Seasons Allied Health Practice Update re: CoVID-19

We will attempt to review and update this page regularly.

We wanted to provide an update from Seasons Allied Health on how we are planning and progressing with the COVID-19 pandemic. It is important to focus on your personal self-care during stressful times this includes physical and mental self-care and wellbeing, which we know are strongly linked.

The health of our clients, our team and the community are first and foremost our focus, and we are doing all we can to ensure we are keeping you safe, and well informed with everything related to attending your sessions. It is understandable that there will be some increased distress or anxieties in regards to Coronavirus, please be assured we are doing what we can to take precautions to limit risk.

As we are a practice that is strongly focused on children and adolescent mental wellbeing and care we are making some more specific changes to our practices.

What we are doing, and how you can help:

If staff are unwell we will not attend the clinic, if we develops any flu-like symptoms she will comply with the government department of health guidelines.
We are taking additional measures in regard to hygiene and cleanliness including increasing our routine office space cleaning, increased wiping down of surfaces, and items within the room, and wait area.
Please make sure you are practicing excellent hygiene as hand washing and containment of bodily fluids continue to be the best defence against the spread of cold, flus and COVID-19. All clients are directed and required to wash their hands before entering the room with the clinician (toilets located just up the corridor from office).
There is hand sanitiser available within the wait area and clinician offices.
We have a air purifier for our wait room to support increased air quality and cleanliness.
We kindly ask that you do not attend your session if you or someone you have regular contact with has tested positive or awaiting results for testing of coronavirus. Please also do not attend if you or anyone in your household are feeling unwell or have flu like symptoms.
We request that you try to limit the people attending sessions to only those necessary for appointment to reduce social contact in the wait area. 1 parent to attend session only, unless otherwise directed.
Please do not arrive early to appointments to reduce time spent sitting in wait room with others.
In the instance that we have had updates from government and you have not heard from us, we request that you abide by what has been put in place and/or contact us to discuss your individual circumstances further.

Cancellations

Seasons Allied Health does have a cancellation policy which is documented in your initial consent paperwork, if you cancel within the 48 hour period (2 days notice) there will be a cancellation fee. We request you provide us with as much notice as possible if you are unable to make an appointment as we have a lengthy list of people waiting for sessions with Amy. No cancellation fee is charged when 2 days notice is give. Please call us to discuss individual circumstances if needed.

Telehealth/ Video

We will be doing all we can to make provisions for sessions to continue ‘business as usual’, however in the event that you are unable to attend, or your clinician is unable to attend the clinic we are able to offer the option of Telehealth/ Video sessions. This will be discussed on an individual basis dependent on individual intervention and treatment goals to ensure we continue to provide the same high level of appropriate health care. If you wish to discuss yours or your families options re: telehealth/video session please make contact via email initially and we will make an effort to get back to you within 2 business days.

We will continue to keep you updated if there are any changes or concerns, however if you have any difficulties at all, please do not hesitate to contact us via email admin@seasonsalliedhealth.com or phone 0424944443. You can also keep up to date on social media where we share resources and updates we think would be helpful for families can clients.

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TIPS from the Australian Psychological Society

Learn the facts

Constant media coverage about the coronavirus can keep us in a heightened state of anxiety. Try to limit related media exposure and instead seek out factual information from reliable sources such as the Australian Government’s health alert or other trusted organizations such as the World Health Organization.

Keep things in perspective

When we are stressed, it is easy to see things as worse than they really are. Rather than imagining the worst-case scenario and worrying about it, ask yourself:

Am I getting ahead of myself, assuming something bad will happen when I really don’t know the outcome? Remind yourself that the actual number of confirmed cases of coronavirus in Australia is extremely low.

Am I overestimating how bad the consequences will be? Remember, illness due to coronavirus infection is usually mild and most people recover without needing specialized treatment.

Am I underestimating my ability to cope? Sometimes thinking about how you would cope, even if the worst were to happen, can help you put things into perspective.

Take reasonable precautions

Being proactive by following basic hygiene principles can keep your anxiety at bay. The World Health Organization recommends a number of protective measures against the coronavirus, including to:

wash your hands frequently
avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth
stay at home if you begin to feel unwell until you fully recover
seek medical care early if you have a fever, cough or experience breathing difficulties.

Practice self-care

To help encourage a positive frame of mind, it is important to look after yourself. Everybody practices self-care differently with some examples including:

maintaining good social connections and communicating openly with family and friends
making time for activities and hobbies you enjoy
keeping up a healthy lifestyle by eating a balanced diet, exercising regularly, getting quality sleep and avoiding the use of alcohol, tobacco and other drugs to cope with stress
practising relaxation, meditation and mindfulness to give your body a chance to settle and readjust to a calm state.

Tips for talking with children about the coronavirus

Children will inevitably pick up on the concerns and anxiety of others, whether this be through listening and observing what is happening at home or at school. It is important that they can speak to you about their own concerns.

Answer their questions

Do not be afraid to talk about the coronavirus with children. Given the extensive media coverage and the increasing number of people wearing face masks in public, it is not surprising that some children are already aware of the virus. Providing opportunities to answer their questions in an honest and age-appropriate way can help reduce any anxiety they may be experiencing. You can do this by:

speaking to them about coronavirus in a calm manner
asking them what they already know about the virus so you can clarify any misunderstandings they may have
letting them know that it is normal to experience some anxiety when new and stressful situations arise
giving them a sense of control by explaining what they can do to stay safe (e.g., wash their hands regularly, stay away from people who are coughing or sneezing)
not overwhelming them with unnecessary information (e.g., death rates) as this can increase their anxiety
reassure them that coronavirus is less common and severe in children compared to adults
allowing regular contact (e.g., by phone) with people they may worry about, such as grandparents, to reassure them that they are okay.

Talk about how they are feeling

Explain to your child that it is normal to feel worried about getting sick. Listen to your child’s concerns and reassure them that you are here to help them with whatever may arise in the future. It is important to model calmness when discussing the coronavirus with children and not alarm them with any concerns you may have about it. Children will look to you for cues on how to manage their own worries so it is important to stay calm and manage your own anxieties before bringing up the subject with them and answering their questions.

Limit media exposure

It is important to monitor children’s exposure to media reports about the coronavirus as frequent exposure can increase their level of fear and anxiety. Try to be with your child when they are watching, listening or reading the news so you are able to address any questions or concerns they may have.