How the Pandemic Changed our Relationships with Heather Timmis

NFCC's Guide Through the Seasons of Mental Wellness

Relationships are the cornerstone of human health. Research shows that when we experience consistent - quality relationships with others, we live longer, feel better and become more resilient to stress. However, when we don’t have access to these types of relationships and are unable to create new ones, the risks to our mental and physical health change astronomically.

In fact, many studies have now confirmed that loss of social support and chronic loneliness are more disastrous to our health than smoking, obesity, or other measures of health risk. Putting these facts in the modern context of a global pandemic can be quite alarming. Never before have people experienced this level of isolation. Even as we come back together, many struggle to create new social connections due to the increased anxiety and decreased social skills created by this period of separation.

So, what do we do? How do we help ourselves, our children, and our parents navigate social situations during periods of separation? Here to help us explore this timely conversation is NFCC’s Clinical Director, Heather Timmis.

About our Guest

Heather Timmis is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist Supervisor who works with families, couples and individuals ages 3 years and up. Heather holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of Texas at Austin as well as a master’s degree in marriage and family therapy from the University of Houston-Clear Lake. In addition to overseeing the clinical team at NFCC, she also supervises associate level counselors who are pursuing their license. Heather has many years of experience helping clients work through challenges such as trauma and anxiety with traditional talk therapy, play therapy, trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy and eye movement desensitization and reprocessing, also known as EMDR. She served as NFCC’s Lead Clinician before stepping into the role of Clinical Director in October of 2021.

Episode Resources:

1. The Impact of Social Isolation

2. Isolation and Mental Health

3. Tools for Addressing Isolation

4. Loneliness and Empathy

A special thanks to our team:

Tracy Lehman, Host & Executive Producer

Jacel Dickson, Producer and Editor

Theme music written and performed by Jim Roman

Audio engineering courtesy of our podmasters at 3 Wire Creative

Administrators: Mary Elizabeth Hand and Heather Timmis

Thanks for listening!

Nick Finnegan Counseling Center

finnegancounseling.org