[The e-mail below was written toward the beginning of the COVID-19 epidemic.]


I live in Asia where the number of people with COVID-19 is growing daily.


Many of us are now in self-quarantine to protect those at risk. I would like to offer my thinking about how Co-Counselors can support us:


• If you are contacting someone from another country or region, please educate yourself about the situation there. Good information is available. Read the information for a few days and watch the changes.
• Do not expect Co-Counselors in Asia to have slack enough to joke about the situation.
• Do not client on how you think your country “will be safe” because of your geographical location.
• Be prepared to listen to terror; if you cannot listen, please be honest about that.
• Do not assume that the overload on medical resources that happened in China is a specifically “Chinese problem.” Be aware that medical systems worldwide could be stretched to the limit.
• Do not client about how lucky you are to get masks, disinfectant, hand sanitizers, and so on. Please know that you are among the fortunate few to have these resources and products.