The part of illness no one schedules an appointment for
Your specialists manage the labs, the medications, and the scans. Nobody in that system is really asking how you’re doing with the fact that your life changed. That you’re forty and planning around fatigue. That you can’t trust your body. That your friends stopped inviting you because you cancelled too many times. That your stomach drops every time your phone shows the clinic’s number.
Living with a chronic condition is a psychological event as much as a medical one. This is where that part gets taken seriously.
What we work on
- Grieving what changed. The abilities, the plans, the identity, the ease. Naming those losses honestly is often what makes it possible to move forward.
- Medical anxiety. The dread before appointments, the spiral after a new symptom, the exhaustion of being on alert. There’s a dedicated page on health anxiety therapy in Houston if that’s the main thing.
- Identity beyond the diagnosis. You are more than a patient. We look at who you are, and who you want to be, with the illness as part of the picture instead of the whole of it.
- Relationships and asking for help. Illness strains marriages, friendships, and family roles. We work on communication, boundaries, and letting people show up.
- Treatment decisions and speaking up in a system that can make you feel small.
- The daily grind: pacing, fatigue, pain flares, and the frustration that comes with all of it.
Built for a body that doesn’t cooperate
I’ve set this practice up for people whose energy is unpredictable. Sessions are online, so a bad day doesn’t mean a cancelled appointment. We can meet weekly or biweekly and adjust around treatment. If you need to lie down during a session, that’s fine.
With your permission, I’ll also coordinate with your medical team when it helps. You shouldn’t have to be the messenger between everyone treating you.
For caregivers
If you’re the one caring for someone with a chronic illness, this is for you too. Caregiver burnout, anticipatory grief, and the guilt of needing a break are real, and the people around you may not see how heavy it is. Read more on the therapy for Houston caregivers page.
Book an online chronic illness counseling session, or contact Laura with a question. We go at whatever pace your body allows. Costs are on the insurance and fees page.