A psychologist is reminding people who are self-isolating to keep up with their mental health wellness.
Eve Beals, a contract psychologist who works in the Saint John area, said there is a lot more tele-health or phone mental health emphasis lately due to COVID-19.
“I’m trying to offer as much support as I can by phone and I’m trying to limit in-person sessions unless someone is really high-need or struggles to connect by phone.” she said.
Because of the required social distancing, there have been cancellations of in-person meetings as well as the assessment checkups on children that Beals completes.
“There are people who prefer to just wait to come back in until the pandemic is over, but there’s a lot of uncertainty there,” she said.
Beals said she’s concerned about her clients and she’ll be checking in at least once a month to make sure they’re OK.
She said there are people who have been receiving help due to predispositions but there are also people who need help because they’re struggling with the pandemic.
“People know they can access services by phone or tele-health even if they aren’t able to come in,” she said.
She also suggested if an employer offers an assistance program, that workers take advantage of it.
Beals suggests if someone is looking specifically for a psychologist, they can check the website of the College of Psychologists but there is always general mental health support too.
“One thing I’ve noticed is people are definitely reaching out to connect more, not necessarily with people they might not always be communicating with as much,” she said.
“I think there might actually be more awareness of mental health concerns and they affect everybody, and maybe there’ll be less stigma over mental health concerns.”
If you are seeking mental health treatment, call CHIMO at 1-800-667-5005 or call the Saint John Community Mental Health Services at 506-658-3737.
