THE Owl Centre, who provide a range of therapy and psychotherapy interventions for many sectors – including families, schools, local authorities, charities and support groups – have seen an unexpected rise in therapy enquiries since lockdown, despite having to conduct all treatments remotely.
Mental health issues, including emotional regulation, anxiety, and stress, are among some of the top problems in lockdown, which is why The Owl Centre and their therapists alike have been a root of stability for many families and industry sectors.
Owner of The Owl Centre, Nicola Lathey, from Gloucestershire, said: “Sadly, as we know, levels of depression and mental health issues have increased nationwide due to the pandemic. For many, the lockdown has thrown up certain addictions and relationship problems that previously either were not there or had been buried, and also certain emotional difficulties stemming from the lack of consistency and routine that children thrive on.
“Due to lockdown our therapists obviously cannot visit clients in person and therefore all our therapy has to be conducted online. Initially we thought this would cause a decrease in enquiries, but in fact quite the opposite has happened, and we have seen quite a considerable spike with consultations via our Zoom and Skype, which has proved just as effective as face to face therapy. In fact, children with Autism are thriving during the lockdown as being at home means that they avoid the stress associated with transitioning from one environment to another.
“The Owl Centre also conducts much work within the education sector, so with home schooling we thought this would lead to a natural decline in therapy work; however, many families are using our services not only to help their children with speech, language, emotional and behavioural issues, but also to assist with home teaching. We recently received some great feedback from a mother and two daughters who say they would have found lockdown impossible to manage if they had not had the input from one of our therapists.”
Online Therapy in lockdown is receiving great feedback from families and therapists alike. To give it a try or for more information call The Owl Centre on 01242 571883, or email them on [email protected].
