A Survival Guide to Client Wellbeing in a COVID-19 World

In this course, author and positive psychology researcher Dr Justin Coulson contextualises his talk on increasing client wellbeing by noting that, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, news media can overwhelm a person with bad news, setting the person up for a cycle of intrusive thoughts which persist when resisted through CBT-style strategies. Coulson notes that stress and worry can persist even when clients try “the usual remedies”, such as exercise, good diet and sleep, and reduction of alcohol/drugs. Coulson suggests, rather, that clients try “the fancier remedies”, which – based on research - involve deep breathing, psychological distancing, temporal distancing, and acceptance strategies. Coulson’s descriptive use of metaphor – including “the white bear” and the Buddhist notion of “the second arrow” - assist retention of the concepts introduced.