Podcast | How Have Our Therapists Been Coping in the Pandemic?

'Innitially it was fine. We kept taking on more cases because we understood the need for it, but around October I had a breakdown.' says Simran, a therapist from Delhi.

Simran is only one of the thousands of mental health practitioners across the world who have experienced a spike in their workload as the COVID 'curve' got steeper.

Anxiety, stress, paranoia, illness anxiety, depression have all crept into our disrupted systems as the months dragged on, and many of us have now woken up to the wonders of therapy, leaning on mental health professionals to help us cope with the times.

But at the same time, the mounting mental health crisis has also been weighing down on our therapists.

And one question that slips through the cracks is how have our therapists been coping?

FIT speaks to mental health professionals, Simran Kalra, Mohana Baidya and Dr Kamna Chhiber to find out.

Spanning across 4 - 15 years of experience in the profession, the three therapists bring nuanced experiences and insights to the conversation.

Listen to FIT's latest podcast to catch them talk about what it's been like being mental health practitioners in the pandemic, and what tips and tricks they have up their sleeves to cope with the burnouts, breakdowns, and their personal stresses.

'The worst part of 2020 was being the therapist and the client simultaneously'

Turns out our saviours need saviours too.

Both Simran and Mohana tell me how going to therapy has been instrumental in managing their own mental health.

Dr Chhibber further talks about how one can't provide the help and support their patients deserve if they are themselves burnout and on the cusp of a breakdown, which is why it's important to know your limitations and work within it.

Simran speaks of her plans to start a support group for therapists, Mohana speaks about how her colleagues have helped her pull through, and Dr Chhibber gives us some great self care tips, and the importance of having an unwinding routine that did not involve anyone else.