H ome
IN TOUCH
Helping kids cope with
coronavirus stay-at-home orders
BY JANIE SLAVEN
COMMONWEALTH JOURNAL
Governor Andy Beshear calls it
“Healthy at Home,” orders closing
schools and most businesses in
order to slow the spread of the
novel coronavirus (COVID-19).
But there are a lot of ways to
be healthy, and mentally is not
least among them. Children can
be particularly vulnerable as the
security of their routines is upended
and they worry about the health of
loved ones or even themselves.
Gwen Cowan-West is the Director
of Operations at Phoenix Preferred
Care, where she also treats both
children and adults as a mental
health therapist.
“I have noticed a significant
escalation in symptoms of anxiety
in both of these populations
8 • I n T ouch with S outhern K entucky
due to the global pandemic and
subsequent social, environmental,
and economic hardships,” West
said. “However, there are many
strategies that individuals and
families can employ to reduce
negative symptomatology and
improve overall daily functioning.”
While we’ve all heard that kids
are “resilient” or can “bounce
back” quickly, West urges people to
remember that they — like adults —
can grieve the loss of experiences
and connections (like ball seasons,
proms, graduations, birthday
parties, visits with friends, school).
Disruptions to normal, everyday
routines can exacerbate feelings
of chaos, anxiety, and frustration.
She pointed to world-renowned
psychiatrist Bruce Perry’s assertion
that resilient children are not born
but made.
“It is totally ok to turn
off the news. In fact, we all
need to limit social media
intake during this time. It
can be so overwhelming.
Caregivers need to make
sure that they are eating and
sleeping well, exercising,
and staying connected (even
virtually) with others. When
caregivers are functioning
well, they are more in tune
to their children’s needs.”
Gwen Cowan-West
Phoenix Preferred Care
M ay 2020