Register Now For FDAP Webinar: Coping With Pandemic Anxiety
Feeling overwhelmed and stressed by Covid-19? FDAP invites you to participate in a webinar with licensed Marriage and Family Therapist Mary Walsh, who will present a discussion about the impact of the pandemic on mental health, key issues in addressing this impact, and resources for increasing resilience. The one-hour presentation will take place Friday, May 29, 2020 at 11 a.m. via Zoom. It will be eligible for one hour of competence MCLE credit.
Research has found that the impact of societal trauma manifests 60 to 90 days following exposure to stressors (MMHPI, 2017). Nearly half of Americans already report that the coronavirus crisis is harming their mental health (Kaiser Poll, 2020). Underfunded mental health resources are ill-prepared to deal with the significant increases in depression, substance abuse, stress disorders and suicide, which mental health providers are currently encountering. In addition to personal mental health issues, research has found that pandemic anxiety undermines our social mental health, stoking racism, bigotry, and xenophobia (APA, 2020). This presentation describes risk factors for mental health issues (anxiety, depression, suicide, substance abuse, and stress disorders), signs and symptoms of acute stress.
Register for Webinar on Coping With Pandemic Anxiety
Unlike natural disasters such as earthquakes or hurricanes, disease outbreaks don’t have a clear time boundary (IDMH, 2020). Our body’s “flight” or “fight” survival response did not evolve to deal with this ongoing state of feeling at risk. Stress is cumulative and ongoing stress takes a toll on our minds and bodies. It is essential to recognize and address our stress to prevent it from becoming overwhelming.
We hope the presentation will be as interactive as possible using the Zoom platform. Ms. Walsh has private practice offices in Berkeley and Vallejo and is an adjunct professor in the graduate Certificate in Traumatology and Treatment Program at Holy Names University in Oakland. She has presented at conferences around the country, including a recent workshop for the Prison Law Office. More information about Mary Walsh can be found on her website.