Living With Chronic Illness - Family and Individual Therapy

Chronic illness can often upend the life you had and force you to consider a new normal in a rather rapid timeframe. Chronic illness can be debilitating, painful, depressing, trying, and yet at the same time invisible, misunderstood, or questioned as there can often be no visible scars or crutches that indicate what you are truly going through inside. You may feel helpless, desperate, isolated, detached, or find it easier to cover up your chronic illness rather than explain it to others. In the worst of cases, the pain or suffering can be so hard to live that you may question if you want to go on living this way.

Therapy is about you but I would not have come to specialize in this field if it were not for my chronic illness, bilateral Meniere's disease, a progressive inner ear disorder that causes vertigo, imbalance, tinnitus, hearing loss, and other symptoms. Having lived with a chronic illness for 26 years has given me a unique capability to empathize with others that are struggling with chronic illness, as despite our differing symptoms we often face many of the same dilemmas and challenges simply trying to make our way through life.

If you are suffering from chronic illness and are not new to the disease you most likely have tried both conventional and alternative treatments. From my personal experience, practitioners from various methodologies who are overzealous in promising relief or cures have generally been less effective than those who set forth honest expectations from the beginning. I will be honest with you now as I will in therapy, psychotherapy will not cure your disease. I cannot assure you that your condition will improve but we can explore what could be helpful. Whether it is stress reduction, a mindfulness approach to dealing with pain or discomfort or changing the way you look and connect with your disease or condition. Helping others that suffer from such conditions is a privilege and a passion and I look forward to seeing if we would be a good match.

Since this is a specialty area of mine I often see patients outside of my immediate area via internet-based psychotherapy so please do not let distance be a determining factor.

Please see FAQ for fees and insurance information.