Counselling for Chronic Illness
Could Counselling Help You?
- Have you been diagnosed with a chronic health condition and struggling with the impact this is having on you and your family?
- Are you struggling to find a 'new normal'?
- Has your chronic health condition impacted on your relationship(s)?
I CAN HELP.
If you have been diagnosed with a chronic illness then I can help you in two different ways
- Coming to terms with your diagnosis and the life you feel you have lost by supporting you into creating what I like to a call a 'new normal’ life
- Supporting you and your partner as a couple and the impact the diagnosis has had on your relationship.
Why do I feel equipped to do this?
Well, I have a chronic illness myself, Fibromyalgia, and therefore I feel that I have deep understanding of how a chronic illness can affect people as individuals and also on the relationships they have.
If you are struggling with a chronic illness then you will probably agree that in addition to experiencing physical effects, a chronic illness can have a huge impact on your emotional and psychological health and well-being. It did for me and I know I'm not alone.
Individual Counselling for Chronic Health.
I believe that although counselling cannot take away or cure your illness it can really teach you how to accept it and work with it rather than against it. You CAN work towards creating a life with the chronic illness in it and I would love to be part of that journey with you.
Struggling with a chronic illness is a very personal experience, as each individual will perceive and experience their illness differently.
It therefore follows that how it is managed is also a personal process and this is where I can help.
- I provide a place where you can really focus on yourself and understand the impact your chronic illness has had on you and your life;
- I will work with you to explore your personal experiences of your chronic illness and the emotions and feelings that come with it;
- Diagnosis of a chronic illness can often result in experiencing feelings of loss and grief, much like if a loved one has died. I will provide an environment where you feel comfortable and safe enough to focus on this sense of loss and work with you to look at this and feel more at peace with it;
- I provide a place where you can begin to develop a new sense of identity and build your self-esteem and self-worth which can often become lost when diagnosed with a chronic illness;
- I provide a place where you can begin to gain a sense of control and move towards a more positive and happy life;
- I understand how isolating and lonely having a chronic illness can be - loss of different relationships, fear of judgement, experience of judgement from others.
There may be events or issues from your past that now impact upon your ability to live with a chronic illness or may have been the direct cause of your diagnosis. I can work you through these issues to try to lessen the impact they have on living with your chronic illness.
Whether you are newly diagnosed or you have lived with your illness for a long time, counselling can help you to explore your feelings, emotions, behaviour, coping strategies and many other factors that affect your well-being as a result of being chronically ill.
Family members and friends.
Chronic illness can also impact on the family members, friends and loved ones of those who have been diagnosed. If this is you then you may be experiencing worry, stress, anxiety, depression, guilt or other feelings that you don't feel able to communicate to the person, perhaps for fear of adding to the burden that they are already experiencing or upsetting them. Counselling can help you to explore your feelings and the impact the diagnosis is having on you too.
Couples Counselling and Chronic Health
Chronic illness can have a significant impact on couples such as: -
- Managing the daily challenges the chronic illness can have on the household
- Not seeing any way forward to a 'new normal' where the couple can appreciate the positive aspects of life and their relationship
- Adapting to the constant changes that a chronic illness can bring into the relationship
- Impact on the couple's sex life and physical intimacy
- The loss and grief the chronic illness has brought unwelcomed to the relationship
- The change of roles within a relationship that a chronic illness can bring
- The financial impact of a chronic illness on the relationship and household
- Impact on the couple's social life and social relationships.
I can help couples explore this in a safe, non-judgemental and empathic environment whereby both party's can feel free to explore the impact the health condition has had on them and subsequently their relationship.
Get in touch now for a low-cost, no obligation initial consultation session.
