Counselling for Living with Chronic Illness and Disability

Living with chronic illness or disability can affect every part of your life. Alongside physical symptoms, many people experience grief, uncertainty, frustration, anxiety, changes in identity, difficulties at work, or challenges within relationships. You may find yourself mourning the life you expected, navigating an uncertain future, adapting to changes in your abilities, or feeling misunderstood by those around you.

You do not have to face these challenges alone.

At Wellstone Therapy, I offer a warm, compassionate and confidential space where you can explore the emotional impact of living with a long term health condition or changes in your health. Together, we can make sense of what you are experiencing, develop ways of coping with life’s challenges, and work towards living a meaningful life alongside illness.

You deserve to be taken seriously

Many people living with chronic illness or disability have experienced having their symptoms, needs or limitations dismissed, minimised, or misunderstood. Some have been told that their experiences are “just stress”, “just anxiety”, or “all in your head”. Others have experienced medical gaslighting, leaving them feeling unheard, unsupported, or questioning their own reality.

Therapy should be different.

I will take your experiences seriously. You will not be judged, dismissed or expected to defend what you are living with. Instead, I offer a compassionate, respectful space where your experiences are listened to, believed and explored with curiosity. Together, we can make sense of the impact these experiences have had on your life in a way that feels right for you.

How counselling can help

Living with a long term health condition or changes in your abilities can bring challenges that extend far beyond physical symptoms. Therapy offers a space to process these experiences and develop ways of navigating them with greater clarity and self compassion.

Together, we may explore:

• Adjusting to a diagnosis, changes in health, or changes in your abilities

• Grief and loss

• Changes in identity and self confidence

• Anxiety, low mood and uncertainty

• Relationships with partners, family and friends

• Work, education and financial pressures

• Managing boundaries, expectations and guilt

• Medical trauma and the impact of feeling unheard

• Finding meaning, hope and ways to move forward

Therapy is a space to acknowledge the challenges you are facing while exploring ways to adapt, find balance, and continue to build a life that feels meaningful to you.

Alongside exploring the emotional impact of long term health conditions, we can also think together about the practical aspects of living well. This might include pacing, reasonable adjustments at work or home, assistive aids, communicating your needs, adapting to changing circumstances, or finding ways to conserve your energy and make everyday life more manageable.

While these decisions are often made in collaboration with medical, occupational or workplace professionals, you do not have to navigate them alone. Therapy can provide a supportive space to think them through, explore what feels right for you, and build confidence in advocating for your needs and accessing the support available to you.

Professional understanding, informed by lived experience

Alongside my professional training as a counsellor, I also have lived experience of chronic illness and disability.

Although every person and every situation is different, I am able to bring an understanding of many of the realities that can accompany long term health conditions: uncertainty, changing abilities, adapting expectations, navigating healthcare, and the emotional impact these experiences can have.

Whether you are newly diagnosed, have been living with a health condition for many years, or are still searching for answers, my aim is to provide a therapeutic relationship where you feel genuinely heard, understood and accepted.

Who I work with

I welcome clients living with Long COVID, ME/CFS, fibromyalgia, POTS, Ehlers Danlos syndrome (EDS), autoimmune conditions, chronic pain, neurological conditions, gastrointestinal conditions, MCAS and other long term health conditions or disabilities.

I also work with partners, family members and carers who are affected by a loved one’s illness or disability.

Accessible therapy

I offer in person counselling in Totnes and online appointments across the UK.

Online appointments can provide a more accessible option for people who may find travelling, leaving home, or accessing physical spaces difficult. They also allow you to attend therapy from the comfort and familiarity of your own space.

If you usually attend in person but are experiencing a flare up or feel too unwell to travel, I am happy to switch your session to an online appointment whenever possible so you do not miss the support you need.

Taking the first step

Reaching out for support can feel daunting, particularly when you may already have spent a lot of time explaining your experiences to others.

If you would like to find out whether counselling with me feels like the right fit, I offer a free 15 minute telephone or video consultation. This gives us an opportunity to briefly discuss what brings you to therapy, answer any questions you may have, and consider whether I may be able to support you.