On March 13, 2020, one of Western New England's (WNEIP) study groups gathered for its weekly meeting; this group focuses on race, diversity, and psychoanalysis. It is a candid and sometimes painful exploration for a group composed of mostly white, older psychoanalysts. This particular meeting began with nervous laughter about a rumored virus, then concluded in somber, thoughtful, quiet determination to meet again in person the following week, certain that given our size and the size of the room we would be safe.
Within 48 hours, we were emailing our doubts and then determination to meet the coming week and as long as necessary by Zoom. What seemed a distant, vague threat one day quickly evolved into a clear and present danger — a pandemic.
There have been more than 200 epidemics documented in our world, including scores widespread enough to be classified “pandemics.” Lasting as long as 25 years, pandemics have killed up to 200 million people, the most devastating being the ongoing HIV pandemic appearing in the 20th century and the Black or Bubonic Plague in the 14th century. Others, like cholera, influenza, typhus, TB, leprosy, and malaria have lasted for years and many have recurred.
That we could be in this current pandemic for years to come, even with treatments, vaccines, and modernity, was only an inkling when at our next Zoom meeting our group spoke about our desires to be helpful in the larger community. The idea surfaced to volunteer with the Yale University Department of Psychiatry, which was organizing large-scale support for members of the Yale New Haven Hospital (YNHH) community, and their families, who were treating Covid-19 patients. YNHH serves the 860,000 residents of the greater New Haven region, a college town embedded in a mixed community of Blacks, Hispanics, Asians, whites, and blends of many cultures.
The next week, WNEIP's leadership called a society-wide meeting where we created an ad hoc committee of six, including our society and institute presidents and the chair of the Education Committee. The psychiatry department responded enthusiastically to our offer of analytic assistance to cognitive-behavioral supports underway.
We led the virtual Town Halls offered by our psychiatry department to the YNHH communities. Initially offered twice daily, we used Town Hall meetings to address fear and conflicts about the virus, the sudden lockdown mandate, and managing life at home with work and families.
We also joined the staff of the Department's 1:1 professional support program for members of YNHH hospital programs and their families. The program offered acute stress Intervention sessions, using a curriculum developed by a member of our institute, Steven Marans. We also noted that some of those seen through this program were struggling with race-related issues that exploded after George Floyd's killing on May 2020. Significantly, as the pandemic and racial issues flared, the relevance of our
Deborah Fried, MD, is a psychoanalyst on the faculty of WNEIP, and is associate clinical professor of psychiatry at the Yale School of Medicine.
Bonnie Becker, PhD, is a clinical psychologist in private practice, an advanced academic associate candidate at WNEIP, and an assistant clinical professor of psychiatry (psychology) at the Yale School of Medicine.
Race and Diversity Group became increasingly apparent.
Members of Western New England were invited to participate in a departmental pro-bono virtual therapy clinic for Covid workers. Many from WNEIP stepped up both to supervise residents and to provide brief treatment. While fewer workers sought help than we anticipated, those who did were relieved to see such symptoms as insomnia and panic resolve rapidly. “Doing better,” said one caller, “quite better! Without using my screens all night and now reading this book called Educated, and then? I can sleep, and I'm getting educated myself!” Another participant reported, “Talking helps, voicing my concerns. I have more energy to work. I'm not as easily upset, am sleeping much better.” Regarding the fallout from the George Floyd murder, we heard the sober understatement: “We just need to learn how to be more careful,” words that spoke to the powerful intersection of the many present dangers.
We are, as we write this, many months into the pandemic. By the time you read this, we will know more, likely have suffered more and certainly will have continued to offer our help to as many as possible. We are surprised by how relatively few front-line workers asked for help, yet we continue to reach out to them. We anticipate that over the longer haul more will seek treatment. Many psychoanalytic communities are stepping up in ways similar to ours, and we look forward to the time when we take stock of how we have integrated our efforts as we learn from each other and manage to survive these surreal times — now and for a long, long time to come.