Living well with long-term conditions

I have a specialist interest in working with individuals with long-term health conditions and disabilities, including neurological conditions. Changes in our physical health can have a wide-ranging impact on how we feel emotionally, our sense of identity and also our relationships with those closest to us. How we feel emotionally can also impact on our physical symptoms, sometimes making them harder to cope with. I have worked in physical and mental healthcare, both in the NHS and charity sector, for 10 years and this has given me the opportunity to develop skills in working with individuals with a wide range of needs.

Some areas people have approached me for include:

  • Adjusting to life after a diagnosis or change in health and facing the future

  • Coping with changes in independence and loss

  • Regaining confidence and considering priorities

  • Learning to adhere to new treatment regimens and accepting help

  • Moving on from difficult experiences

  • Managing the impact of pain, fatigue and other distressing symptoms on your life

  • Coping with anxieties and fears about your health

  • Managing the changes in a relationship when one person becomes unwell, and also managing the demands of caring for a loved one

  • Coping with changes in memory and concentration

  • Managing changes in body-image and sexuality

  • Coping with “invisible disability”, stigma and others’ judgement

  • Considering ways of disclosing and explaining health status to others

  • Continuing progress in rehabilitation after formal support services have withdrawn

Considering a wide range of needs

I am able to offer therapy to individuals with concerns that relate to living with or caring for someone with a range of conditions, including:

  • Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) and other forms of acquired brain injury

  • Multiple Sclerosis (MS)

  • Parkinson’s Disease

  • Stroke

  • Fibromyalgia

  • Chronic Pain

  • Non-epileptic Attacks/Dissociative Seizures

  • Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (ME/CFS)

  • HIV

  • Motor Neurone Disease

  • Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)

  • Tremor and movement disorders

  • Functional neurological symptoms

  • Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome

Access

I strive to make my work accessible and am able to offer telephone and online sessions as well as adapting content to differing communication, cognitive and sensory needs as necessary.

The clinic space I use in Stratford is wheelchair accessible with blue badge parking, level access, accessible toilets and a lift. Please get in touch to discuss your own needs and how I can best accommodate them.