Therapy for Living with Medical Conditions, Illnesses & Diagnoses

Navigating life in the context of chronic illness is challenging and we provide counseling services tailored to provide support and empowerment for patients, loved ones, and healthcare professionals. We provide support to individuals and loved ones facing medical conditions such as: cancer, multiple sclerosis, women’s health such as infertility and menopause, autoimmune diseases, and more which often includes grief and loss counseling.

How does counseling for chronic illness work?

Living with a chronic illness is often a challenging and isolating experience. You sometimes feel like your body has betrayed you, that no one understands what you’re going through, and you’re worried about the future. These are big concerns and of course they can make us feel drained, sad, frustrated, and even hopeless.

I have specialized training and over 20 years of experience providing therapeutic support to patients living with illness. Living with a chronic illness myself, I understand the unique challenges faced by individuals living with a medical diagnosis and am dedicated to providing compassionate and empowering therapy that directly addresses the challenges illness brings.

I work with a variety of chronic illnesses such as cancer, neurological conditions, autoimmune disorders such as multiple sclerosis, diabetes, heart disease, and many others. I have extensive experience in palliative and hospice care so can accompany you through the hardest parts of living with an uncertain future.

Through therapy, we will talk through your diagnosis process so I can better understand who you were before the illness and how the diagnosis may have impacted you. Often diagnoses of medical conditions can be traumatic and so I want to understand your personal experience so I can provide the best care. We will explore how the illness has impacted your life, including your body, thoughts, feelings, and relationships (friends, family, and work). We can also talk about how it may have changed your spiritual or religious views if you like. By understanding how the illness has impacted all areas of your life I can provide support that is tailored especially to you and your needs and goals.

My approach for working with medical illness includes learning how to feel safe and okay in your body again as illness and the corresponding treatments can cause pain and the desire to detach from our own bodies. We work on processing the deep emotions you may feel regarding your illness experience and also address any negative thinking you may have that is holding you back from living with more peace and courage. We will also address grief and loss that may be part of your experience. Exploring all of these areas helps lead you to a place where you can feel more accepting of your illness, able to advocate for your healthcare needs, the ability to ask loves ones for what you need, and most importantly, to enjoy the moments in your life that are most meaningful to you.

In addition, I provide concierge service and can work collaboratively with your healthcare providers and can support you in advocating for your healthcare needs.

Contact me to get started.