“You don’t have to prove your pain for it to be real.”
Anonymous
Living with chronic illness or chronic pain can affect every part of life — physically, emotionally and relationally. Many people seek therapy or counselling for chronic pain when the emotional impact of illness becomes overwhelming.
Conditions such as endometriosis or chronic pelvic pain often involve long journeys to diagnosis. Many people look for endometriosis counselling or therapy for chronic illness after years of symptoms, treatment and uncertainty. They are lifelong, invisible illnesses, so those around you often don’t appreciate the extent of your pain and suffering. Often, there can be a perception that surgery or a particular drug will be a cure, leading to confusion when you are still in pain afterwards.
What’s more, long term conditions bring uncertainty about the future alongside the ongoing impact of pain and illness on everyday life.
You may find that as well as the physical symptoms you experience:
- Fatigue, exhaustion and frustration
- Grief, anger and sorrow about changes to your life and identity
- Worries / fears about your health or fertility
- Strain on relationships or intimacy
- Feeling misunderstood, dismissed or invisible
- Concern about your career due to absence or ‘presenteeism’
- Anxiety or depression linked to chronic pain, illness or difficult medical experiences
My approach
I have a special interest in, and lived experience of, chronic illness, pain and endometriosis.
My approach is humanistic and relational.
This means that I’m interested in you as a person. If you come to me with diagnosis of an illness such as endometriosis, I’m not interested in a generic list of symptoms; I’m interested in how you experience those symptoms and how they impact you, your life and your relationships.
I realise this can be difficult to talk about, especially if you have spent a lifetime being told there’s nothing wrong or having your symptoms minimised. You may even spend most of your time pretending nothing’s wrong, until you’re alone. I will support you, providing a compassionate space where you can explore your experience of living with pain or illness and what it means for your life.
Together we might look at how:
- your illness affects your relationship with your body
- uncertainty and loss has impacted you
- it affects your relationships, social life and work
How counselling can help with chronic pain and endometriosis
Therapy can support people living with chronic pain or long-term conditions in many ways. Counselling for endometriosis or chronic illness may help you:
- process the emotional impact of diagnosis and treatment (or lack of it)
- cope with the uncertainty of flare-ups or symptoms
- rebuild trust in your body
- navigate medical systems and advocate for yourself
- explore how illness affects identity, work and relationships
- find ways to live meaningfully alongside chronic pain and illness
Counselling Alongside Medical Investigation and Treatment
Counselling aims to alleviate the psychological impact and distress from chronic pain and illness. This means it complements your existing medical care. While you may wish to discuss your treatment with me, counselling will serve as a place to explore your feelings about them, not as a replacement for medical advice.
It can help you to live with the uncertainty of illness. I’ll aim to support you as you navigate sudden flare ups or changes in your symptoms/prognosis. Counselling will provide you with a space where you can explore all your hopes and fears – big and small.
By talking about your medical experiences with someone who supports and believes you, counselling can empower you. In time, you will be able to make sense of what has happened, find a way to grieve and find ways to move forward in a way that works for you and your illness.
Practical details
Sessions are available:
- in Tunbridge Wells
- online across the UK
Sessions last 50 minutes and I offer a free introductory call.
The investment for the first session is £35 with following sessions £70 each. Sessions can be paid for in advance by bank transfer or in cash on the day (in person sessions only).
Arrange an introductory call
If you are living with a chronic condition such as endometriosis or persistent pain, you are welcome to arrange a free introductory call to see whether counselling might feel helpful for you.
Frequently Asked Questions: Therapy for chronic pain and illness
Therapy cannot remove physical pain, but it can help people cope with the emotional and psychological impact of living with chronic illness.
Yes. I support people living with endometriosis and chronic pelvic pain who want space to explore the emotional impact of their condition.
Yes. I can provide counselling to anyone living with a chronic illness, condition and pain.
I offer chronic pain and endometriosis counselling in Tunbridge Wells and online therapy for clients across the UK.