation of love and compassion. Ensuring that all family members feel cared about and empathized with during this uncharted pandemic course requires resilience. Understanding what we can and cannot control; acceptance of difficult circumstances; embracing our feelings and those of our loved ones, co-workers and the community are all steps that can help families manage the trauma being experienced throughout every household, school, company and community organization across the globe, due to Covid-19. The mission of HLN training is to offer a framework and strategies to improve happiness and performance throughout each household, school, company and community organization.