Pictures | Tue Apr 6, 2021 | 8:17pm EDT

Portraits of New York City's mental health workers

Reuters / Tuesday, April 06, 2021

Amina Woods, program director for a foster care agency and a psychotherapist for a private practice, works at her home in New York City, March 3, 2021. The 38-year-old is a social worker, psychotherapist and single mother, and says more attention should be given to the pandemic's toll on people's mental health. "People are not well during this time. People are exhausted. People are feeling overworked. People are overworked," she said. REUTERS/Zakiyyah Woods

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Reuters / Tuesday, April 06, 2021

Amina Woods said many of her patients suffer from depression, anxiety and PTSD, among them nurses and other medical professionals seeking help after a year of witnessing the effects of COVID-19, including an overwhelming number of deaths. "I think it goes overlooked the impact that COVID has taken on caregivers, whether it's doctors, nurses, therapists," she said. Woods is also feeling the stress and anxiety caused by COVID-19 lockdowns and social restrictions. Reaching out to others for support and deep breaths help, she said, and "crying also helps." Roller skating has given her consistent moments of joy, she said. "In this little bitty apartment, I started just cruising around or if I take my garbage out to the incinerator, I'd ride my roller skates to the garbage chute, things like that ... It makes me feel like a kid again." REUTERS/Zakiyyah Woods

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Jason Quinnerly, program coordinator for an adult day program facility that serves men and women with developmental disabilities in Brooklyn, poses for a portrait in Brooklyn, New York City, March 5, 2021. REUTERS/Zakiyyah Woods

Reuters / Tuesday, April 06, 2021

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Sade Fansanya, program director of a men’s shelter, poses for a portrait in Brooklyn, New York City, February 1, 2021. REUTERS/Zakiyyah Woods

Reuters / Tuesday, April 06, 2021

Sade Fansanya, program director of a men’s shelter, poses for a portrait in Brooklyn, New York City, February 1, 2021. REUTERS/Zakiyyah Woods

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Fedia Louis, a psychiatric ER social worker, poses for a portrait in Brooklyn, New York City, March 5, 2021. REUTERS/Zakiyyah Woods

Reuters / Tuesday, April 06, 2021

Fedia Louis, a psychiatric ER social worker, poses for a portrait in Brooklyn, New York City, March 5, 2021. REUTERS/Zakiyyah Woods

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Xavier Bedward, a social worker who works at a youth centre, poses for a portrait in New York, March 7, 2021. REUTERS/Zakiyyah Woods

Reuters / Tuesday, April 06, 2021

Xavier Bedward, a social worker who works at a youth centre, poses for a portrait in New York, March 7, 2021. REUTERS/Zakiyyah Woods

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Social worker Mina Davis-Harrison poses for a portrait in the Bronx, New York City, January 31, 2021. REUTERS/Zakiyyah Woods

Reuters / Tuesday, April 06, 2021

Social worker Mina Davis-Harrison poses for a portrait in the Bronx, New York City, January 31, 2021. REUTERS/Zakiyyah Woods

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Fanny Tristan, a psychotherapist with her own private practice, poses for a portrait in New York, March 7, 2021. REUTERS/Zakiyyah Woods

Reuters / Tuesday, April 06, 2021

Fanny Tristan, a psychotherapist with her own private practice, poses for a portrait in New York, March 7, 2021. REUTERS/Zakiyyah Woods

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