The COVID-19 pandemic has radically shifted how almost every therapist works nowadays, in ways both expected and unexpected. Although we’re all in this together, no two stories are the same. In this follow-up to our popular blog on therapy in the age of coronavirus, three more therapists share what this new normal looks like for them.

How do you find community in the midst of physical distancing? However you can. In this clip from the 2020 Networker Virtual Symposium, trauma expert Bessel van der Kolk shares how he's maintaining social connections, offers a few tips, and explains what attachment and trauma research tells us about the importance of staying connected during times of crisis.

Peter Levine, Somatic Experiencing pioneer, shares a personal story about moving through trauma in this clip from the 2020 Networker Virtual Symposium. 

By Stephen Lyons - I spent my first weeks in therapy recounting my recently-ended marriage: the spreading contagion of lies, fights, and broken promises. I'd never told these stories to anyone, ever. Each scene seemed a searing indictment of my abilities as a husband and father. But Sara simply listened, asked questions I'd never asked myself. Her role as a protective friend startled me into action.

By Michael Yapko - Americans have a history of valuing quick-fix solutions to difficult problems. But the simplistic psychopharmacological approach to depressive disorders underestimates the remarkable human capacity for self-transformation.

Among the first to fully realize that humans have an innate psychophysiological capacity for overcoming trauma, Peter Levine developed Somatic Experiencing, a simple yet profoundly effective mind-body healing technique. In this clip from his 2014 Symposium address, Levine shares a personal story about a traumatizing event in his own life, and explains the remedy that helped him ward off post-traumatic stress.

Our brain has hundreds of strategies for resisting emotional pain. But according to psychologist and renowned Buddhist teacher Tara Brach, resisting pain only increases our suffering. Here, she proposes a different solution.

By Harriet Lerner - We’re all imperfect human beings, so the need to give and receive apologies is with us until our very last breath. Yet there’s no greater challenge than listening to the anger and pain of someone who’s accusing us of causing it.

A new client who survived a harrowing car crash is going through a deep depression. When she recounts her story, her therapist feels unusually affected, as if she’s reliving the event with her. She’s not sure how to deal with the vicarious trauma. Here, five therapists offer their advice.

It’s important to honor all of your client’s inner parts in therapy. But accessing them to fully engage in healing work isn’t always easy. Here, trauma therapist Lisa Ferentz explains her creative approach for helping clients access these tough-to-reach inner parts.