VIPCare Counselor Kristin Long Francisco, LCSW, on Pregnancy and Postpartum Support Amidst COVID-19

VIPCare's main Bremo Road office is open and continues to support current and new clients through limited in person (social distancing) and telehealth appointments. Please call if we can help. 804-282-8332

Kristin Long Francisco is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and member of Postpartum Support Virginia's Professional Membership Program.

She holds an M.S.W. from Virginia Commonwealth University, an M.Div. from Baptist Theological Seminary at Richmond, and a B.A. from
The College of William and Mary.

A Baptist minister, Ms. Francisco sees clients at VIPCare's Bremo Road office.

To contact her, email kfrancisco@vipcare.org or call VIPCare at 804.282.8332.

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GOOD GRIEF by Dr. W. Victor Maloy, VIPCare Executive Director Emeritus

excerpt from a April 24 presentation to St. Mary's Episcopal Church

I, like you and millions of others in this sequestered season am living with fear and anxiety and disorientation amid trying to adjust to new and strange ways of communicating ways of doing our work while there is death and loss all around us.

There is the loss of our personal and social freedom to come and go, as we like and with it diminished social contact. There is the subtle mistrust of others in grocery stores and other public places that they could be carrying the virus. Even greeting others with a smile is difficult behind a mask. There is the disorientation of routines and schedules disrupted. There is the anxiety of what it means to be sequestered in our homes for two or three months and what the future will look like. There are funerals and services that have to be delayed for perhaps months or conducted in very restricted ways making it harder to adequately process one’s loss and grief and making proper rituals all the more important when they do take place. And of course high school and college commencements that will not take place or take place remotely. All of these factors are psychologically disorienting, making a sense of completion or closure very difficult.

As promised, I have a few concrete suggestions for managing ourselves during this difficult time, as well as in the aftermath of any significant loss. I think it is very important to structure your days, so that the passage of time doesn’t seem like one endless day after another or as several have said to me “like I am reliving the movie ‘Groundhog Day.’

Keeping a regular bedtime and getting up at a regular time is part of that structure, as is regular and healthy meals with snacks and alcohol in moderation. Getting outdoors for exercise is also important. Reading those things that inspire, can be helpful. Limiting your exposure to social media including television is important. Twice a day is enough.

And if you are feeling particularly stressed, the 4-7-8 breathing approach is useful. Inhale deeply for the count of 4, hold it for the count of 7, and exhale fully for the count of 8. Repeat several times. That technique lowers heart rate, blood pressure, cortisol, and calms the limbic system of the brain. The app “UCLA Mindful” can also be very helpful for treating stress and anxiety. And while contact with family and friends is facilitated by e-mail and text, the human voice over the phone or through video, is even more reassuring.

For those working from home and experiencing “Zoom fatigue”, it can be useful to not plan meetings back to back. Give yourself at least 15 minutes between calls, leave your desk, go outside or to a different area of the house and walk around, clear your head. Video meetings are inherently more tiring than in-person meetings. We are sensate beings, and when we are in-person we take in information from many senses, including smells. The mere physical presence of another has the power of stirring feelings and awakening all of our senses. That sensory data is lost working remotely.

There is research that indicates that the more time we spend on our screens, the lonelier we feel. Sherry Turkle describes it as “alone together.” An odd sense of anti-presence related to the absence of full sensory data. The need to stay within the range of the camera means that we sit more still and rigid than we would in an in-person meeting. In addition, we are not used to watching ourselves as we relate to others, leading to a self-awareness that reduces spontaneity and our capacity to be fully present to the other. The visual awareness of our self subtly redirects our attention away from the person and topic before us. All of these factors take more energy than in-person meetings, as does multi-tasking.

As an aside, I have begun to place a sticky note over the picture of myself during a call, so that I am not distracted and thus inhibited by constantly observing my presence. And the sticky note also covers the new e-mail notice that scrolls across the screen during a meeting, which also is a distraction.  And some video platforms permit you to turn your on-screen picture off. One other suggestion is that if you can do some of your meetings by phone, do so. It will give you a welcome break from some of the dilemmas I’ve just mentioned and will decrease your fatigue factor.

On the other hand, the technologies we have available are wonderful tools for staying in touch and getting important work done. And I have been struck by how many people I’ve talked with who have experienced the gifts inherent in this sequestered time. Many point to the increased quality of time with family members and the opportunity to slow down. Others point to things they are learning about themselves and how they want to work differently when they return to their places of work.

Reaching Out: Contact Checklist for People at Home

During the COVID-19 pandemic you, your staff, and volunteers in your church and community organization most likely are calling members and friends to check on their well-being.  The staff of VIPCare put together this checklist (see button below) as a guide for calls to people sheltering in place. 

It is meant to be a starting place for those conversations and a reminder to ask about safety and early warning signs of potential problems, not a comprehensive list of questions. 

Feel free to edit these items to fit your circumstances and the circumstances of those you care for. 

You might want to include prayers your callers could use or Psalms to read (or other spiritual guides).  You might also want to give them instructions on what to do if they hear someone is in trouble.

As always, VIPCare is here to support you in any way we can.

VIPCare Counselors

COVID-19: Coping Skills

By VIPCare counselor, The Rev. Kristin Long Francisco, LCSW

-Cultivate a practice of gratitude

-When feeling acute stress, practice deep breathing and centering exercises, including meditation and prayer

-If working from home, try as much as possible to have a beginning and an end to the work day

-Go outside every day, particularly when the sun is at its strongest

-Keep a regular eating and sleeping schedule

-Limit news and social media, perhaps to two times a day

-Exercise

-Watch comedies and read for fun

-Make appointments to talk or chat with with friends and family

-Journal

-Talk to your primary care physician

-Name the feelings of fear, disappointment, loss, anger, agitation

-Remind yourself of how you have coped with difficult circumstances in the past

-Set small daily goals (ex. write an encouraging note to a friend; clean the bathroom; read two chapters in a book; mow the lawn)

-Create a flexible daily schedule

-Reach out to a counselor if needed; there are virtual meeting options

-Reach out to the doctor to discuss medication if that seems appropriate

-Find creative outlets

COVID-19: Precautions at VIPCare

MEMORANDUM

TO: ALL VIPCARE CLIENTS

FROM: DOUG THORPE, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

SUBJECT: CORONAVIRUS COVID-19 PRECAUTIONS

DATE: MARCH 16, 2020

As you know, the new coronavirus COVID-19 has been spreading in the United States and has sickened and even killed people. The number cases of COVID-19 in the Commonwealth of Virginia is increasing rapidly. Therefore we all must put into place practices that will lessen the transmission of COVID-19 and other viruses such as influenza and the common cold.

For the health and safety of all VIPCare clients and staff, please implement these strategies recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention:

• If you are feeling sick, have a cough, fever, or shortness of breath, please do not come to VIPCare for your appointment. We will gladly reschedule your appointment for a later date and will waive any late-cancellation fees.

• If you begin to feel sick in the middle of an appointment, please end the session and return home. We will not charge you for any session interrupted by the onset of illness.

• If you need to cough or sneeze, please cough or sneeze into a disposable tissue or into your elbow or shoulder if a tissue is not readily available. (There are tissues available in every room at VIPCare.)

• Please wash your hands frequently for at least 20 seconds with soap and water, or use hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol. Please wash or sanitize your hands after coughing or sneezing. Many stores are already reporting shortages of sanitizer, so VIPCare may not be able to maintain a supply in the waiting room.

• Please limit hand shaking and please do not take offense if your VIPCare counselor declines the hand shake she or he customarily offers you. We do not want to be the means of transmission of any viruses.

• We are working to clean surfaces that get touched often, such as doorknobs and pens, but we cannot clean them after every touch.

• If you would prefer to have sessions by telephone or videoconference, please speak with your counselor about telehealth options at VIPCare.

Thank you for working with us to keep everyone as healthy as possible. Please call VIPCare with questions (804) 282-8332.

Janie Dowdy, Beloved Former Director of Development and Marketing, passed away Saturday, December 28, 2019

The staff and Board of Directors of the Virginia Institute of Pastoral Care are saddened by news of the death of former Director of Development and Marketing, Janie Dowdy.

We remember Janie for her skill at securing funding for the mission of VIPCare, her warm smile, and the poise she maintained in even the toughest times.

We thank God for Janie and we pray for comfort for Roger and Kristen.

The Christmas Tie, by Dr. Donald D. Denton

The Christmas Tie by Dr. Donald D. Denton, appeared in the Richmond Times Dispatch on Tuesday, December 24, 2019.

Please click below to read the full-story.

Giving Tuesday, TODAY, December 3, 2019

Consider A Gift to Support VIPCare Clients Unable to Cover The Cost of Their Care

Please visit us on Facebook to make a gift online or contact the Development Office at (804) 282-8332.

VIPCare's Counseling Financial Assistance program (the Counseling Aid Fund) offers support to clients who cannot afford the cost of counseling.

In 2018, VIPCare served more than 800 clients through more than 5,593 counseling sessions with 1,900 or 35% of sessions underwritten by the Counseling Financial Assistance program. In total, VIPCare provided $182,574 in financial support to clients in need during 2018 (through sliding scale and pro bono services).

Gifts can be made here through the Facebook donation button (see link below); by calling the Development Office at (804) 282-8332; or through the mail [VIPCare, 2000 Bremo Road Richmond, VA 23226].

Thank you for your support of VIPCare's mission to offer hope and healing through spiritually integrated counseling and education--for everyone regardless of their financial circumstances

Help VIPCare Serve Clients in Need of Financial Assistance: AmazonSmile

Support VIPCare’s Counseling Financial Assistance: Select VIPCare AS your charity on AmazonSmile

AmazonSmile is a website operated by Amazon with the same products, prices, and shopping features as Amazon.com. The difference is that when you shop on AmazonSmile, the AmazonSmile Foundation will donate 0.5% of the purchase price of eligible products to the charitable organization of your choice.

Every item available for purchase on www.amazon.com is also available on AmazonSmile (smile.amazon.com) at the same price. You will see eligible products marked "Eligible for AmazonSmile donation" on their product detail pages.

Giving Tuesday, December 3, 2019: Consider A Gift to VIPCare's Counseling Assistance Program (the Counseling Aid Fund)

Giving Tuesday December 3, 2019

Consider A Gift to Support VIPCare Clients Unable to Cover The Cost of Their Care

As the holiday season approaches, please consider making a gift to VIPCare's Counseling Financial Assistance program (the Counseling Aid Fund), which offers support to clients who cannot afford the cost of counseling.

In 2018, VIPCare served more than 800 clients through more than 5,593 counseling sessions with 1,900 or 35% of sessions underwritten by the Counseling Financial Assistance program. In total, VIPCare provided $182,574 in financial support to clients in need during 2018.

Gifts to the Counseling Financial Assistance program can be made by visiting VIPCare’s Facebook page and using the donation button; by calling the Development Office at (804) 282-8332; or by mail by sending a gift to VIPCare, 2000 Bremo Road Richmond, VA 23226.

Thank you for your support of VIPCare's mission to offer hope and healing through spiritually integrated counseling and education—to everyone regardless of financial circumstances.