Redeeming COVID-19: Emotional First-Aid
May 2020
As restrictions keep us indoors and prevent us from face-to-face interaction, our team is turning to technology, driving a new wave of ministry ideas – and the early results are encouraging.
Resources
Virtual workshops allow educating and equipping to continue amid physical limitations. Emotional First Aid for COVID-19 Times, a webinar hosted by our Crisis Response Network, has engaged and impacted many people.
Although the workshop addresses communication tactics related to this crisis, the emotional tools it teaches are applicable to a broad range of life situations, as stress, anxiety, and depression are ever-present realities.
Reach
This crisis has created a wider reach as participants aren’t limited by distance or time. They can join webinars from their living rooms or watch replays whenever convenient, which increases the number of people who benefit.
Our team has also crossed language barriers. Two psychologists from Argentina partnered with Linda McCaman to adapt the Emotional First Aid workshop for Spanish speakers. They then presented it to 30 leaders from 5 different Spanish-speaking countries.
Results
We have seen God work through these virtual events. Attendees are becoming aware of their communication blind spots, which helps them listen to others with empathy, compassion, and care.
After one of our Emotional First Aid courses concluded, a participant received a call from a woman in his church whose sister suffers from panic attacks. Using the information he had just learned, he was able to provide godly counsel.
Consider This
Our Crisis Response Network is dedicated to creating resources like the Emotional First Aid webinar to help people in times of uncertainty and fear. Learn more about these efforts and consider supporting the network below.
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