Remote Learning Stress and How to Find a Therapist [THERAPY THURSDAY]

As we start to wrap up our seventh month of social distancing, parents are finding themselves in positions they never thought they'd be in. They are juggling their own careers with the responsibility they feel to step in and help their kids during their "home" days of hybrid or remote learning.

How can parents get through this school year without melting down? Therapist Autumn Prior gave some advice this morning on Michael and Maddie.

Prior said the first thing to remember when you are trying to help your child is to go easy on yourself.

"Do not hold yourself to the same expectations you would have had before the pandemic," she said. "A lot of people think that they're supposed to be this Mary Poppins super mom/super dad situation, but honestly, all we can do is the best we can."

Autumn also suggested regularly reaching out to the school.

"Keep communication flowing with your child's teacher and administration, if necessary," she said. "Remember, schools have never educated this way, parents have never done it this way. The more people talk with one another, the better they understand each other from a different perspective."

Finally, if your child is suffering from sadness or depression, you might be having a hard time finding a provider locally. The demand for mental health professionals is so high that many of them are not accepting more patients at this time.

However, one benefit of the pandemic has been a growing willingness in healthcare to shift a routine office visit to a virtual visit.

"This means you can look outside of the SouthCoast area to anywhere in Massachusetts to find mental health care," Prior said. "Therapists are conducting visits virtually which will widen the pool of potential people that can help."