New or Chronic Illness

It may be helpful to talk to someone about the fear, anger and struggle as you adjust to your new reality.

Some things we could discuss are:

• If you were the person in your family/social system that was the caretaker, we can discuss how to ask for help, and the guilt that may come up as you ask for what you need.
• If your significant relationships are feeling stressed, we can discuss whether you are displacing the anger you feel on the people closest to you, or any disappointment/resentment that is coming up if people are not supporting you in the ways you expected.
• We can discuss the fear you may feel at work, regarding performance and even fear of job loss.
• We can discuss what you would want to disclose on social media, as these may show up years from now when you have recovered. Do you want future employers or new friends to know that much about you?
• Setbacks: how to handle when you feel good, then push yourself a little to much and end up sick again.
• Sometimes it's hard to have honest conversations about your illness with family/support network, so it might be nice to have a safe space to vent about your fears or frustration, without worrying about how this will impact your loved ones.
• Chronic illness: managing symptoms and triggers, and creating a life that adapts to this new reality

Finding support may ease your suffering. This is especially important when stress can make the symptoms worse.

We understand that you may already be taking time off of work to attend medical appointments so some providers offer weekend appointments. In addition, we offer tele-health if traveling to appointments or mobility is difficult. We can either hold our sessions over the phone or video.

Illness is scary. You don't have to go through it alone!

”Healing does not mean going back to the way things were before, but rather allowing what is now....” – Ram Dass