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Therapy For Chronic Illness and Chronic Pain

Just because you are used to carrying the weight of your health issues, doesn't mean it is easy
Mountain Lake

Effects of Chronic Illness and Pain

Having a chronic illness comes with many challenges. Some challenges include:

  • People not understanding what it is like to have a chronic illness

  • Having to say no to plans or cancel last minute 

  • The frustration that comes from your body being able to do something one day, and not the next

  • Feeling hopeless when you cannot get a diagnosis or there are no treatments available 

  • Burnout from having to keep up with scheduling and going to appointments, refilling medication, long calls with insurance companies, symptom tracking, and more. 

  • Going through painful procedures, adjusting to new medications and side effects, and coping with new symptoms that seem to appear or change every few months 

 

It is hard to figure out how to cope with the changes that your health makes in your life. It can also be hard to understand how your mental health affects your physical health and vice versa. Processing what it is like to manage and live with a chronic illness and learning coping skills can ease the burden of illness and make it a little lighter to hold.

Chronic Conditions

Unfortunately, many people with chronic illness hesitate to be in therapy because doctors have told them that their symptoms are probably just anxiety or depression. I am here to tell you that your experiences are real, you know your body and lived experiences best, and it is not all in your head. 

 

I get what it’s like to live with a chronic illness. I have lived experience with chronic illness and have dedicated my work to helping people like you- I am a therapist for people with chronic illnesses while living with a chronic illness myself. 

 

I have experience working with clients who have:

  • Headache disorders (chronic migraine, tension-type headaches, cluster headaches, etc.) 

  • Myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS)

  • Dysautonomia

  • Diabetes

  • Gastroparesis

  • Ehlers-Danlos syndrome

  • Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) (Crohn's disease and Ulcerative colitis)

  • Fibromyalgia

  • Cancer

  • Epilepsy

  • Spinal Cord Injury (SCI)

  • Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)

  • Mast Cell Activation Syndrome (MCAS)

  • and more.

Sitting by the Lake

What We Can Do About It 

I approach therapy for chronic illness and pain with both the mind and body at the forefront. We will work on managing your body's reaction to stress and your mind's response to illness and pain. I integrate therapy approaches including:

  • Acceptance and Commitment Therapy

  • Self-compassion 

  • Body-based interventions, including mindfulness and relaxation, based on my knowledge of the autonomic nervous system regulation from biofeedback practices.

  • and other approaches depending on the presenting mental health symptoms such as anxiety, depression, OCD, PTSD, ADHD and executive functioning issues, or something else.  

 

Whether you have a diagnosis of a health condition or not, I have the experience to help you manage all the stress that comes with health issues. While everyone's story is different, there are some foundational themes to living with illness and pain, and we can work together to increase your quality of life. I want to help you see how you can have a meaningful life with chronic illness. 

 

Fill out the form below to schedule a free 15-minute consultation call. You can also learn more about the psychology of chronic illness through my blog posts.

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