Therapy for Women with Chronic Illness and Chronic Pain in New York

Impact of Chronic Illness on Mental Health

Chronic pain is pain that persists longer than a typical healing period, which the NIH estimates from 3-6 months. Similarly, chronic illness refers to a health condition that is long-lasting, typically for at least a year according to the CDC. These statistics illustrate the need for mental health support in the midst of long-term physical pain. The mind and body both need support and a team of medical professionals to help them find stability and begin to thrive again.

At New York Women's CBT Counseling, we understand the unique challenges that chronic illness brings to every aspect of a woman’s life. Our compassionate, expert care is tailored specifically for women managing conditions like endometriosis, Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (EDS), and other chronic health issues. Using third-wave cognitive behavioral therapy and mindfulness techniques, we offer supportive tools to help ease anxiety, reduce depression, and improve day-to-day well-being. You’re not alone—our warm, personalized approach is here to empower you to face chronic illness with strength and hope.

Woman sitting on the floor working on understanding the link between thoughts and actions with the help of Therapy for Chronic Illness in New York.

Integrative, Third Wave Approach to Cognitive Behavior Therapy for Chronic Illness

Cognitive behavior therapy, or CBT, is an evidence-based therapy that helps us recognize unhelpful thought patterns and replace them with more helpful thoughts. CBT illustrates the link between thoughts, actions, and emotions. Practicing reframing your thoughts, can create behavioral change and decrease your experience of unhelpful emotions. At New York Women’s CBT, we value an integrative approach pairing both flexible thought patterns and somatic, mindfulness tools drawn form Dialectical Behavior Therapy and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy.

Trauma-Informed Cognitive Behavior Therapy for Women’s Health

As a specialized therapists, this is our approach at our New York based therapy practice when navigating anxiety and depression in tandem with complex chronic health issues. It is important to validate the feelings and emotions you are having while also acknowledging that the unhelpful thought patterns, or stuck points, are sometimes rooted in real medical trauma and prior experiences you may have endured.

Traditional CBT uses the language of irrational thoughts vs rational thoughts. While this may apply to some thought patterns, it is usually not the approach best suited to validating medical trauma, chronic pain, and chronic illness.

Sketch of a woman reclining on a blue bean bag representing someone practicing mindfulness techniques learned in Therapy for Chronic Illness in New York.

Mindfulness Techniques for Complex Chronic Health Issues

Mindfulness techniques are helpful to learn how to calm the nervous system. When you are managing chronic pain and chronic illness daily, your nervous system becomes overstimulated and dysregulated. The pain and symptoms you are experiencing are not in your head-they are real. Incorporating mindfulness techniques is just one tool out of many to help you activate your parasympathetic nervous system.

Mindfulness techniques that are helpful to learn in therapy include grounding exercises, deep breathing exercises, guided meditations, and visualizations. These tools can help activate your parasympathetic nervous system or the rest and repair the state of the body. Learn ways to break the cycle of fight, flight, and freeze the response of the sympathetic nervous system.

Woman painting a picture of a pink flower representing healthy activities learned in Therapy for Chronic Illness in New York to combat chronic pain.

Distress Tolerance Techniques to Manage Pain Flares and Intense Feelings

Distress tolerance techniques can help provide healthy distractions when navigating big emotions or intense pain. These may look like acceptance strategies, sensory activities to help self-soothe, and mindfulness exercises to help improve the moment. Distress tolerance helps us recognize that painful feelings and emotions are temporary and we can withstand them.

Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) offers powerful tools for women living with chronic pain. By combining mindfulness, emotional regulation, and distress tolerance skills, DBT helps you better manage the overwhelming feelings that often come with ongoing pain. It teaches you how to accept your experience without letting it control your life, reduce emotional suffering, and build resilience. If chronic pain feels isolating or exhausting, DBT provides a compassionate way to regain balance and find a greater sense of peace in your day-to-day life.

Sketch of a woman happily repotting plants as a distress tolerance technique learned in Therapy for Chronic Illness in New York.

Acceptance of the Moment when Living with Women’s Health Issues

These exercises may include healthy distractions in the form of activities, like doing a puzzle, reading a book, or watching a favorite movie. Self-soothing activities to incorporate your senses may look like taking a scenic hike, listening to nature outside your window or music, tasting a favorite food, smelling a scented candle, or petting your pup. Utilizing mindfulness to improve your moment includes visualizations, finding meaning in a gratitude practice, prayer or relaxation, taking a break, and encouraging yourself.

Tools to Increase Acceptance of Chronic Pain and Chronic Illness

Therapeutic exercises rooted in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, or ACT, can help increase feelings of acceptance when managing chronic pain and chronic illness. Acceptance does not mean that you are okay with your diagnosis or you that like having to manage this new life and pain. It simply means you are accepting this new reality and you are committed to making changes if needed to live in alignment with your values.

ACT tools help make it a more concrete experience by exploring your values and how you feel fulfillment in major areas of life. Acceptance recognizes the pain that you are experiencing, and the grief that you have endured and acknowledges that you can withstand this reality. Our hope in therapeutic work is to help you thrive in the midst of pain and find fulfillment in everyday life.

Women’s health issues we commonly work with in therapy for chronic illness in New York:

Are You in Need of Therapy for Chronic Illness and Chronic Pain in New York?

Dealing with chronic illness and chronic pain can be a daily struggle and make it impossible to function normally in your life. At our New York based therapy office, as specialized women’s health therapists, we understand the isolation and fear you are feeling and are ready to help you. Follow the steps below to get started on your journey to mental health healing and well-being.

One

Get to know us here.

Two

Fill out my convenient online mental health services contact form.

Three

Begin your journey to healing.

Mental Health Services Offered at New York Women’s CBT Counseling for Women’s Health

We understand that women face a unique set of mental health challenges in New York City and need specialized support. In addition to therapy for chronic illness, we offer a wide variety of other services geared specifically toward women. These services include therapy for anxiety and depression in both Individual and Women’s Support Groups. We also specialize in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Medical Trauma, Perinatal Therapy, and trauma treatment. For more helpful information check out our blogs and videos!