Almost 1 year into the pandemic, the day finally came when I could welcome patients back to meet in person. For a little over a decade, I have cared solely for the mental health of healthcare professionals. After nearly a year of telehealth, one by one I welcomed nurses, physicians, physical therapists, nurse practitioners, pharmacists, social workers, resident physicians, and physician assistants into my office space.
At that point in the pandemic, there was no denying that exhaustion had set in.
My flock was weary and worn out from the constant vigilance required to live and work within the COVID environment. Each time I walked to the waiting room to collect a patient, I was met with comments focused on my waiting room couch. "Can I just stay here?" "This couch is so comfortable." "Can we meet here, I don't want to get up?" A woman who I have seen for years asked for my permission to resume her position on my waiting room couch after our session: "Can I just sit here?"
At that time, I distinctly remember feeling that if I picked someone up a few minutes early from the waiting room or even within a minute of them walking in with no time to sit down, I was robbing them of something.
