With the Covid-19 virus beginning to impact more on people’s lives, and livelihoods, in the UK there is a sense of greater anxiety in many, not all, people. For myself I hop between ‘it’s okay’ to fear for family members with serious underlying health conditions for whom catching this virus would be far from ‘okay’. And I’m guessing that many people find themselves on this same see-saw of ambivalence.

Many workplaces are considering their home working potential in the event of the need to self-isolate/quarantine employees. At The Burrow, while conscious that counselling is some-thing that ideally would be done face to face for many counsellors/psychotherapists and their clients, I am also making contingency plans.

So:
• I will be offering sessions via Zoom, (an online video conferencing platform) for those clients who wish it and who are able to find a suitably private space at home. (instructions will be given to those taking this up). This is a temporary measure and open to clients needing to self-isolate, or in the event that I need to do this. I do not routinely provide online therapy, this is only open as an offer while clients need to self-isolate/quarantine themselves, otherwise face to face sessions will continue.
• If I was found to have Covid-19 symptoms myself and been in direct contact with a client, in line with my safeguarding policy, I would need to pass on client details to appropriate authorities-I would in the first instance though also inform the client so they can start to self-isolate. Details of our relationship would remain confidential.
• Clients who have attended a face to face session, who later find they have Covid-19 symptoms, will also be asked to inform me ASAP so that I can also Self-isolate to protect other clients and family members, particularly those with serious underlying health conditions that place them at additional risk should they become infected.

Hopefully this plan will not need to be actioned (online counselling is not my preferred way of working), and if it is necessary it will hopefully be temporary.
In the meantime I am continuing to offer face to face counselling as advertised on my website for new and existing clients who are symptom free.

For information on symptoms and how to self isolate you can use the NHS website.

If you need to contact me you can do so via the Contact Page.