Understanding Pain

Chronic Pain

Pain is much more than a physical ailment or illness. It is an experience – and often viewed through a negative lens which in turn causes stress, anger, anxiety and frustration. Chronic pain can cause us to withdraw and isolate in relationships.
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Chronic Pain

Living with chronic pain can feel overwhelming.

Pain is much more than a physical ailment or illness. It is an experience – and often viewed through a negative lens which in turn causes stress, anger, anxiety and frustration. Chronic pain can cause us to withdraw and isolate in relationships. Quality of life is impacted, including impaired sleeping and changes in eating. Questions such as “why me?” and “how can I live like this?” drive you into a downward spiral and ultimately contribute to a further negative relationship with the pain. Though therapy cannot take away the pain, it can help you create a more positive outlook to living with pain, not be as burdened by the pain experience and foster a more empowering worldview.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and Mindfulness are just a few of the approaches that I use to help manage pain. CBT identifies and challenges negative thought patterns, develop healthier coping strategies and change behaviors that are worsening the pain. ACT helps in developing a different relationship to the pain experience, which includes a less negative outlook. Mindfulness is used to observe the pain without judgment.

Here are just a few examples of chronic pain that I work with:

Arthritis

Fibromyalgia

Back & neck pain

Nerve damage

Headaches/Migraines

Autoimmune disorders

How I Help Clients Manage Their Chronic Pain

You don’t have to let chronic pain control your life. While therapy cannot take the pain away, it can help change how much power it has over your thoughts, emotions, and daily functioning. In our work together, I use evidence-based approaches such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) to address unhelpful thought patterns and coping habits, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) to build a more flexible and compassionate relationship with pain, and mindfulness practices to help you respond to physical sensations with less reactivity. I invite you to reach out and begin developing a more sustainable and empowering way of living alongside pain.

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How I Work With Clients

I employ a variety of evidence-based methods and techniques tailored to your unique needs. Each approach, whether mindfulness-based stress reduction or cognitive behavioral therapy, is designed to help you develop greater self-awareness and cope with life's challenges.
Learn More About My Methods

What My Clients Say

“The logical discussions, the insight into why I do things the way I do them, and the homework all helped me focus on what was going on in my life at the time.”
“My therapist provided tremendous guidance to us as we navigated some very difficult events and situations that were thrown at us during our first years of marriage. No matter how we came into it, we always left feeling as if both of us were adequately heard, yet came away with a better understanding of each other’s feelings.”

-MK & EK

“I had never been to therapy before and did not know what to expect. Although it was much more difficult then I anticipated, it was very helpful. My therapist did a great job of making me feel comfortable, trusted, and heard.”
I like how collaborative the process has been, and that Justin took the time to pair me with the right counselor with a compatible therapy technique that would help me achieve my goals. Deborah has been great, and I already feel like I’m making meaningful progress and adjustments after just a few sessions.

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Effective Communication With Your Partner

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Effective Communication With Your Partner

Your content goes here. Edit or remove this text inline or in the module Content settings. You can also style every aspect of this content in the module Design settings and even apply custom CSS to this text in the module Advanced settings.
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Effective Communication With Your Partner

Your content goes here. Edit or remove this text inline or in the module Content settings. You can also style every aspect of this content in the module Design settings and even apply custom CSS to this text in the module Advanced settings.
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I am therapist with over 20 years experience in private practice and have worked with thousands of individuals, couples and families.

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(312) 346-5156

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