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Hello, Creative! This afternoon, Sunday, March 15, in Howard County, home-base for Creatively, Executive Calvin Ball announced the first case of COVID-19 in the County and declared a County-wide state of emergency. He signed an executive order closing for at least 7 days business locations including the Mall at Columbia, along with adjacent businesses in the mall complex. Two weeks ago I introduced Creatively’s COVID preparedness plan and effective today, Saturday, March 15, in action with Executive Ball’s executive order implementing at midnight tonight, Creatively, LLC physical offices will close and ALL APPOINTMENTS TRANSFER TO TELEHEALTH AT THIS TIME. This plan remains in effect until Howard County receives different guidance from the local authorities. Though this is currently for 7 days, this is a rapidly evolving situation and subject to change. Please take a moment to review the updated info, and some reviewed info. Understand that I will continue to share any changes to Creatively’s response as needed and update all of you via email, text, social media and this website. First, the facts. Maryland as of March 5 has been declared in a state of emergency by Governor Hogan, and as of the week of March 8th the first case of community spread of the virus has been confirmed in the State. Today, Sunday, March 15, the first case of the virus was confirmed in Howard County- but- this does NOT mean you should panic. The focus of the current response is to contain further spread. Up to date information on what you need to know can be found here: Maryland Health Department Website- Coronavirus Following the medical and hygiene recommendations and any other preparatory steps of the health department as they evolve are your best pathway to staying safe. Current recommendations focus on social distancing, e.g.- stay home as much as you can! EFFECTIVE SUNDAY, MARCH 15, ALL CREATIVELY APPOINTMENTS TRANSFER TO TELEHEALTH: You will still have your regularly scheduled appointment time if you have an existing appointment. All you need available to you is a microphone and video enabled device (cellphones, tablets, computers all should work) with a wireless or WiFi signal. Comcast is extending free internet to support social distancing if you are in need of internet service. At the time of your appointment I will text you a unique link to start your session- all you have to do is click the link from your device to join. Please be sure you have given permission to your browser on your device to use the microphone and camera. I will be emailing you a one-time-only informed consent document to review and sign for telehealth. For additional details on telehealth and to see a copy of the informed consent document, please click on the link at the end of this article that reads “more information for telehealth sessions.” To reach me between sessions: I recommend texting my business cell phone 443-741-2294 or emailing me cindy@creativelyllc.com . Remember to contact me primarily about scheduling- for urgent mental health resources, there is a list available here Third, we need to talk about taking care of your emotional and mental wellbeing during times of national and global stress. This is so crucial because elevations in stress can in fact decrease the capacity of your immune system to function and protect you. It is normal and natural to feel stress during stressful times- there is nothing wrong with this response. What we don't want to do is live in high stress levels and get caught in cognitive loops that elevate them further. Instead, I encourage you to take time to be aware of and nonjudgementally notice your experience of your stress levels. Ask yourself, as you would ask a small child, what do you need in order to return to an emotional baseline and feel soothed? Not attending to and minimizing stressful emotions will likely make them worse. A blog article walking you through an exercise to help you self care your anxiety can be found here: Listening to your Instincts Self care pairs nicely with this article on self soothing exercises for high levels of anxiety- step-by-step instructions here: Safe Place and Self Soothing Finally, if you need an appointment and don’t have one, please don't hesitate to reach out- that is what I am here for! The world is full of chaos and the unexpected. Ultimately trusting ourselves, our resources and our support system, we will weather the storm. Live well, Creative! (And wash and scrub those creative hands!) Cindy Live Life Creatively, Cindy Cisneros, LCPC-S, LPC (C) 2020 Creatively, LLC More information for telehealth sessionsHello, Creative! We have new updates and recommendations from our authorities in Maryland from the developing situation surrounding the Coronavirus, or COVID-19. This week Governor Hogan confirmed the first case of confirmed community spread of the virus. Last week I introduced Creatively’s COVID preparedness plan. This plan still stands- I am making updates today to the timeline of its implementation regarding what we currently know. Please take a moment to review the updated info, and some reviewed info. Understand that I will continue to share any changes to Creatively’s response as needed an update all of you via email, text, social media and this website. First, the facts. COVID-19 is in Maryland, and Maryland as of March 5 has been declared in a state of emergency by Governor Hogan, and as of the week of March 8th the first case of community spread of the virus has been confirmed in the State- but- this does NOT mean you should panic. The focus of the current response is to contain further spread. Up to date information on what you need to know can be found here: Maryland Health Department Website- Coronavirus Following the medical and hygiene recommendations and any other preparatory steps of the health department as they evolve are your best pathway to staying safe. Second, the preparedness plan is going into place at Creatively. Though as of today, March 13, there is no official recommendation for counseling businesses to close by authorities, my focus is to cooperate in the State’s efforts of public safety to reduce the spread of COVID-19. I also understand that losing your counseling support is not in your best interest. For weekend appointments on Saturday, March 14: Liberal application of telehealth applied, in office visits still available where appropriate. If you are healthy, have not come into direct contact with anyone who is sick meeting diagnostic criteria for Coronavirus, and feel safe and able, you are welcome to come into the office for your appointment. I will be in the office for appointments this Saturday. If you do not meet this criteria, or prefer to stay at home per your own planning, you may notify me via text or email that you wish to attend your appointment via telehealth. In the event that you wish to have a telehealth session, please click on the link at the end of this article that reads “more information for telehealth sessions.” For those of you attending in person office visits, I will be cleaning my office chairs, doors, tissue boxes, cushions, and other frequently touched surfaces between each client. I am relying on you to follow CDC recommendations for health and hygiene. I will also be recommending seating within the office to maximize the social distancing recommendations. Third, we need to talk about taking care of your emotional and mental wellbeing during times of national and global stress. This is so crucial because elevations in stress can in fact decrease the capacity of your immune system to function and protect you. It is normal and natural to feel stress during stressful times- there is nothing wrong with this response. What we don't want to do is live in high stress levels and get caught in cognitive loops that elevate them further. Instead, I encourage you to take time to be aware of and nonjudgementally notice your experience of your stress levels. Ask yourself, as you would ask a small child, what do you need in order to return to an emotional baseline and feel soothed? Not attending to and minimizing stressful emotions will likely make them worse. A blog article walking you through an exercise to help you self care your anxiety can be found here: Listening to your Instincts Self care pairs nicely with this article on self soothing exercises for high levels of anxiety- step-by-step instructions here: Safe Place and Self Soothing Finally, please don't hesitate to reach out- that is what I am here for! The world is full of chaos and the unexpected. Ultimately trusting ourselves, our resources and our support system, we will weather the storm. Live well, Creative! (And wash and scrub those creative hands!) Cindy Live Life Creatively, Cindy Cisneros, LCPC-S, LPC (C) 2020 Creatively, LLC More info about telehealth sessions👇![]()
Hello, Creative! Welcome to March. There is a lot of anxiety in the world lately surrounding the increasing spread of the Coronavirus, or COVID-19. Following the release last night of Governor Hogan's statement of the first 3 confirmed cases in the state of Maryland, anxiety is likely to increase for many. I understand- there are still a lot of unknowns. So this month, while on social media we are enjoying "getting to know Creatively," this month's blog is focused on preparedness physically and mentally, as well as Creatively's own preparedness plan for COVID-19.
First, the facts. Yes, COVID-19 is in Maryland, and Maryland as of March 5 has been declared in a state of emergency by Governer Hogan- but- this does NOT mean you should panic. Up to date information on what you need to know can be found here: Maryland Health Department Website- Coronavirus Following the medical and hygiene recommendations and any other preperatory steps of the health department as they evolve are your best pathway to staying safe. Second, there is a preparedness plan in place at Creatively. In the event of any type of quarentine, shelter in place, reduced activity, etc recommendation by local authorities to reduce the spread of COVID-19, I understand that losing your counseling support is not in your best interest. But, I will also be following the recommendations of local authorities and closing the physical offices at Creatively. Instead, I will be available to you as scheduled for your appointments via telehealth. If this preparedness plan goes into action, you will receive text and email alerts from me that the physical office space has been closed and all appointments have been converted into telehealth. All you need to do is reply via text or email to confirm your appointment. At the time your appointment is scheduled to begin, I will text you a unique link to start your appointment. Telehealth appointments are HIPAA compliant, encrypted, and covered by the insurance policies that I accept. Please feel free to contact me if you have questions about this plan. You may, of course, enact this plan for yourself by contacting me and changing your appointment to telehealth per your own judgement and safety planning. Third, we need to talk about taking care of your emotional and mental wellbeing during times of national and global stress. This is so crucial because elevations in stress can in fact decrease the capacity of your immune system to function and protect you. It is normal and natural to feel stress during stressful times- there is nothing wrong with this response. What we don't want to do is live in high stress levels and get caught in cognitive loops that elevate them further. Instead, I encourage you to take time to be aware of and nonjudgementally notice your experience of your stress levels. Ask yourself, as you would ask a small child, what do you need in order to return to an emotional baseline and feel soothed? Not attending to and minimizing stressful emotions will likely make them worse. A blog article walking you through an exercise to help you self care your anxiety can be found here: Listening to your Instincts Self care pairs nicely with this article on self soothing exercises for high levels of anxiety- step-by-step instructions here: Safe Place and Self Soothing Finally, please don't hesitate to reach out- that is what I am here for! The world is full of chaos and the unexpected. Ultimately trusting ourselves, our resources and our support system, we will weather the storm. Live well, Creative! (And wash and scrub those creative hands!) Cindy Live Life Creatively, Cindy Cisneros, LCPC-S, LPC (C) 2020 Creatively, LLC |
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August 2020
The information provided in this blog is from my own clinical experiences and training. It is intended to supplement your clinical care. Never make major life changes before consulting with your treatment team. If you are unsure of your safety or wellbeing, do not hesitate to get help immediately.
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