Special Focus
Health, Chronic Illness and Caregiving
Medical science seems to be catching up with knowledge that psychotherapists and other
mind-body practitioners have held for years: our minds and bodies are not separate
entities.
Stress, anxiety and depression have an enormous impact on our physical health. The
quality of our closest relationships can make the difference in whether a health problem
can be managed well or not. Conversely, when you or a loved one or suffers from a
life-changing illness, your entire family is affected.
Caregiving presents a special set of challenges. Caregivers of spouses or parents are often
likely to neglect their own well-being as they struggle to meet the multiple demands of
their busy lives, all the while coping with illness or disability in someone they love. I
have worked for over 20 years helping individuals and families to meet the challenges
presented by life-changing health problems. In therapy, I will help
you:
- Improve communication with family members, so that you can better support each
other.
- Sort out complicated feelings that arise in the caregiving relationship, such as love,
guilt and anger;
- Look at how you can change old patterns of responding to stress and find new ways that
will support health and well-being.
