Clinic offers sessions on coping with stress and anxiety from COVID-19

The Psychology and Social Work Clinic at Ohio University will offer low-cost sessions on coping with stress and anxiety from COVID-19 to both campus and community members starting in January. 

These virtual sessions with trained professionals in the Psychology and Social Work Clinic can be teen-focused and or adult-focused and are open to residents of Ohio. 

“As we transition from 2020 and a life-altering global pandemic to a hopeful but uncertain future, fear and anxiety are expected,” said Dr. Nicholas Allan, assistant professor of clinical psychology. “However, if anxiety is too overwhelming or uncertainty too distressing, the return to normal can be unnecessarily unpleasant. At the PSWC, we are offering individual and group virtual interventions designed to give you the tools to navigate this future more successfully using empirically supported research tools.”

These interventions are available via telehealth (virtual) for convenience and include use of a mobile app to provide increased support. Fee waivers are available. 

Allan noted that the center offers different types of sessions for various needs.

• Group sessions for middle, high school students: “Teens, for example, have experienced many disruptions to their typical schedules while also facing uncertainty in school, socializing guidelines, and activities that happen outside of school like sports and band. All of this can cause anxiety, sadness, and feelings of isolation,” Allan said. Group sessions for middle and high school students will provide evidence-based skills to cope with the stress and anxiety related to the COVID-19 pandemic, discussions with peers going through the same things, and resources that can be used even after the pandemic is over. 
• Individual and group sessions for adults: Both individual and group sessions are available for adults. “In a recent survey of Ohio University faculty and staff, we found elevated levels of stress, anxiety, and sadness were common. These feelings are made worse by fear of anxiety sensations, uncertainty, and lack of social connection,” Allan said. “We are in the middle of a global pandemic that has left people feeling uncertain about a lot of things like when will the economy get better, when will it be safe to visit family and friends, and when will we be able to stop working from home or go back to our old jobs. Ohio University students have had to shoulder much of the brunt of the pandemic. Instead of a year on campus making important social connections, much of the year has been spent adjusting to online classes, moving back home abruptly, and returning to a very different campus.”

These services are offered by trained professionals at the Psychology and Social Work Clinic, a supportive, affirming outpatient mental health clinic that is primarily staffed by doctoral student therapists of the Ohio University clinical psychology program.

The PSWC offers evidence-based therapy and comprehensive assessment services for children, adolescents, and adults. Individual therapy services are available for a broad range of behavioral health concerns including: depression, anxiety and phobias, disordered eating, trauma, OCD, personality disorders, self-harm, school refusal, poor sleep/insomnia, bereavement, adjustment issues, ADHD, conduct problems, and more.

Affordable rates apply, and fee waivers are available.

For more information or to enroll, call 740-593-0902 or email PSWC@ohio.edu.