OBJECTIVES Identify, Describe and Discuss Trauma and Collective Trauma Describe and Discuss how Holidays are being altered by Covid 19 Identify and Describe How to deal with Holiday Stress

1. Secrets’ To Make Covid Holidays’ Bright
Louise A Stanger Ed.D, LCSW, CSAT-1,CDWF, CIP

2. About Dr. Louise
Clinician- LCSW-CSCAT- CDWF
Author-
Addiction In The Family: Helping Families
Navigate Challenges, Emotions and Recovery
(2020) Rockridge Press, Emeryville, Ca.
The Definitive Guide to Addiction Intervention :A
Collective Strategy (2018)Ruthledge, NY.
Falling Up : A Memoir of Renewal (2016) WZY
Press, Ca
Interventionist- CIP
Adventurer- Swimmer, Traveler

7. Objectives
Identify, Describe and Discuss Trauma and Collective Trauma
Describe and Discuss how Holidays are being altered by Covid 19
Identify and Describe How to deal with Holiday Stress

8. Objectives
Identify and Describe how to
Deal with Toxic Family
Members
Identify and Describe how to
Address Grief During The
Holidays
Develop a Toolbox

9. Assumptions
Yes, we are Living in Trauma Bubble
Yes, Holidays under any circumstances can be challenging
Yes, It is possible to deal with Toxic Families
Yes Holiday Parties Will Look Different
Yes, Grief takes on a New Meaning During Holiday Time
Yes, it is Possible to Navigate a Covid-19 Holiday

11. CDC Facts
Alcohol, other drug use has increased in
Covid 19 with rates 3-4 times higher
then previous years
Mental Health issues have increased -
Depression, Anxiety . PTSD
10.7% of respondents considered suicide
within the last 30 days
Severe interpersonal loss associated
with Covid-19 along with social
disruption easily overwhelms ways
families cope with bereavement

12. A New Vocabulary in Covid 19
Let’s schedule on ZOOM
Doomscrolling can be dangerous to
ones’ health
Cortisol levels are up
Are the people around Covidiots ?
meaning I am scared because no one
wears masks and no one socially
distances and gets indignant if I suggest
they should

13. What is your
Philosophy of
Treatment ?

14. Who Am I ?
“I am the mirror who reflects back their pain, their fears their
voices. I am the inquirer who asks difficult questions, who searches
for evidence and patterns. I am the companion on the journey
bringing my own story to the encounter, making possible an
interpretive collaboration, I am the audience who listens , laughs ,
weeps an applauds. I am the spider women spinning their tales.. I
am the therapist who offers cathaersis support and challenge… I am
also the stage manager coordinating the intersection of three plays-
the story teller, the narrator and the readers inviting your voice to
the drama”

15. How do Clients Arrive ?

18. Story

20. Trauma
Overwhelming experiencing that
cannot be integrated and elicit
animal defensive mechanisms and
dysregulated arousal
“A stress that causes physical or
emotional harm that you cannot
remove yourself from”
Larke Huang , Director of Health
Care Equity at SAMSHA

22. –Unknown
Our Brains are wired for
connection, Trauma rewires them
for protection

23. Types of Trauma
Acute Trauma - Results from a single incident
Chronic Trauma is repeated such as verbal, domestic
violence or abuse
Complex Trauma is exposed to varied muklltiple events,
often invasive interpersonal nature.
Collective Trauma -shared experience of helplessness,
disorientation and loss amongst a group of people

25. Collectiive Trauma
Racism
Covid 19
Natural Disasters
Unemployment
School Closures
Confusion and Anxiety

26. Collective Trauma
Shared experience which is
imprinted in a generation though
their cam be different responses
Recognition, Remeberance,
Solidarity, Communal Therapy
and Massive Coperation

29. More Stressors
Children at Home
Social Distancing
Social Lockdown
Wearing Masks
Alcohol Up- Marijuana Up

30. Subjective and Objective
Trauma

32. It Can Feel like You Are Whirling Thru a
Tornado

33. I Met Trauma at a Young Age

35. The Brain & Memory
Amygdala - Alarm circuit
Prefrontal cortex
(Conscious thinking)
Walking down the Street
and think you see a snake

36. Trauma and Memory

37. College Students

39. What’s Different ?
Holiday Events Cancelled
Travel Cancelled
Work Canceled or Furloughed
No Santa Mall Photos
Schools Cancelled
Shopping is different

40. https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/daily-life-coping/holidays.html

42. Strategies To deal with Toxic Family
Responsibility for your responses
Creating Personal Space
Is it a good Idea
Have a Safety Plan
Be Realistic
Remember Why you are There
Let it Go

43. Help your Clients Explore?
Who to see or Not to see during Holiday
Are there good reasons if you are
separated not to see children
How to handle shared custody
How to prepare for known problems
What to expect on the holiday
Religion -what if everyone is different
How to take Care of themselves after the
fact

44. What if your Client is In Recovery
Check for signs
1. Ego- Knowing better then everyone
2.No More 12 step or other support
groups
3.Missing appointments
4. Isolating
5. Not Med compliant-stopped taking
6. Hanging out in Old haunts
Signs of Trouble

45. More Signs
7. Projecting -
Telling Everyone they have a problem
8. Not taking Care -Unkempt
9. Throw Gratitude Out The Window
10. Stop being of Service
11. Forgetfulness
12. Ready too Pull a Pinch
13. Posting a Facebook, Instagram , Tweet Storm

46. Have Consent forms (Progress Only )
Clinicians
Triangulation Of Data

47. Build on Recovery Capital
Social- People, Family, peers etc
Physical- Housing , Finances etc
Human- Healthy Coping Skills
Cultural- Related Beliefs and Recovery
Cultural Norms
MAP RECOVERY

49. Grief and Loss

50. Remembering
Those that we loved

51. Grief and Loss During The Holidays
Start A New Tradition
Change the Celebration
Have an Exit strategy -You don’t have to
stay at a party
Don’t Apologize for your feelings
Change Your Mind

52. More Strategies for Grief and Loss
Seek Professional Help
Stay Off Social Media
Express Your Needs
Help others - Be Of Service
Stay Away from Major Shopping Centers
or Online
Create your own Sanity Pack or Spiritual
Corner

53. How to Create a Balanced Life in Chaos and Stress
Embrace Mindfulness
Stabilize Your Budget-Track your
Spending . Try cutting by 25%
Stop The Negative Self Talk
Prioritize Self Care- Exercise, take a
Nap-
Separate Work from Home :Work-Life
Balance

54. Creating A Holiday ToolBox
Give away the Santa Hat- Don’t max out
credit cards being the gift giver
Allow Cracks- In our Memories -The
Good , Bad and The Ugly-Create New
ones
Journal-Let go of Feelings through
Journaling
Develop a Gratitude Practice

55. Holiday Tool Box
Cut your holiday to do list in half
Loneliness - Explore
Finances- Focus on Giving of yourself
not buying your way into debt
Sunlight- Seasonal Affective Disorder
( can heighten holiday blues) find a ray
of sunlight
Meditate - Happy, Calm, Headspace

56. More Holiday Strategies
Take a Break from Social Media and The
News
Exercise
Reframe your Thinking
Seek Social Support
Be Of Service
Create Your Own Traditions

57. Don’t Confuse Temporary for Permanent
Dance In the Snow, Dance in The Rain
Sing in the Shower
Scream, Laugh ,and Cry

58. Celebrate with Kindness
Thoughtfulness

59. California Guidelines For Parties
https://www.cdph.ca.gov/Programs/CID/DCDC/Pages/
COVID-19/CDPH-Guidance-for-the-Prevention-of-COVID-19-
Transmission-for-Gatherings-10-09.aspx?
campaign_id=49&emc=edit_ca_20201019&instance_id=23270&
nl=california-
today&regi_id=77646494&segment_id=41491&te=1&user_id=108
2c26736e03b3c280f98291fd0bd26

61. Coming
November 19
available on Amazon
Rockridge Press,
Emeryville, Ca
PREORDER NOW

62. The Definitve
Guide To
Addiction
Interventions
2018 Routledge
Available on Multiple
Sites Amazon,
Routledge etc

63. Falling Up A
Memoir of
Renewal 2016
Available on Amazon