CHICO, Calif. -- Tami Louis is the founder of Three Rivers Counseling and says over the past month calls for service have increased by 60%.
“People are really hurting,” said Louis. “They are reaching out for help and there’s a new level of awareness that people are getting in touch with.”
“We don’t have resources in our tool box to deal with this and we need an outsider’s perspective,” said Louis.
Topics include the death of George Floyd, protests, COVID-19, finances, isolation and the effects that come from it all.
“Daily things that people are finding helpful is getting outside, connecting with nature, 15-20 minutes a day, being in a park,” said Louis.
She also recommends connecting with family, friends, or a therapist, exercise, and breathing from your diaphragm.
“The longer that you sit with that stress and you don’t have healthy outlets, that is when we start seeing people come in with debilitating panic attacks,” said Louis.
Depression, suicidal thoughts, deteriorating relationships, and bad habits like turning to alcohol or violence are also common.
The American Psychological Association says it is anticipating an increase in domestic violence and child abuse during quarantine.
“It’s important to continue to force yourself to get out even just a little bit because the more that we retreat and shut down it reinforces that fear,” said Louis.