The COVID-19 crisis has been an unprecedented global disruptor. If you're struggling to deal with COVID-19 complications, adult therapy treatment can help you manage your symptoms and develop healthy coping mechanisms.

Here are some of the ways that adult therapy can help you grapple with COVID-19 related mental health challenges.

The Long Haul

As public health experts learn more about COVID-19, it's clear that the virus can have a lasting impact on physical, emotional, and mental health. If you suffer from prolonged symptoms, you might be considered a "long hauler."

• Group Support: adult therapy can utilize group support treatments for sufferers of "long haul" symptoms. This can involve sharing your story with other "long haulers" on a ZOOM session, or it can mean contributing to a secure message board that is moderated by a mental health expert. Finding ways to feel connected to other survivors of COVID-19 can be a great source of relief and can let you forge empathetic connections with others.
• Prioritizing Your Battles: "long haul" COVID-19 symptoms can lead to a host of complications. Adult therapy can help you prioritize your recovery plan. For instance, if "long haul" complications are causing sleeplessness, anxiety, and depression, trying to tackle all three issues simultaneously can be overwhelming. Your adult therapist can help you prioritize the issue that's most problematic for you and suggest ways to address the problem. In many cases, this can involve referring you to a specialist who deals specifically with your top recovery priority. As you work through one issue, you can move on to the next issues to help you regain your physical, mental, and emotional health.

Coping with Grief

If you've lost a loved one to COVID-19, the grieving process can take a toll on your emotional and mental health. An adult therapist can help you move through the stages of grief.

• Replicating Rituals: one of the biggest challenges of grieving during the COVID crisis has been the isolation and disruption of traditional grieving rituals. Your adult therapist can help you come to terms with these disruptions and suggest ways to replicate grieving rituals to help you progress through the stages of grief. For instance, if you were not able to organize a funeral or wake, your adult therapist might suggest creating a shared digital or physical scrapbook. Creating these types of artifacts with your friends and family can be an important part of feeling like you're honoring and remembering a loved one lost to COVID-19.