Online Counselling Support
Greetings from the East Coast!
As I write this letter to my old friends and colleagues at KIHC in early May, this marks my 1.5-year anniversary here in Nova Scotia.
A lot has happened during this time. While continuing to provide remote counselling sessions for some of my old KIHC clients, I’ve extended my online practice for those living in remote areas of Atlantic Canada. With services reaching rural Newfoundland, Nova Scotia, PEI, and New Brunswick, I’m proud to offer more affordable services for those who might not otherwise have access to mental health care.
In addition, I had the opportunity to return to Tanzania last year, launching “phase II” of a fundraising project that I began in 2008. At the request of “Tunaweza Wakinamama,” a group of women in the rural Kilimanjaro region, I taught the women how to meditate, and subsequently launched a YouTube channel, “Meditation for Change,” sharing their meditation practices online. With each guided practice dedicated to one of the women, I am asking viewers for a donation to provide small business start-ups for the group.
So far, nearly $1000 has been raised, the women are pooling their funds, and they are building a poultry house for a chicken co-op to support their basic living expenses. In addition, the women plan on helping a local children’s centre, caring for and feeding orphans. As many of the women are widows, this helps decrease their loneliness, provides them with a sense of purpose, and increases community support.
Finally, I am getting ready to branch into nature-based therapy, a field that I was introduced to during my master’s training in Denmark, in 2014. While plans are currently on hold due to the COVID-19 lockdown, I will soon be offering Nature-Based Therapy groups on the Atlantic coast near Halifax for those dealing with chronic stress, anxiety, and burnout.
Throughout the COVID pandemic, I have been reminded of the importance of community support, whether in our neighbourhoods, across the country, or around the globe. For some, the pandemic has led to negativity and blame, dividing groups and creating more fear. This mentality and the stress that it creates, however, only serves to make one more vulnerable to illness, whether physical or mental.
As an antidote to this, I suggest that we view this time as an opportunity to increase our love and support towards one another, regardless of location. Through the internet, we can connect with one another near and far, enriching our lives through social connection, education, and launching new business initiatives. The internet, of course, is a fantastic tool for making positive change possible (as I have seen through online counselling, and my YouTube fundraising efforts).
At the same time, may we remember that life also happens offline. We need to balance our computer time with time spent in the natural world. Yes, the more time we spend indoors, the more we’re seeing improvements in the environment (with pollution clearing up in various cities around the world), but this doesn’t justify spending all of our time on Netflix or using social media. It’s best for our health, and for the health of our planet, to get outdoors for regular exercise, perhaps swapping the car for a bicycle more often, and maybe even cleaning up garbage in our local communities. This connection with nature has tremendous health benefits by lowering the stress response, thereby improving the immune system.
So, I challenge you to find balance between your indoor and outdoor time as we move through this pandemic (while respecting your community’s physical distancing guidelines). In finding balance, we give ourselves the best of both worlds – increasing our connection to the planet, as well as those who live on it (whether in Canada, Africa, or anywhere else). This is one of the best recipes, in my opinion, for boosting global health.
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If you would like to connect with Lindsay for online video counselling services, please visit her website: www.lindsaydupuis.ca, or send her an email at: hello@lindsaydupuis.ca
To practice one of Lindsay’s guided meditations and support the women of Tunaweza Wakinamama, please visit her YouTube Channel.
To learn more about the restorative benefits of nature therapy, please refer to this article.
