The Psychological Toll of Remote Work
Capital Region therapists see a sharp increase in patients during the pandemic
BY Jeff Wilser
There was a time , not long ago , when many of us thought the workplace would return to normal by the summer of 2021 . Then came the delta variant , then omicron and we were all part of something that was once unthinkable — a two-year pandemic that forced lockdowns and businesses to send their workers home for their health and safety . And now we ’ re in year three .
Remote work has not disappeared . What began as an emergency experiment for many at the onset of lockdowns due to COVID-19 will continue indefinitely and perhaps forever . We have now reached the twoyear anniversary of remote work , and that ’ s taking a toll on our collective mental health .
“ Folks are burned out ,” says Dr . Corrine McIntosh Sako , president of the Sacramento Valley Psychological Association . She says the burnout is coming from “ chronic , cumulative trauma . When we think of trauma , we think of one catastrophic event . But trauma can also be prolonged suffering , with no end in sight . Telework is one aspect of that cumulative stress .”
This squares with a survey of 1,320 therapists by The New York Times and Psychology Today in December 2021 that found “ nine out of 10 therapists say the number of clients seeking care is on the rise .” This is also true locally . Every Capital Region-area therapist interviewed for this story agreed we are in a mental health crisis , and the demand for therapy has surged . “ I have never been more busy in my practice in 20-plus
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