Like many of my colleagues, I woke up to the news this morning with a sense of heaviness. For the past few weeks, clients have been voicing heightened feelings of distress around the election. They have shared their fears about Trump becoming president again. Some have noted how Project 2025 would personally impact them. One (dark) humorously put it: "It's like waiting for biopsy results."
I've also been getting questions on how to cope with feelings of helplessness during this time. I'm always happy to share my personal ideas on this as a social worker, whether that's volunteering for local organizations, donating to causes that I believe in, and, of course, voting. However, I also encourage people to focus on their own safety and self-care, especially when means are limited.
For fellow therapists (and clients!) that may need some support during this challenging time, here is a guide that includes actionable steps and resources focused on mental health, community, advocacy, and overall well-being. If you have other ideas on what else can be done to help yourself and others, feel free to comment.
Emotional Processing and Self-Compassion
Acknowledge and Validate Emotions: Encourage yourself and your clients to recognize and name emotions such as grief, anger, or fear. These emotions are natural responses to political or social upheaval.
Create a Safe Space for Reflection: Regularly set aside time for journaling or open discussions where you and your clients can safely explore concerns without fear of judgment.
Practice Self-Compassion: Remind yourself that these feelings are part of the human experience, and self-kindness is crucial. Self-compassion exercises, like guided self-kindness meditations (like this YouTube video), can help in addressing feelings of helplessness.
Resilience-Building Activities
Mindfulness and Grounding Techniques: Grounding exercises such as deep breathing, body scans, and progressive muscle relaxation help manage anxiety. Apps like Insight Timer or Headspace offer structured guidance.
Focus on Small, Positive Actions: Recognize what is within your control. Encourage clients to make positive changes in their personal lives, such as acts of kindness or setting boundaries on news consumption to reduce stress.
Rituals for Resilience: Establish routines that create a sense of safety and consistency, such as morning affirmations, evening reflections, or regular exercise. These rituals can help foster stability amidst uncertainty.
Reflecting on Historical Resilience: Remind clients of historical movements that have overcome hardships and led to positive change. For example, the civil rights movement, environmental activism, or LGBTQ+ advocacy have all created lasting societal improvements despite challenges. Gratitude Practices: Encourage clients to adopt gratitude journaling, listing three things they’re grateful for each day. Research suggests that regular gratitude practices can improve mental health and increase optimism, both of which can counterbalance fear and grief. |
Promote Responsible Citizenship and Civic Engagement
Stay Informed (in Moderation): Encourage clients to follow news sources that focus on reliable, fact-based reporting. However, set boundaries around how often you engage with the news.
Educate on Civic Involvement: Discuss with clients practical ways to participate in democratic processes—such as joining community groups, attending town halls, or supporting organizations that advocate for human rights.
Participate in Local Advocacy: Many impactful changes happen locally. Research local groups or organizations aligned with your values and suggest that clients consider volunteering or attending community meetings.
Action Steps for Responsible CitizenshipAttend Local Government Meetings: Encourage clients to attend local town halls or city council meetings to stay informed on decisions that impact their community. Even if they don't speak, the act of being present can foster a sense of involvement. Get Involved in Issue-Based Advocacy: Share examples of groups like the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) or Amnesty International that offer pathways for engagement on human rights, civil liberties, and advocacy for marginalized groups. Practical Voting Education: Provide clients with tools to learn about voting and policy issues, such as BallotReady (which provides information on local candidates and issues), or Vote.org, which assists with voting registration and access to absentee ballots. |
Foster Community and Social Support
Build Support Networks: Encourage clients to seek and maintain connections with friends, family, and community members who can offer emotional support and solidarity.
Facilitate Community Conversations: Consider organizing group sessions or support groups where clients can openly discuss their concerns. Being with others who share similar worries can reduce feelings of isolation.
Strengthen Virtual Connections: For clients who may feel isolated or fear social backlash, suggest virtual support communities that share values, such as forums or therapeutic social networks.
Community and Support ResourcesVirtual Support Networks: Platforms like Therapy Aid Coalition offer mental health support for individuals facing crises. Also, sites like 7 Cups of Tea provide peer support for anyone needing to talk. Online Social Justice Groups: For those interested in staying connected and taking action, groups like Action Network or MoveOn provide ways to participate in online activism and community building. Local Community Resources: Encourage clients to connect with local organizations that align with their interests, such as volunteer food distribution centers, book clubs, or mental health support groups through NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness) chapters. |
Encourage Physical and Nutritional Self-Care
Prioritize Physical Health: Movement is an effective way to manage stress and maintain well-being. Suggest incorporating light physical activities like walking, yoga, or stretching to help release anxiety.
Nourishment and Self-Care: Highlight the importance of nutrition in mental health. Eating balanced, nutrient-rich meals can positively impact mood and resilience. The skills from your mental health and nutrition certification may provide additional insights here.
Sleep Hygiene: Sleep can be disrupted by stress and worry. Encourage practices such as setting a consistent bedtime, limiting screen time before bed, and using relaxation techniques like reading or meditation.
Offer Hope and Positivity
Focus on Long-Term Vision and Strengths: Remind yourself and clients of past adversities overcome, and draw attention to personal strengths that can be harnessed in this context.
Find and Share Stories of Resilience: Share stories of individuals or movements that have positively impacted society despite challenging circumstances. Highlight how individuals can contribute to larger change.
Identify Personal Values and Align Actions: When clients feel disconnected, remind them to anchor their actions in personal values. Emphasizing values-driven action provides purpose and a sense of direction, even in difficult times.
Example of Values Exploration: If a client values justice, you could guide them to consider how this aligns with volunteering, donating, or sharing educational resources on social issues that matter to them. If a client values family and security, they might find peace by engaging in family rituals, creating an emergency preparedness plan, or helping vulnerable family members feel informed.
Suggested Activity - Values Clarification Exercise: Ask clients to write down their top 5 values (e.g., compassion, integrity, courage). Then, list one way they can live each value in their daily life. For example, a value like compassion could lead to checking in on a neighbor or volunteering at a local food pantry. |
Create an Action Plan for Safety and Stability
Develop a Personal Safety Plan: Review practical safety measures if clients feel vulnerable or unsafe due to political or social pressures.
Know Your Rights and Legal Resources: Being informed about personal rights and legal protections can empower you and your clients. Share accessible resources on these topics, focusing on reliable organizations that offer legal aid.
Crisis Resources: Keep a list of crisis resources and contacts, such as the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline or local crisis centers, and encourage clients to reach out if they need immediate support.
Know Your Rights: The ACLU’s Know Your Rights guides cover rights related to protests, encounters with law enforcement, and more, empowering clients to understand their legal protections. Legal Aid Organizations: Resources like National Immigration Law Center or LGBTQ+ legal support groups (e.g., Lambda Legal) can be helpful for clients who might feel legally vulnerable. Emergency Preparedness Resources: For clients expressing safety concerns, guide them toward resources such as Ready.gov for personal and family emergency planning templates. Being prepared can give them peace of mind. |
Use Therapeutic Techniques for Empowerment
Cognitive-Behavioral Techniques (CBT): Help clients challenge unhelpful thoughts and adopt more balanced, empowering beliefs about what they can control and how they can act.
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT): ACT techniques can assist in accepting difficult emotions without allowing them to interfere with values-based actions.
Empower Clients to Take Small Steps Toward Goals: Set manageable, realistic goals that can give clients a sense of achievement and purpose. Small victories are stepping stones toward greater resilience.
Cognitive-Behavioral Reframing Practice: If a client feels, “Nothing I do will make a difference,” you could guide them to explore evidence that small actions create change. For instance, share that environmental activists who began with small community cleanups led to large-scale awareness and action. Empowering Language Shifts: Replace helpless phrases with affirmations that reinforce agency. For example, instead of “I have no control,” guide clients to say, “I can choose to help where I can.” Values-Based Goals: Using values to set achievable, actionable goals can empower clients. For instance, if a client values environmental sustainability, their goal could be reducing single-use plastic or supporting local eco-friendly businesses. |
Encourage Self-Care and Compassionate Boundaries for Yourself as a Practitioner
Protect Your Own Energy and Mental Health: As a social worker, absorbing others’ distress can be overwhelming. Ensure you have boundaries in place for self-care, especially regarding news intake and emotionally intense client sessions.
Professional Support Networks: Lean on your professional community for support, consultation, and camaraderie. Connecting with other LCSWs and therapists can offer both solidarity and resources.
Supervision or Peer Support Groups: Engaging in regular supervision or peer groups allows for shared problem-solving and emotional support, reducing feelings of isolation as you support clients through challenging times.
Self-Care and Wellness Resources for You as an LCSWProfessional Support Networks: Consider joining therapist communities like Therapy Reimagined or The Breathe Network for trauma-informed practitioners, which offers peer support and consultation opportunities. Supervision and Consultation: Supervision isn’t just for licensure. If you’re feeling the weight of your clients’ concerns, regular consultation sessions can help you process and maintain boundaries. Websites like Therapy Den connect professionals to peers for consultative support. Mindful Decompression Practices: Incorporate a “mental switch-off” practice at the end of each day, such as a short meditation or nature walk, to release accumulated emotional tension from sessions. |
My hope is that these strategies help you to foster your own resilience, promote responsible citizenship, and provide hope to our clients. We can constructively and supportively face the challenges that we and our clients are dealing with.
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