No one has escaped the stress of two years of dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic.
But for some — particularly health care workers, educators and those with chronic health conditions — it has been overwhelming.
Local mental health professionals continue to see people struggling with the effects of the pandemic and report an increase in need for services.
“I think our health care workers and our teachers are burned out from everything,” said therapist Kari Miller, owner of Blanket Fort Therapy.
“And for people with chronic health conditions, it’s hard for them to feel safe.”
It’s also challenging for those who have lost loved ones to COVID-19. They’re grieving, at a time when the world is changing.
“COVID has highlighted isolation,” said Holly Jerome, director of human resources and marketing for Southeast Kansas Mental Health Center.
“We’re seeing individuals who have never experienced any kind of mental health situation. Once they needed to stay home or isolate, or they got sick, it created a lot of issues.”
The pandemic also has increased the need for children’s mental health services. The number of children needing services has ballooned from about 400 pre-pandemic to roughly 600 across the system’s six counties.
SEKMHC has adapted by offering new types of services and extending their hours. Telehealth services allow them to see more new patients as they can assign therapists from throughout their system. They’ve also added morning and evening appointments.
The mental health system also added staff, going from a little over 100 employees pre-pandemic to 250 now.
At Blanket Fort Therapy, the mental health demand from the pandemic has forced Miller to nearly double the time she spends at her practice. She previously saw about five patients a day; now, she sees eight or nine. 
MILLER says about half of her patients have issues related to the pandemic.
Many of her long-term patients are teachers. Because Miller is a former teacher, their rapport is often instantaneous, she said.
She’s also seen an increase in health care workers, who are coming to realize their professions have likely changed forever “and this is the new normal.”
“At first we all thought we could flatten the curve of infections and this would be a short-term thing,” she said. “Now, we’re making that mental adjustment that COVID is going to be with us forever, just like the flu. How can we make that feel OK? Making that mental adjustment is hard when they’re already burned out.”
