Counselling After COVID-19: Support for Long COVID & Post Pandemic Recovery

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When Recovery Isn’t Simple

For many people, the hardest part of COVID-19 began after the virus passed. You may look fine on the outside, but inside, something still isn’t right. Symptoms linger. Energy crashes. You forget words, miss steps, or find your world smaller than it used to be. If you're living with long COVID or struggling in the aftermath of the pandemic, you’re not imagining it, and you don’t have to carry it alone.

At Tidal Trauma Centre, we offer trauma-informed counselling for individuals navigating long COVID, post-viral symptoms, grief, anxiety, and mental health challenges related to the pandemic. Whether you’re based in Surrey, BC or accessing support online from elsewhere in Canada, our therapists are here to help you recover at your own pace, with gentleness, skill, and respect.

This Is the Starting Point for All COVID-Related Counselling at Tidal

We offer support in two formats:

This page will help you understand what long COVID is, how it affects mental health, and how therapy can support recovery.

What Is Long COVID?

Long COVID refers to symptoms that continue for weeks or months after an initial COVID-19 infection. It often includes a mix of physical and cognitive effects that may come and go or feel like a cycle of progress and relapse. It’s not just a physical illness, it impacts your nervous system, memory, mood, and quality of life.

Common long COVID symptoms include:

  • Fatigue or exhaustion that doesn’t resolve with rest

  • Breathlessness or chest tightness

  • Brain fog or cognitive difficulties

  • Difficulty sleeping or staying asleep

  • Changes in taste or smell

  • Headaches, joint pain, or muscle weakness

  • Anxiety, depression, or low mood

Many people with long COVID report feeling dismissed or confused when symptoms persist. Some are told it's "just anxiety" which often adds shame or self-doubt to the pain. You don’t need to wait for medical validation to begin receiving support. If something still feels off in your body or mind, therapy can be a powerful next step.

Woman in quiet reflection during online therapy session for long COVID in Canada

How Long COVID Can Affect Mental Health

Long COVID doesn’t just affect the body, it can deeply impact your emotions, identity, and relationships. It’s common to experience:

  • Anxiety about how long symptoms will last

  • Depression or loss of motivation

  • Grief over changes in health, work, or lifestyle

  • Isolation or misunderstanding from others

  • Frustration around medical uncertainty

  • Shame about needing help or slowing down

You may feel stuck between wanting to move forward and needing to rest. Between trying to function and struggling to focus. Therapy offers space to explore both and to honour the psychological toll of an illness that doesn’t follow a predictable path.

Somatic therapist in Surrey supporting client with post-COVID anxiety and fatigue

How Therapy Can Support Your Recovery

Therapy is not a cure for long COVID, but it can make a meaningful difference. The right therapeutic relationship can help you:

  • Feel seen and believed without needing to prove how unwell you are

  • Develop coping tools to manage fear, fatigue, and frustration

  • Work through grief related to health changes, missed milestones, or identity shifts

  • Support your nervous system with regulation tools for post-viral sensitivity and overwhelm

  • Rebuild routines with pacing strategies and self-compassion, not shame or urgency

Our therapists draw from somatic therapy, EMDR, Internal Family Systems (IFS), mindfulness, and grief-informed approaches to gently support your mind-body system.

You don’t need to push through or pretend you’re fine. Therapy can help you meet yourself with more compassion—and move at the speed of your body’s wisdom.

Signs Therapy Might Help

You may benefit from COVID-related counselling if:

  • You feel anxious, depressed, or emotionally stuck

  • You’re grieving the loss of health, stability, or connection

  • You’re navigating chronic fatigue or identity changes

  • You’re overwhelmed by your symptoms or medical journey

  • You’re questioning your future or feeling invisible

  • You need a space where you don’t have to explain everything

You don’t need to have everything figured out. Therapy can begin with exactly where you are.

Living room with a gray sofa, wooden tables, potted plants, bookshelf, window with blinds, and office chairs.

Online Sessions Available Anywhere in British Columbia

We offer online therapy across the province, including:

  • Urban areas such as Vancouver, Victoria, Kelowna, Surrey, and Nanaimo

  • Rural and remote communities like Terrace, Fort St. John, Nelson, Castlegar, and Smithers

All you need is a private space, a secure internet connection, and a willingness to begin. We’ll meet you there.

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Next Steps

Fill out a New Client Form and we’ll match you with a therapist who understands the impacts of long COVID and post-pandemic recovery.

Book a free consult or appointment using our secure online platform, whenever you’re ready.

Not sure how to choose a therapist? Read our Client Guide to Consult Calls.

FAQs About Counselling for Long COVID

  • No. If you’re experiencing lingering symptoms after COVID, you’re welcome to reach out.

  • Therapy can’t resolve physical symptoms directly, but it can help regulate your nervous system, reduce stress, and improve quality of life.

  • We integrate somatic therapy, IFS, EMDR, mindfulness, and grief work. Your sessions will be tailored to your experience.

  • Yes. Many clients with long COVID find that online sessions conserve energy and offer flexible, consistent care.

  • Yes. Many of our clients are on leave or in transition. We’ll work at a pace that respects your capacity.