Clinical Focus
Chronic Constellation and Chronic Illness
Chronic Illness Living and Diagnosis
The minutes, hours, days, weeks, and months after a new diagnosis can be overwhelming, challenging, devastating, or traumatic.
Many of the people I see have been misdiagnosed, told that their pain and illnesses were in their heads, and been invalidated by the people around them including providers. We'll address medical trauma, as needed, with compassion.
Grief and loss are a normal part of this process for most of us. Reconnecting to our values and what is most important in our lives is also normal for many of us!
We'll balance the emotional and physical pain and the opportunities to join with your self, loved ones, and community as we process your changing reality from a bio-psycho-social-spiritual base.
Stress, Anxiety, and Panic
Stress is a spoon stealer.
Often the first thing we hear after being diagnosed with a chronic illness is to manage stress, and we don't live in a society that has opted for teaching that skill set. We'll identify where you can let go of stressors, how to cope ahead, and where to build in self soothing.
Anxiety and chronic illnesses often go hand in hand whether through biological, chemical, or mental health changes. Together we'll work to find what you can change in your life and environment to reduce anxiety as well as build strategies to manage when it shows up.
Neurodivergence
ASD, AD(H)D, MS, (C)PTSD, ect.
Living in a neurotypical world when we aren't in neurotypical brains is hard. Whether you're questioning neurodivergence or have a diagnosis we'll work together to identify meltdown and shutdown triggers, find new ways of self soothing and navigating the sensory world we have greater access to.
We may work through understanding, unmasking, rejection sensitive dysphoria, and ways to be understood by and safe with the NT folks around us.
We may also work together to map out concentration and focus plans allowing you to give your spoons to what is important to you at work, home, and in special interests.
Folks with chronic fatigue and autoimmune conditions also find this work useful!
Body Trust and Chronic Pain
Body trust is a challenge for many, particularly if you've been told directly or implicitly that your body isn't right. We'll join together from a HAES and health at every ability lens to create the trust and self compassion you deserve as a person with a body.
Chronic pain has wide reaching impacts when left to it's own devices. We will build a new relationship to pain so that its presence isn't everything. We'll find opportunities for you to engage in the important activities in your life while honoring your bodies needs whether they be to have more rest or movement.
Outside the Chronic Constellation I have experience working with Chronic Fatigue/ME, Long Covid, Fibromyalgia, and other chronic conditions, if you are concerned about fit please message Keene Counsel, I'll do the research so you don't have to be the educator.
LGBTQ+ and Late(r) Blooming
Coming out is never easy, even, and at times especially to ourselves. For later blooming folks this can be a lonely and scary process, one that may start as isolating before accessing new connections and community or finding inner rest with your identity. Many people experience confusion, grief, fear, traumatic responses, difficulty with emotion regulation, self doubt, interpersonal conflict and divorce along the self acceptance journey. Other's may opt to stay in a heteronormative relationship while exploring sexually through ethical non monogamy. Other's still may never wish to act in line with their identity and are satisfied in knowing themself in a deeper way. Wherever you are and wish to move towards you are not and do not need to walk this path alone.
Therapy for you may involve processing and exploration, trauma work, sex therapy, and narrative work as you make sense of a life story that is changing rapidly (at least on your insides). Treatment does not come with expectations, the goals and direction are yours.
Trauma and Substance Use
Trauma can start with a single moment or accumulate over time. Trauma can become a lens for all of life. We'll work to understand how your nervous system is trying to keep you safe now and learn the skills needed to help soothe it. We'll process how trauma and is showing up, impacting your relationship with yourself, others, and the world around you while honoring your past. I have particular experience with sexual trauma, lowercase and capital 'T' isms trauma, and adverse childhood experiences.
Substance use may have become a false refuge for managing trauma, we will work together to create harmony in your recovery. Substance use impacts many of us, and can become the false refuge we seek to manage painful memories, sensations, thoughts, and emotions. We'll work together to redefine your relationship to whichever substance(s) that are causing dissonance in your life. I work from a harm reduction perspective, if sobriety is your goal we will work towards it, if managed use is your goal we'll work towards that. I speak several recovery languages and am not a proponent of any one type of community support, it's important to find what works and speaks to you which may mean no formalized community support at all or diving into the middle of a group.
Couples and Intimate Partnerships
Relationships can be the most meaningful aspect of our lives, and they can be one of the hardest. When neurotypes, health, or abilities differ we can be in greater need for another brain in the room to find common ground, ensure all voices are heard, and needs are being met. I work with couples from an attachment, strengths, and emotion focused perspective, we will develop plans and map out how to move together toward your share goals.
We may also explore sex impacted by trauma, chronic conditions, pain, and mental health. I bring a sex, body, and kink positive approach to sex therapy work. ENM, and poly individuals and couples welcome!