Chronic Pain or Illness

Chronic illness and pain are often invisible to those about us, causing us to suffer in isolation. Those who are aware often don't understand, and aren't curious to learn. Wild Foxgloves understands and sees your suffering, and is also open to learning from you. We also invite you to into the story that your body tells. In the Western Hemisphere we think of the body and mind as separate, but research tells another story.

Not unlike my education regarding LGBTQ issues, my family life brought me to understand the challenges of chronic pain and illness. I would have much rather learned this through formal education, readings or seminars, but unfortunately I was enrolled in the school of hard knocks. While I don't want to share too much detail online, I'm particularly focused and supportive of the challenges of "long haulers" or long-COVID/PASC, cancer and autoimmune disorders.

I work with people who are chronically ill or have pain and disability. I work from a grief model to help you grieve the "should be" in your life. I can understand that it is incredibly lonely and sad to have to grieve yourself. I am chronically ill myself and understand the ups and down's that you experience. I use EMDR to process the trauma of being chronically ill and navigate the medical and mental health system that is not set up to support success.

Living with chronic pain and or illness can create stress on all levels of our being. I am here to help you on all levels with pain, diagnosis, chronic pain, and illness. In addition to multiple supportive modalities, I am able to provide mind/body/emotion/spirit support via hypnotherapy and doula services when necessary

I provide compassionate support for managing & coping with health challenges, focusing on inflammatory bowel disease. With experience in addressing the emotional aspects of chronic conditions, I use evidence-based techniques to offer relief, enhance coping skills, and improve your overall quality of life. Whether you're facing chronic pain, autoimmune disorders, or other long-term health issues, I collaborate with you to develop strategies for symptom management & emotional resilience.

Pain can cause you to limit social engagements, avoid meet new people and fear things that used to bring you pleasure. It can sometimes feel like a terrible game of which came first, the chicken or the egg. Stress tenses your muscles and can create a flare up of symptoms… but the our bodies naturally respond to pain with fear. When you’re living with a chronic condition finding a way with pain that allows you to live a meaningful and full life is a necessity.

You feel like crap all the time, and you’re not sure how much longer you can keep this up. Maybe your doctor brushed it off, or told you to lose weight. Maybe they labeled it as “anxiety” just because you have both a vagina and more than one medical problem. You’re starting to lose hope. I get it. I spent decades without diagnosis or treatment, surviving medical neglect, misdiagnosis, and gaslighting by medical professionals. I felt lost and alone, but you don’t have to. I BELIEVE YOU.

I support clients in navigating the complexities of chronic pain or illness by addressing both emotional and practical aspects, including *the stress and uncertainty* of significant medical diagnoses. This includes those disproportionately affected by COVID-19. Drawing from my own experience with unexpected health challenges, I bring a personal understanding to our work. Together, we'll collaborate on ways to better your quality of life and cope with the ongoing impacts of chronic conditions.

Since Christine Miserandino published her "Spoon Theory" essay over 20 years ago I have been interested in the challenges of navigating life with a chronic illness or disability. Over that time I have come to understand that much of what clients are expected to achieve in "successful therapy" assumes a fully health able bodied life. My goal is to help clients grow and heal while respecting an accommodating the limitations from their illness.

The mind and the body are connected in in a deep way. What happens in our bodies affect the mind and vice versa. I use my knowledge of the mind-body connection to help clients develop skills and self-compassion. My background is in medical social work and I also have lived experience of chronic illness. Together, these experiences give me knowledge of navigating health care systems from both perspectives.

I have helped hundreds of clients who are actively suffering from chronic pain, chronic illnesses, and debilitating disabilities. Coming-to-terms with your physical struggles, learning how to navigate life with them, and finding your personal strengths all are very useful ways to beat the depression and anxiety that these issues cause. Good therapy can help.

Dr. Clendaniel is a pediatric psychology who specializes in the treatment of children, adolescents and young adults with anxiety and health-related adjustment issues. She has particular expertise in pain management and treatment of chronic headache and functional gastrointestinal illness.

We offer specialized services for individuals living with a chronic medical condition or chronic pain, along with the caregivers for those individuals. We support clients through individual and group therapy, neurofeedback for pain management, and/or health coaching for holistic wellness.

Living with health challenges affects every aspect of life, from daily routines to relationships. As a health psychologist, I help you navigate the emotional and practical impacts of illness and medical conditions. We'll work together to develop coping strategies, manage healthcare stress, and maintain quality of life. Our focus includes both practical skills for symptom management and deeper exploration of how health changes affect your life story.

Fibromyalgia, Food Allergies/Anaphylaxis, Headache, Irritable Bowel Syndrome, IBD (Crohn's/Colitis), Infertility, ME/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Migraine

I also work with clients who have been diagnosed with one or more chronic illnesses. They often experience symptoms of anxiety or depression due to the toll that the illness has taken on their lives. We work together to develop a plan to decrease their anxiety and depression and to help them cope with the symptoms of their illness. We also work to help them increase their support network, and to become more willing to ask for help from others since this can often be difficult for them.

I have helped hundreds of clients who are actively suffering from chronic pain, chronic illnesses, and debilitating disabilities. Coming-to-terms with your physical struggles, learning how to navigate life with them, and finding your personal strengths all are very useful ways to beat the depression and anxiety that these issues cause. Good therapy can help.

I specialize in working with individuals living with chronic and invisible illnesses, as well as their caregivers. From both professional and personal experience, I understand the challenges faced by those with debilitating physical symptoms, chronic pain, fatigue, and the emotional distress that comes with these conditions. Many individuals experience isolation, diminished social connections, and feelings of invisibility. If this resonates with you, I am here to offer support and advocacy.