Clinical case study of abbreviated cognitive behavioral therapy through an intersectional lens for women health-care workers during the era of COVID-19.

Abstract

The unprecedented demands of the coronavirus 2019 disease (COVID-19) have imposed a significant degree of psychological distress on women health-care workers (WHCWs). Women comprise 76% of the health-care workforce in the United States and are subject to experience higher psychosocial ramifications in the pandemic era due to gender disparities. Accordingly, women who are dually mothers may be navigating complex interactions of role strain by managing abnormally high parental and occupational workloads. The psychological toll is exacerbated for women holding multiple oppressed identities across domains such as economic status, race and ethnicity, gender identity, sexual orientation, and other identities of salience. To address WHCWs’ unique needs during the COVID-19 pandemic, the authors present a clinical case example through an intersectional framework illustrating how an abbreviated, 4-session cognitive behavioral therapy model may be implemented to support women disproportionally affected by social and systemic factors with a focus on sexism and discrimination against mothers for this particular participant. This case study describes the treatment of a patient in an integrated women’s health clinic to demonstrate how to clinically support WHCWs while promoting social justice and gender-based equity.

What innovations can address inequalities experienced by women and girls due to the COVID-19 pandemic across the different areas of life/domains: work, health, living standards, personal security, participation and education?

“…Work: Six (n = 6) included papers were within the domain of work (Banks et al, 2021; Kossek, Dumas, Piszczek, & Allen, 2021; Millán, de la Torre, Rojas, & Jimber del Río, 2021; Moen et al, 2021; Richey & Pointer, 2021; Witteman, Haverfield, & Tannenbaum, 2021).…”

“…The COVID-19 pandemic created challenges for many women working from home while providing elderly care, family care and childcare simultaneously (Kossek et al, 2021; Moen et al, 2021; Richey & Pointer, 2021). These challenges often disrupted work and home-life in negative ways, reducing work confidence and productivity and potentially increasing the gender gap in wages.…”

“…The commentary (Richey & Pointer, 2021) reported a case study from the USA investigating cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) as a therapeutic modality to use with women healthcare workers in response to the pervasive stressors of the COVID-19 pandemic. The authors stated that the CBT modality requires further empirical testing to see how it could be integrated in wider settings with women of colour to provide an 'anti-racist intersectional framework'.…”

Addressing health in psychotherapy from a community wellness framework: Introduction to the special section.

“…The next article in this part turns the lens to providing CBT to health care providers as the patient, thereby taking the collective site of well-being (i.e., health care system) and analyzing it at the personal level (i.e., provider as client). Richey and Pointer (2021) focus on women health care workers during COVID-19, specifically centering their interlocking gender and worker identities. Their clinical case study illustrates the ways in which psychotherapeutic approaches such as abbreviated CBT can be adapted to be culturally responsive to patients’ experiences of marginalization.…”

Addressing health in psychotherapy: Future directions from a community wellness lens.

“…Given the additional burden that people experiencing health conditions (e.g., medical burden) and employed in health care settings (e.g., time burden) may face, brief interventions may be especially important in future psychotherapy research. For example, Richey and Pointer (2021) in this special section underscore the benefits that an abbreviated 4-week cognitive behavioral intervention can have on the health and well-being of women health care workers. When applying the CWM’s emphasis on strengths (Prilleltensky, 2005), psychotherapy researchers may wish to consider interventions grounded in gratitude (Boggiss et al, 2020; Davis et al, 2016), self-compassion (Kılıç et al, 2021), and positive psychology (Carr et al, 2021), and/or those that could be implemented proactively, such as a preventative program designed to foster deeper connections among health care workers.…”