Kate R. Casey M.C., LMHCTherapy:

Individuals, Couples, Adolescents, Families, and Groups

Contract Therapist with Working Choices, Inc.

Yoga:

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June 2020

Kate's Newsletter

ReaderHere we are in June, 6 months into 2020. The break

from ‘what’s normal’ continues.We are still sheltering in place, although many are abit more adventurous- as long as they are wearing a

mask and honoring the 6 feet social (physical)distancing guidelines issued by the CDC.

Here in King County, the reopening of businessesand public movement is with limited activity. I’m

coming to the realization that the way of life we havenow may be with us for quite a while.

In addition, or as I suspect because of, the COVID-19crisis there is a growing awareness (thankfully,

albeit, painfully) of the disparity in which we live aspeople in America. Read the article included thismonth titled Is It Safe To Hire A Cleaner? WrongQuestion, Lady- a well-written article on who is at

risk in this pandemic and how it manifests.Last month while I was on a walk, I stopped to chatwith a neighbor couple (one of the perks of shelter-in-place: a stroll in the middle of the day; a time tomeet neighbors that I usually only drive by on my

way to work). I am an essential worker and the twoof them are also essential workers. I was sharing my

gratitude for being able to work, ASSUMING ofcourse that they felt the same way I did, and one

neighbor who happens to be a nurse said,“We’re more like sacrificial lambs."

It was later when I reflected on what she had saidthat I realized the risk she was taking- forced into bythe contract she held with the hospital, the mortgage

payment that continues to be due, and by theassumption that because she has to work, she wants

to be there, risking her life while someone else alittle higher up on the food chain can work from

home and stay safe.My work as a mental health counselor and a

psychotherapist continues to be challenging as Ilearn how to establish therapeutic interventions

through the miracle of zoom and phoneconferencing. I'll admit, working in front of acomputer for hours at a time is getting more

tolerable, and I am resisting technology less (I’vesuccumbed to its power). I’ve included an article

from the New Yorker called, The New Theatrics ofRemote Therapy, if you are curious.

I’m also sharing the Grateful Living link. The folksthere have put together A Pandemic Care Packagethat is full of resources, as well as opportunities to

Meet Rosie Mae!

In a world of uncertainty, the best way to ease yourmind is puppy breath...

There is a new addition to my daughter's household-a mini Aussie quarantine puppy!

What a joy she is; filled with boundless energy,sugar, and spice.

(Definitely heavy on the spice,but oh so easy to love.)

The cutest silver lining to a pandemic cloud!

Grateful Living:A Pandemic Care Package

Grateful Living Resources:A Pandemic Care Package

As our daily realities continue to shift in theface of Covid-19, we offer the following

dive deeper into this shared human experience thatis global, and yet, has so many different aspects to itdepending on location, skin color, economic status,

political beliefs, gender, age, etc…As James Baldwin once said,

“Love takes off masks that we fear we cannot livewithout and know we cannot live within.”

Stay safe, be well.

Words Worth Sharing

KindnessBy Naomi Shihab Nye

Before you know what kindness really isyou must lose things,

feel the future dissolve in a momentlike salt in a weakened broth.What you held in your hand,

what you counted and carefully saved,all this must go so you know

how desolate the landscape can bebetween the regions of kindness.

How you ride and ridethinking the bus will never stop,

the passengers eating maize and chickenwill stare out the window forever.

Before you learn the tender gravity of kindnessyou must travel where the Indian in a white poncho

lies dead by the side of the road.You must see how this could be you,

how he too was someonewho journeyed through the night with plansand the simple breath that kept him alive.

Before you know kindness as the deepest thinginside,

you must know sorrow as the other deepest thing.You must wake up with sorrow.

You must speak to it till your voicecatches the thread of all sorrowsand you see the size of the cloth.

Then it is only kindness that makes sense anymore,only kindness that ties your shoes

and sends you out into the day to gaze at bread,only kindness that raises its head

from the crowd of the world to sayIt is I you have been looking for,

and then goes with you everywherelike a shadow or a friend.

Checking Your PrivilegeHow best to handle old norms in the new pandemic

age, from advice columnist Roxane Gay.

collection of practices, poetry, readings, waysto connect, and more to help care for, uplift,and guide each other in and through thesetimes.

Read moregratefulness.org

“As life becomes harder and morethreatening, it also becomes richer,because the fewer expectations we

have, the more the good things of lifebecome unexpected gifts that we

accept with gratitude.”-Etty Hillesum

Movies of the Month:Using Popular Culture to

Educate on the BlackExperience

The James Baldwin quote I shared in theintroduction of this newsletter came to me at the

end of one of my friend's emails and sparked acuriosity to learn about who he was. These dayswhen I want information, I follow PlutoLiving’sadvice and I go to Mr. Googly. If you are not a

follower of Pluto, google him/her and meet yourlatest guru.

I googled James Baldwin and went from there toYouTube and began listening. What I learned,

besides how much his words spoke to me personally,was that not much has changed in terms of humanrights for people of color. His speeches fit in today's

time as if the past 40+ years since the civil rightsmovement was only yesterday- so little seems to

have changed for so many people.We have an opportunity, and indeed, a necessity, at

this ‘moment’ in history; to learn more, to caremore, and to engage more; by listening, by

educating yourself about the history of yourneighbors, and by taking action. Examples of these

actions are: making donations to organizationswho’s mission is to establish equality (such as BlackLives Matter or the Northwest Justice Project- for

immigrants and dreamers), by participating safely inpeaceful protests, by calling out bullying and

violence, and- here is the really powerful action totake: VOTE !!!

Is It Safe to KeepEmploying a Cleaner?Wrong Question, Lady

Introducing your new Work Friend: RoxaneGay. Brought to you by the New York Times.

Read morewww.nytimes.com

"The sun shines not on us,but in us"

Summer Solstice arrived last weekend. My friend,Tove, who lives in Finland, sends photos of this timeof year in which daylight lasts almost 24 hours a day-and it is that way for a long, long time (when you are

that far north on the planet, that’s what you get).Make sure you get time outdoors in the light (safely– no midday sun and no burns especially with the

thinning of the ozone layer).The light and the air help us to heal emotionally,

physically, and spiritually. Make sure you are gettingenough time outdoors and remember to exercise.

Keeping your body healthy is essential. There is noplace else for you to live and love and thrive.

I also want to give a shout out in recognition for theSupreme Court rulings last week. Thankfully, theyvoted to support LGBTQ rights and to support the

Dreamers in continuing to live their lives in thecountry that is part of who they are.

I felt hopeful for the first time in 4 years. Cautious,yet hopeful. I remember feeling hopeful during theObama years and so grateful that the President of

the United States and his family were people towhom I could look up to with respect and with such

heartfelt appreciation. I felt that again this week.“The times, they are a changing.”

Staying positive throughout the pandemic is crucial-check out the video below for a burst of determined

and joyful inspiration- we are in this together!

There are many movies and documentaries aboutthe African American’s experience that are worth

seeing. I recently watched The Hate You Give and IAm Not Your Negro. I wish I could say that they arefeel good experiences, however, they aren’t (some ofThe Hate You Give has momentary joy). I place them

on my shelf of therapy movies. The goal of thetherapy movies, in my choice of library, is not

necessarily to feel good. Rather, it is simply to feel.The documentary I Am Not Your Negro , honoring

the words of James Baldwin, has history that isimportant to know since it was happening here in

the United States and STILL is, as you will see.Much of that history I personally missed until I wasin the middle of my adult years. I remember seeing

the movie Mississippi Burning with a couple offriends, perhaps 20 years ago, and discussing itafter. Both of them had spent time in the South

during the 60’s working for a nonprofit organizationfocused on civil rights. I had no experience orknowledge of that time in history. I remember

thinking to myself,

“How could all of this been going on and Ididn’t know anything about it. How could

that be?”

It’s been a long journey from then until now and alonger journey yet to come.

If you are looking for more content, Netflix hascreated an entire new genre of movies,

documentaries, and television series that revolvearound educating people on Black History and theBlack Experience, that is a GREAT resource. Thegenre is titled "Black Lives Matter" which you can

search for on your television,or click here to view it in your browser.

Take this moment in time – because it is here.

Click Here to Donate to Black LivesMatter

Click Here to Donate to the NorthwestJustice Project

So Many Books, So Little Time:Man's Search for Meaning

This month, I re-read the book, Man’s Search for Meaning, by Victor Frankl. Iread it the first time when I was at Seattle University in the Existential

Phenomenological Psychology program. He wrote about his experience of 3 yearsin Nazi prison camps. He and his sister were the only survivors in his family. Hiswriting was the inspiration for the third school of psychology (Freud, Adler, and

Frankl) in the 50’s and 60’s. Recently, a book of Victor Frankl’s has been releasedfor the first time in the English language (translated from German). The book is

called Yes To Life In Spite of Everything.

If you are a fan of current day ‘how to think positive, how to be 10% Happier, howto appreciate’… you can thank Dr. Frankl. He managed to create meaning out of

such a horrendous time in history (warning! The similarities between whathappened in Nazi Germany and what has been happening in our country are very

real). What he focused on was how the prisoners, and a few (very few) of theguards helped one another out- How they leaned into one another for support

while at the same time acknowledging the isolation of the individual’s experience.

He wrote about the importance of envisioning a positive outcome in the future. Imagine doing that in asetting in which there was so little food, warmth, comfort, health, and the fear of death always with you.

Victor Frankl believed that without the hope of a better future, so many more would have perished. If you arein need of inspiration, read his books and think about the time in history in which he lived and how it is livingnow for so many who are marginalized, who are exploited, and who are murdered because of the color of their

skin, their beliefs, or simply who they love.

Spreading Knowledge

The New Theatrics of Remote Therapy

How does treatment change when your patients are on a screen? The ritual of therapy goes on, but it'sintimacy- and efficiency- is altered.

Read morewww.newyorker.com

A Sincere Thank You...

Thank you to all who have supported, encouraged, inspired, and followed my newsletters. I appreciate you!

Next Month: We are all just going with the flow!

Kate R. Casey M.C., LMHC

Therapy:

Individuals, Couples, Adolescents, Families, and Groups.

Contract Therapist with Working Choices, Inc.

Yoga:

Private Instruction, Classes, and Retreats (RYT)

Visit my website by clicking here!

Email: krc516@comcast.net