Chronic Illness Therapy in Seattle
Has Aging Or Illness Turned Your Life Upside Down?
Whether you’ve recently received a devastating diagnosis or have been living with disruptive symptoms for a while, it may feel like the rug has been swept up from beneath you. Between the acute anxiety, grief, and confusion you feel, you may find it impossible to relax or enjoy life anymore. Feeling uncertain and overwhelmed, you’re not quite sure which step to take next.
Aside from significant impacts on your life as an individual, aging and illness have a way of impacting relationships. You may be withdrawing or pushing others away because it’s hard to deal with your own emotions right now—let alone how others are feeling. Or maybe you’re concerned about being a burden on those around you since you already rely on them so much for support.
Alternatively, you may be the caregiver of someone who’s aging, sick, or dying. Perhaps you’re having a hard time reconciling your emotions or feeling overwhelmed with responsibility. So heavily focused on your loved one’s wellbeing, you may feel unsure about where to turn for help or guilty about asking for it.
No matter what emotions you bring to therapy, I am with you in this space. As a therapist specializing in counseling for patients with cancer and other terminal or chronic illnesses, I understand the pain, anxiety, and grief that you may be feeling as a result of your diagnosis. Working together, we can figure out what you want life with illness to look like and how to get there.
The Impact Of Illness Is Not Just Physical
Illness takes many forms and impacts those living with it in different ways. Symptoms often vary, and their effects can be physical, emotional, mental, or relational. While everyone’s response to a difficult diagnosis is deeply personal and unique to them, feelings of shock, disbelief, and fear are both common and valid.
Yet, these circumstances—more than other common stressors—have a way of pushing our coping skills to their limits. Medical interventions are only one aspect of treatment, and additional emotional support is often needed to nurture recovery and healing. Of course, friends and family play essential roles in offering support, but sometimes patients and caregivers need a safe space to explore, question, and be fully honest without fear of judgment or of letting others down.
Therapy offers you a chance to pause and quiet the noise of life. Whether you’re in search of coping strategies to manage daily stress or doing the deeper work of finding peace and meaning in your situation, I want to help you heal emotional wounds.
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Resilient Journeys Therapy Specializes In Support For Patients With Chronic Or Terminal Illness
While I offer my services to patients and caregivers from all backgrounds, I maintain a specialization in adults (40+) with chronic and terminal diagnoses like:
Cancer
Immunological conditions such as MS, Parkinson’s, ALS, etc.
Memory loss and dementia
General aging-related concerns
Anxiety and grief
I also offer counseling to caregivers, partners, and other family members of those with these conditions.
What To Expect
This process centers around your goals. As we explore your chronic illness diagnosis and symptoms in therapy, I will individualize the experience in a way that honors your strengths, values, and existing skills.
I use a variety of counseling approaches to help align your physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual health, including behavioral therapies and solution-focused techniques. I also rely on Narrative Therapy to offer you a sense of ownership and control as you learn to tell the story of your chronic illness, diagnosis, and symptoms in an empowering way.
The main tool I use in therapy, however, is the therapist-client relationship itself. For decades, I have been counseling client populations in the thick of chronic illness, aging, and grief; I have seen firsthand the effect that a life-altering diagnosis like cancer or MS can have on a person and their communities. I know that my clients are looking for a safe space where they can be treated not just as patients, but as the experts on their own lives.
In my years of experience, I have observed that people can cope with just about anything once they have the right support. Together in therapy, we can navigate your chronic or terminal illness, finding hope even among the most difficult changes and challenges.
Common Concerns About Chronic Illness Therapy
Talking about my chronic illness diagnosis with a therapist will just make my symptoms worse.
While I understand that you may be feeling emotionally and physically exhausted, the therapy experience is designed to make living with chronic or terminal illness more manageable for you. A solid connection with an experienced, empathic therapist who is there for you—and just you—can make all the difference in your outlook, relationships, and daily experience.
Your fears are welcome in the counseling space, and I will address any concerns you have about therapy as we begin our work together.
I’ve had bad experiences with other providers in the past and I don’t know that I can trust that a therapist will help.
A lot of the clients I work with in therapy have suddenly found themselves swept up in a sterile, unfeeling medical system that often doesn’t take their emotional wellbeing into account. If you’ve had negative experiences with clinicians—including other therapists—in the past, I can understand why you’d be hesitant about counseling.
I take a highly relational approach as a therapist, always centering the process around each client’s unique goals and experiences. Because I have extensive experience counseling caregivers and clients who’ve received a cancer or other life-threatening diagnosis, I have focused insight into the grief, anxiety, and existential despair this population often faces.
My goal is to create a space where you feel heard and supported. To ensure that we’re a good match, I offer a free consultation so you can ask questions and see if my approach is right for you.
I’m concerned our sessions won’t be confidential.
This is your personal time, which guarantees your right to privacy and confidentiality. There are very few safety-related circumstances in which I’d be mandated to disclose what you share in therapy, but I will go over those with you at the start of our sessions and would never disclose without your express permission.
I know this process only works if I have your trust, and I will do whatever I can to make the therapeutic experience as comfortable as possible for you.
Therapy Is Where Your Mind Meets Your Body
If you’ve received a diagnosis of a chronic or terminal illness—including cancer, MS, Parkinson’s, ALS, or memory loss—or if you’re caring for someone who has one of these diagnoses, counseling through Resilient Journeys Therapy may be the key to your healing.