Alumni
ALUMNI ON THE FRONTLINES - Dave Rich ’92
Dave Rich ’92, LMSW, earned his degree from Columbia University School of Social Work with completion of the Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) training program and lab under Dr. Andre Ivanoff, Ph.D. Mr. Rich serves as an Adjunct Lecturer at Columbia University. He is part of two New York City group private practices, Brooklyn Heights Behavioral Associates and Metro NY DBT, where he provides DBT therapy to adolescents, adults, and families.
In the wake of COVID-19, Mr. Rich has relocated to his family’s home in Baltimore and is currently seeing patients over Zoom. His clients are all New York-based, and while some have moved to different parts of the state, 85% are still in Brooklyn.
In his sessions, Mr. Rich is finding that teens are reporting a lot of confusion and boredom. To make matters worse, being in New York City, the current epicenter of COVID-19, has meant that many clients have barely left their bedrooms and apartments in six weeks. Yet, despite their proximity, he notes that kids and parents are not communicating in an in-depth way, primarily because teens are picking up on their parent’s stress about their jobs and health in addition to tolerating their own situations. “Teens are really relying on friends, Facebook, text, and video games to get through this. I haven’t seen as much parent/child interaction as I would hope because everyone is on edge and people aren’t in the space to validate these emotions.” Teens are capitalizing on new creative projects as a positive outlet. “It’s amazing how resourceful and resilient we can be.”
With the stress and confusion that we all are feeling, Mr. Rich provided a few mental health tips to keep in mind:
1. Be flexible and tolerate the emotional ups and downs that come with this challenging time. “It’s important to maintain a level of flexibility even when things are dark, and you feel you’ve run out of skills and things to do. Time, space, and validation are needed to stay emotionally regulated. If you feel like you’ve run out of options, give it some time and space and find validation, either from someone else or yourself.”
2. Do something predictable. “When everything is so unpredictable, doing something that gives you predictability and consistency is key. Rely on things that have worked before. It helps to create order, which is what people need right now, especially when things change day by day. Read a book you’ve already read, watch your favorite movie, or spend time with your favorite people, places, and things.”
3. Remember and practice the idea of compassion – both with yourself and others. “This can mean a lot of different things, from doing something more slowly, having the courage to try something new, or taking risks, as long as it’s doing something in a way that is both helpful and in line with what you care about. Before you do or say anything in your day, ask yourself, ‘Is it helpful? What do I need right now? What do others need right now?’ Keep communication open even if you don't know what to say.”
Calvert School is a coed independent lower and middle school.
