Adapting to COVID19
We hope that sharing successes during the current challenging times will provide continued energy and enthusiasm to all practitioners to further clients’ progress in their rehabilitation journey.
In recent months we have all had to develop and adjust to new ways of working. Thinking creatively about how we continue to engage clients in neuropsychologically based therapy and to continue working jointly across the MDT has been one such adjustment.
Our Associate, Dr Emma, Weymouth, had been working with one client using an invivo ‘graded exposure’ programme to reduce panic attacks. This involved walking beside busy roads with the client and teaching her coping strategies ‘in the moment’ to manage her anxiety. In March this year when the first ‘lockdown’ period was announced the clinical team had significant concerns about this client potentially regressing as the invivo exposure could not continue.
The team worked creatively to think about whether this client’s rehabilitation could be continued and if so, how. This was facilitated by meeting more frequently using online video calling platforms, WhatsApp communications and conference calling. The solution was to adapt the therapy whereby Dr Weymouth used video calling to be ‘virtually’ present with the client during the walks.
The outcome of this adaptation was that rather than the client regressing, she has continued to progress wonderfully! Also, the team have all felt their confidence to work flexibly and innovatively in a rapidly changing time has grown.
The case manager has also written a blog post if you also wanted to read this.