HELP! My Clients Are Stressed About Current Events!


 Written by Kelsey Someliana-Lauer, Therapy Practice Solutions Virtual Assistant



If you’ve been following the news, there’s been a LOT of big events happening lately. Violence in the

form of mass shootings, hearings, Supreme Court making new precedents and overturning other ones - it’s a lot for any one person to take in. Likely, at least some of your clients at your mental health practice

have brought up one or two events that impacted them. Some others may be overcome with anxiety,

partially (or mostly!) due to current events. The question is: what, as a counselor, can you do about it?


Check out just three tips below on how mental health counselors can coach clients through anxiety and

upset about current events.


Prep Yourself First!

We so easily forget - even though we’re counselors, we’re people, too! You may have an opinion or

even an intense reaction to current events - or you may not. Either way, check in with yourself. Do you

need a self-care day? Do you need to talk about events in your own personal therapy? Do you need to

connect with other mental health clinicians in a consultation group, or even just for social support?

Whatever it is, make sure you’re taking care of yourself - we can’t pour from an empty cup.


Shift Clients’ Mindset from Out of Control to In Control

One of the ways clients (and us, ourselves) can increase stress or anxiety is by fixating on things we

can’t control. One of the clearest examples is the COVID-19 pandemic; there was a 25% rise in both anxiety and depression symptoms in 2020. Instead of fixating on what we can’t control, shift to a focus on what isin our control - sure, we can’t be absolutely sure we’re not going to contract a disease, but we can be

taking safety precautions to reduce that risk. 


If your clients have a social justice concern, helping them channel their energy into advocacy work

could be a great way to facilitate this mindset shift. Whatever their stance is, there is a way to advocate -

through protests, gatherings, boycotts, petitions, and more.


Encourage Clients to Connect with Others

It’s no secret - connecting with others is one of the best things we can do for our mental health!

Social connections decrease the risk of depression, decrease anxiety symptoms, raise self-esteem,

increase truthfulness as well as trustworthiness, and more. Meeting with others is great for grief support,

celebration, and anything in-between. If clients don’t want to meet others in person, they can always find

online support groups and connect with their established peers through the internet, as well.


We hope this blog gave you a few tips on dealing with news anxiety with mental health clients!

Remember to take care of yourself, too. If you’re looking for a teammate to help you out, we’ve got you

covered. We can take care of your billing, scheduling, answering phones/emails, social media

management, website design, and MORE, so you can focus on yourself, your advocacy, and your

self-care! Reach out today; we look forward to hearing from you.


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