The Psychology of a Pandemic: How Covid has Transformed both the Clinical Psychology Practice and Patients of Dr. Jeb Berkeley

Jeb Berkeley, PhD is a clinical psychologist in San Francisco whose practice focuses on the treatment of the symptoms of anxiety and depression expressed in the realms of love, family, partnership, loss, addiction, work, health, uncertainty and pleasure. With 40 years of experience, Dr. Berkeley shares mental health insights into the challenges and opportunities the global pandemic has created during the last two years. With therapists sharing the trauma with patients, and unable to provide a physically ‘safe’ environment for therapy, most counseling went online. He says he recently heard a comedian say “doing therapy on zoom is like sex with a condom; it’s safe but you lose something.” And yet, as a person who self describes as someone ‘who runs hopeful,’ he found a number of positives in his practice during this difficult era. The unique global experience of uncertainty, created immeasurable stress and suffering for so many, but despite a trend of Covid divorces, Jeb says he witnessed some surprising unexpected areas of growth for patients and therapists. Join Paul for a revealing conversation about how this crisis has upended, transformed and changed the course of therapy, while stimulating both profound suffering and remarkable resilience in so many. The covid chronicles are far from over, but it is enlightening to investigate the odyssey of our times, and the implications for health and wellbeing, all with a warm sense of optimism and humor.