Stony Brook Medicine Launches Coronavirus Support Group

Michael DeSantis
·2 min read

STONY BROOK, NY — Stony Brook Medicine is offering virtual support groups to provide professional care for those in our communities who have or have had coronavirus and may be struggling, it announced in a news release.

"The coronavirus pandemic has disrupted our lives in profound and unprecedented ways, especially for those who have come face to face with the virus themselves," Stony Brook Medicine stated.

Each hour-long group organized by Stony Brook’s Mind Body Clinical Research Center focuses on how to manage the impact of COVID-19 on one's personal and/or professional life. Sessions are offered weekly on Thursdays from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. via Microsoft Teams video conferencing and are limited to 10 patients at a time.

Registration is required to attend by calling 631-632-8657. COVID-19 patients have dealt with some unique challenges over the last few months including:

  • The experience of and distress related to COVID-19 symptoms

  • Needing to self-isolate and be separated from family and loved ones

  • Fear of spreading the virus to family and loved ones

  • Uncertainty regarding how long symptoms would last

  • Uncertainty about the longer-term effects of COVID-19

"Our goal is to provide a telehealth platform for patients to come together to support one another, exchange information, and learn skills to cope with the stress associated with having COVID-19," said Dr. Adam Gonzalez, PhD, director of Behavioral Health and founding director of the Mind-Body Clinical Research Center at the Stony Brook Renaissance School of Medicine.

Founded in 2015, the Stony Brook Mind-Body Clinical Research Center is at the forefront of integrating physical and mental health care with the goal of improving the physical and mental health and overall wellness of individuals and communities. Mind-body medicine is built on the foundation that thoughts, behaviors, emotions, biology and environmental influences can interact to positively or negatively affect one’s mental and physical health.

For additional additional resources to help adapt during this challenging time, click here.

This article originally appeared on the Three Village Patch