Chronic Pain or Illness

Throughout my career I have developed & helped launch several Chronic Pain Programs. Emotions cause physiological changes in the body that amplify the pain signals going from your low back to your brain, where the experience of pain takes place. Some effective mind-body treatments I use are Biofeedback & Brain Training Skills. Also, therapy helps to people cope with family & friends reaction to your chronic pain.

During graduate school I spent a year working on a chronic pain unit of a hospital. I became acutely aware of what it is like to navigate through an ableist world with a disability. I help clients grieve the loss of ability with compassion and make peace as they adjust to their new reality.

I am a Chronic Pain/Illness/Fatigue informed therapist. I personally have these conditions myself and understand firsthand the frustration of having to cancel/reschedule events and the accompanying feelings of shame. It’s so alienating everyday activities takes more energy for us than others, as described by the spoon theory, and we are disappointed with ourselves for not being able to complete something important to us, especially as pertains to our family. Coping strategies may earn spoons.

I have extensive personal and professional experience with chronic pain/illness and have deep regard for the experiencers and caregivers dealing with the challenges that accompany.

At least 10% of people with mild acute Covid infection are now thought to fail to make a full recovery from their symptoms and return to their pre-existing level of functioning. Long haulers as they have been colloquially named by the peer community in the US refer to the multi symptom, multi system post viral syndrome. As a former long hauler myself, now mostly recovered, I am working with those who have not in my practice.

Did you know that research shows therapy for chronic pain is as effective as painkillers? You can have much more influence over your pain than you'd imagine and you can get back to living a full life. Like pain medications, therapy works on the physical body but it also addresses two areas that medications don't. Whether you are dealing with chronic pain or chronic illness, you and I will work together to find solutions so you can focus on living a vibrant, satisfying life.

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

EMDR and CBT provide greater psychological flexibility in the presence of thoughts, feelings, and behaviors associated with pain. Using functional medicine, we explore how and why illness occurs & balance health by addressing the root causes of a disease. It helps us see the common pathways to disease (e.g., inflammation) the role of diet, stress, & physical activity; sciences of genes and metabolic processes; & the effects of environmental toxins on health and recovery.

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 am here to validate that your pain is real, and I can help you learn about the incredible mind-body connection. Whether you're experiencing anxiety or depression from chronic pelvic/sexual pain, trauma, or other life stressors, I'm here to help normalize your experiences and provide evidence based strategies to help you achieve your goals.

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 worked in medical and geriatric social work for over five years. In these practice settings, I gained familiarity with the psychosocial impact of chronic illness, chronic pain, and adjustment to changes in ability. I am familiar with many medical conditions, including cancer, POTS, macular degeneration and other forms of low vision, renal disease and organ transplant, and Alzheimer's and other dementias.

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 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.

Hi, I’m Dr. Catalina. I believe our sexual wellbeing is central to overall health. As a clinical health psychologist for the past 20 years, I’ve worked with individuals affected by the big guns – cancer, death and dying. Through this work, I witnessed that True Authentic Connection is what makes life worth living. Health impacts how we see ourselves and how we connect with others. I address sexual and relationship concerns for individuals and couples impacted by chronic illness

Living with illness, disability, and/or chronic pain can leave you feeling isolated as you navigate changing relationships, medical care, stretched finances, grief for what's been lost, fear about the future, experiences of invisibility/hypervisibility, and anger about how you've been treated. I work from a Disability Justice model, grappling with the ways in which our world often fails to provide accommodation and access, and how our lives become shaped by that lack of care and recognition.

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.

Living with illness, disability, and/or chronic pain can leave you feeling isolated as you navigate changing relationships, medical care, stretched finances, grief for what's been lost, fear about the future, experiences of invisibility/hypervisibility, and anger about how you've been treated. I work from a Disability Justice model, grappling with the ways in which our world often fails to provide accommodation and access, and how our lives become shaped by that lack of care and recognition.

My primary focus is working with the too often over-looked Familial Caregivers of someone with a chronic illness. I have both professionsal and personal experience working with caregivers. I served as the Clinical Director of Supervision at the Parkinson's Association of San Diego, and I witnessed first hand the incredible stress, overwhelm, and exhaustion of the family caregivers who cared for my grandfather who had Parkinson's and my eldest sister who had aggressive ALS.

Living with illness, disability, and/or chronic pain can leave you feeling isolated as you navigate changing relationships, medical care, stretched finances, grief for what's been lost, fear about the future, experiences of invisibility/hypervisibility, and anger about how you've been treated. I work from a Disability Justice model, grappling with the ways in which our world often fails to provide accommodation and access, and how our lives become shaped by that lack of care and recognition.