New program helps young Islanders rebuild social connections lost during pandemic
‘Isolation is one of the things that creates the most pain for people,’ says counselling therapist
A new counselling program on P.E.I. hopes to address some of the emotional toll the COVID-19 pandemic left on young people in the province.
The sessions, called Undoing COVID, are designed for those aged 18 to 26 and aim to help participants reconnect, rebuild social skills affected by quarantine measures, and develop meaningful relationships.
Kailea Switzer, a Charlottetown-based counselling therapist and the program's co-facilitator, said she has noticed a common theme in her sessions with young clients: isolation.
"Often what comes up is a very deep feeling of loneliness, and I hear it in one private session to another private session to another private session," Switzer told CBC's Island Morning.
"I always have this instinct of bringing the people together who are all seeking friendship, really, and deeper connection, but struggling maybe with social anxiety or maybe just being unsure how to start the process of getting out there and and just relating one-on-one in person."
Nathan Metzger, a registered social worker and co-facilitator, said many in that 18 to 26 cohort missed key formative milestones due to the pandemic — from starting high school and graduating to experiencing their first year of university remotely.
"They leave big, big gaps," Metzger said.
'I struggle with that too'
The facilitators plan to run 10 sessions in Charlottetown, starting Sept. 8. The sessions will take place weekly on Monday afternoons, and will ideally include the same group of participants throughout to help build trust and cohesion.
Each session costs $80, which Metzger said is covered by most insurance plans, though participants are encouraged to check with their providers in advance.
Switzer said the sessions will be mostly discussion-based, with the facilitators helping to set the tone and create a safe, welcoming space through grounding exercises and reflective questions.
"The power of group counselling is that in a setting like this, you hear from each other, and so those relationships form and that connection can form just by hearing other people saying, 'Me too. I struggle with that too,'" she said.
"You might have felt like you were the only one, and isolation is one of the things that creates the most pain for people. So just by having it be witnessed by others who they may come to like or even respect, it can diffuse a lot of that pain and create more healing."
Switzer added that the sessions offer a chance to rebuild social skills that may have stalled during the pandemic.
"A lot of students didn't find it necessarily that difficult to be virtual because they were more experienced with that, but there's a difference between that and and having important discomfort," she said.
"I think there was some missing challenge and missing discomfort that builds that skill or builds that capacity."
Without that, she said, social anxiety can quietly grow.
"Social anxiety can really creep. It can start small, and then it can just expand and expand, and suddenly more and more things become more difficult."
More information about the sessions can be found on Switzer's website and Instagram. Those interested can also reach out via email to sign up.
With files from Island Morning