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This is a strange time. And that does something to a person. That’s why it’s more important than ever to do some work on your mental resilience (and that of your family or loved ones). This online intervention can help you to feel calmer and to keep on functioning day to day. It’s a scientifically sound step-by-step plan of about 45 minutes. You can go through it solo, or with your housemates. Because we want everyone to feel OK.
What is it exactly?
You try to get some exercise, stay in touch with friends, stick to a daily schedule… And still something feels off. You’re restless. You’re having a tough time sleeping. It feels like the wave of the corona crisis is drowning you. (Or you’re worried that a family member is feeling like that.) These are all totally normal reactions to an unusual situation. Through the intervention on this website we can help you to break through these feelings using techniques from the field of trauma therapy. The intervention consists of a video that will guide you through a step-by-step plan and a number of exercises. You can go through the step-by-step plan in about 45 minutes – either alone or with your housemates.
Where does it come from?
This online intervention was created by clinical psychologist Elke Van Hoof (BE) and is founded on the internationally recognised R-TEP protocol (Recent Traumatic Episode Protocol) and G-TEP protocol (Group Traumatic Episode Protocol). These protocols are used to deal with acute stress in crisis situations and to improve mental resilience. Psychologists have successfully used the protocol many times in emergency situations. Elke Van Hoof was inspired by the work of Elan Shapiro (US). The content of this protocol is based on the current coronavirus crisis.
What should you expect?
If you would like to take part in the intervention, you can expect the following steps:
- introductory video (+/- 2 minutes);
- questionnaire to check your mental state (+/- 5 minutes);
- preparing the plan and the space in which you will do it (+/- 10 minutes);
- intervention video (+/- 45 minutes);
- second questionnaire (+/- 50 minutes).
Altogether, it will take about 1 hour to complete the steps. If this is too long, you can consider carrying out the steps over several days.
About Elke Van Hoof
Elke Van Hoof is a clinical psychologist and an authority in the fields of stress, burn-out and trauma. For more than 15 years Elke has been working with people suffering from stress. Elke is also the CEO of Huis voor Veerkracht (Center for Resilience) and founder of the Ally Institute, a non-profit organisation that aims to fundamentally change the way we look at stress. She is also a professor in health psychology and primary care psychology at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel.
Got a question? Send Elke an email.
More about this initiative
It’s normal for the corona crisis to impact the state of our mental health. Through this intervention we are trying to offer first-response support.
This website was created with the support of Vivium and P&V. They are part of a Belgian cooperative insurance group and are committed to values such as solidarity, cooperation and proximity. They are closely involved in all aspects of social life. One long-standing element of their mission is prevention, which includes personal well-being. This is why they support this platform. It can help you and your loved ones cope better with stress in difficult times and find strength and balance