The current global pandemic, which can well qualify as mass trauma, has not only brought unpredictability and loss of control but has also resulted in a wide range of losses: death of loved ones, loss of physical and mental health, loss of social interaction, loss of employment and a loss of self-agency. This is manifest in a range of mental health problems including depression, anxiety disorder, trauma and stress-related disorders as well as substance misuse and chronic loneliness. In addition, people with underlying mental health problems or a history of childhood trauma have experienced a reactivation of past traumas and intensification of symptoms.
In short, the need for us all, as therapists, to be trauma-informed in our therapeutic approaches has perhaps never been greater.