Chronic Pain and Chronic Illness Support Group For Women

You've Been Showing Up For Everyone Else, Now It's Time To Show Up For Yourself.

You are incredibly successful and achieve almost anything you put your mind to. But lately, you are feeling overwhelmed and exhausted trying to juggle work, your personal life, and managing chronic pain or a chronic illness. You want to keep achieving but feel like your body is failing you and you don't know how to balance it all. You're trying to accept that your life may look different than you planned and it's hard to come to terms with.

You need a place to go to for support.

Even though you are not feeling 100% you are still showing up for your family, friends, and all the other commitments that come with being an adult woman. You're even fostering relationships and navigating the ups and downs of intimate partnerships. But even with all this, your health is slipping and you're in pain. No one sees how hard you work to get out of bed and dressed, survive the day, and come home to do it all over again. You feel like you have no one who can relate to what you're going through. You need a place where you go for support and show up for yourself, not anyone else.

What are Chronic Pain and Chronic Illness?

Chronic pain and chronic illness is a long-term and often invisible and/or debilitating illness or pain that affects your day-to-day life along with your ability to work,  your quality of life, relationships, and mental health. It can be very difficult to face this barrier each day but often individuals persevere. They look for coping skills and emotional support so that they can keep fighting, working, and living a meaningful life.

Some examples of chronic illness diagnoses we commonly work with at Women’s CBT:

• Endometriosis

• Adenomyosis

• POTS (Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome)

• Lupus

• Fibromyalgia

• Ehlers Danlos/Hypermobility Spectrum Disorder

• Chronic Pelvic Pain

• Pelvic Floor Dysfunction

• Breast and Cervical Cancer

• Multiple Sclerosis

• Infertility

• Pregnancy Loss

• Crohn's/IBS

Why Might Women Seek Chronic Pain and Chronic Illness Therapy & Support Groups?

Women navigating a chronic illness or pain can be feeling overwhelmed and frustrated with their bodies and disappointed that they are having to navigate pain or illness on a daily basis. They might be trying to figure out how to accept that their life may look different for the immediate future than they planned. This experience can be isolating as they may not know others who are going through a similar experience or have the same diagnosis.

Other reasons women might join may include:

• Wanting to connect with other women on their own journey

• Helping them stay motivated

• Having a safe space to talk openly about their feelings

• Developing tools to cope with the emotional effects of having a chronic illness or pain

• Feeling validated and seen in their struggles

• Learning how to best advocate for themselves with their healthcare providers

• Receiving helpful information from a mental health professional on how to manage the emotional effects of chronic illness and pain

• Gaining insight and strategies for managing their illness or pain

• Sharing experiences to learn from one another

I Understand, and I'm Here For You

I niched in women's health simply because after countless years of struggling to find a correct diagnosis, surgeries, and treatments, I understand firsthand the impact of women's health issues on mental health. I empathize with the toll it takes on your body and every important relationship. I have worked with many women who are navigating chronic pain and/or a chronic illness.

I have seen the power of being able to talk openly with other women who understand what they are going through.

Before attending the Chronic Pain and Chronic Illness Therapy & Support group, the women were feeling as if they were all alone in their fight. They felt that no one truly understood what it was like to live with this illness or pain, and did not know where to turn for help. Joining this group provided them with the opportunity to give and receive support from those that fully understood, and to connect with other women who were on similar journeys. They felt supported, understood, and validated in their experiences.

THERAPY GROUP FOR WOMEN IN 20’S AND 30’S WITH CHRONIC ILLNESS

In this group, Kelsey will be the therapist guiding this online 8 week psychoeducational support and therapy group for women in their 20’s and 30’s. Not only will you gain support and understanding from other women in your phase of life who just “get it”, but you will also gain realistic tools to increase your coping skills toolbox. Therapeutic techniques are rooted in trauma informed CBT, DBT and ACT. The goal of this group is to help you manage the mental impact of your chronic illness or pain and to feel supported, understood, and validated in your experiences. You deserve to show up for yourself and keep achieving your goals.

We will meet online on Tuesday evenings from 6:00 PM-7:15 PM in 8 week cycles.

THERAPY GROUP FOR TEEN GIRLS LIVING WITH CHRONIC ILLNESS

In this group, Kelsey will be the therapist guiding this online 8 week psychoeducational support and therapy group for teen girls aged 13-17 years old. You will gain support and understanding from other teens who get what you are going through and understand the complexity of trying to balance high school, grades sports and friends with a health challenge. You will also gain realistic tools to increase your coping skills toolbox and therapeutic techniques rooted in trauma informed CBT, DBT and ACT. The goal of this group is to help you manage the emotional impact of your chronic illness and to feel understood with more hope.

We will meet online on Wednesday evenings from 6:00 PM-7:15 PM in 8 week cycles.

My Approach to the Chronic Pain and Chronic Illness Therapy & Support Group

In the Chronic Pain and Chronic Illness Therapy & Support Group for Women, alongside psychoeducation, I will be using CBT and ACT approaches. These approaches are grounded in the idea that how we think and how we act influences how we feel. We will be exploring different ways to interact with our thoughts, feelings, and experiences to better manage our chronic pain or illness.

COGNITIVE BEHAVIORAL THERAPY

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is a trauma-informed approach where I will validate the medical trauma you have experienced. When trauma has been experienced, you may have thought patterns that keep you stuck. They are not irrational but not helpful to your movement forward. We will discuss different ways of thinking so you can start moving through your grief, loss, and trauma so that you can move forward in your day-to-day life. We incorporate third wave CBT techniques, including dialectical thinking and distress tolerance techniques from Dialectical Behavior Therapy.

ACCEPTANCE AND COMMITMENT THERAPY

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) is a mindfulness-based approach where we will practice mindfulness and self-compassion exercises. In our group sessions, we will talk about different ways to be present with our emotions without judgment. No emotions are good or bad, they are just present. All emotions are valid and we can observe them.

We will also talk about what acceptance really is, and that it does not mean that you are giving up on your medical treatment or that you are “ok” with your illness. Because of this, we can talk about the reality gap between what we have and what we want and honor the joy and meaning that can still be found around that gap.