The Pandemic and Grief
I’m writing this in mid-March 2020 as in Australia we are starting to come to terms with the potential impact of COVID-19 on our lives.
For some, it will be a fatal impact. For many of us it may not be an existential threat but it is going to have a major impact on our lives and sense of security. We wanted to bring to your front of mind the stages of grief model developed by Kubler-Ross to remind you why some of the behaviours we are seeing might be occurring.
I use this model in my Family Dispute Resolution, and to a lesser extent, my other mediation work and it helps to explain some of the seemingly irrational behaviour that people display when going through the grief of their relationship ending.
How can we help?
Mediation Institute is a fully online business providing skills development training via the internet. Professionally we are less impacted than many other businesses at least if internet holds out.
We established a home office a couple of years ago when I realised there really wasn’t any reason to have the overhead of an office at a time our business was going through a cash flow crisis. It suits my personality type but I realise that it isn’t for everyone.
Have you started to plan for how you will get your psychological needs met if you have to go into quarantine or even work from home for a period of time?
I also have a husband who is in a high-risk group so we are practising social distancing and experiencing the uncertainty of being able to buy what we need when we need it. Fortunately for me I’m from the country and grew up knowing that at times of flood we’d be cut off and unable to get to town for periods of time. It isn’t as shocking for people like me as it might be for others who’ve taken the constant supply of what they want for granted.
Some of the “survival” type behaviours we are seeing in shops is probably related to the sense of stress and anxiety that people are feeling. They may be feeling angry that this is happening to them and feel they must fight for limited resources. It might be toilet paper but to the people feeling desperation at the lack of a reliable supply it symbolises much more.
Completing your course
It may be a great time for you to get your course completed if you have been caught up and making slow progress. If you need help to get back in or you are having difficulty with finding spaces in the role play scheduler let us know. We’re able to add in more mentors if necessary to meet your needs.
Doing other courses
We have a range of new courses available and are now fully online with our last course to be blended delivery, the Certificate in Family Group Conferencing now delivered through online learning and a series of web based role plays. This has been approved by the NSW Department of Communities and Justice to accommodate the current challenges in running face to face workshops.
Dealing with the changes to your professional practice
How can we support you with dealing with the impact of this pandemic on you and your business?
Let us know.
- Would running more mastermind sessions help to work with others on redesigning your business delivery model?
- Are there any tutorials or courses we could provide that would help you? We already have a low cost Video Meeting Facilitation Course which we launched last year. If you are not confident in doing sales and delivering services via video meetings then it’s designed for you.
- Can we support you socially with hangouts and catch ups so you get to talk with others and avoid cabin fever?
You tell us! Contact Us or use the Pandemic Acceptance and Support Discussion in the Mi Members area to share your ideas and comments.
