Psychotherapy for illness, loss, chronic pain, and caregiving
Let me help you process, make meaning and adjust as you navigate the confines and limitations of existence.
“Living authentically requires occasionally leaving your old self behind to create and discover a new self. Part of being alive is awaiting the revelation of what you will become.”
-L.A. PAUL
How I Help
ILLNESS
Illness changes everything. It confronts you with uncertainty, vulnerability, impermanence. Past experiences and challenges do not necessarily prepare you for facing what can be a radical change in your life. The map you used to navigate the world before your illness, does not apply anymore, as you enter uncharted territory. You might be grieving the loss of normalcy and expectations you had about how your life should be.
When dealing with a new cancer diagnosis, a recurrence, chronic or acute illness, you might experience anxiety and demoralization. Perhaps you are trying to find some balance in the midst of a storm but the minute you feel stable, another change happens and there you go again trying to stay afloat.
I have specific expertise in helping people as they navigate the emotional, social, and practical aspects of illness. I will support you as you create narratives around your experiences with illness, name and process losses, explore sources of meaning and purpose and learn skills to help you navigate treatment and uncertainty.
LOSS
Loss comes in all shapes and sizes. Loss can be a gradual process, or it can happen in an instant, where one minute you feel comfortable with your circumstances, and the next you are shattered.
One loss is often connected to an avalanche of other losses. When you deal with chronic illness, for example, you might face not only a loss of function in your body, but also the loss of parts of yourself you cherished, like your professional role or a hobby you loved. You might lose a clear path in life to follow.
Perhaps you have lost someone close to you and important roles which came with this relationship; or the relationship and circumstances around the loss were complex. You might find yourself perplexed, trying to wrap your head around mighty existential questions.
Although loss is an inescapable aspect of being human, it can sometimes feel overwhelming. Working together, we can try to process your unique experience in order to make sense of your losses, find ways to heal, and nurture resilience.
CHRONIC PAIN
If you suffer from chronic pain, it is likely that at some point you were given the message that your pain was imagined. You may have felt dismissed and maybe even doubted yourself. If that is the case, you are not alone.
The all-too-common medical approach to treating pain has focused almost entirely on medication to treat the sensory aspect of pain. Thankfully, our understanding of chronic pain has changed significantly in the last few decades due to brain imaging studies. We now know that physical injuries and emotional injuries both activate the same neural circuits of the brain. Prolonged pain can trigger changes in the brain that impact our emotions and thoughts, which can in turn amplify our pain experience.
I am trained in various evidence-based therapeutic approaches, including CBT for pain, that address the psychological components of pain. Treating the psychological aspects of pain is often an integral part of achieving better outcomes.
CAREGIVING
If you are caring for someone important to you who is ill, your life has probably changed significantly. The logistical aspects of care can often be daunting. Your relationships might be tested due to high stress levels. The frequency of having strong emotional responses to your situation can drain you. Perhaps you feel isolated, tired, and overwhelmed.
I have experience working with caregivers and understand the unique challenges you frequently face. I can provide guidance in your search to cope with stress, process losses, develop a self-care routine, and nurture self-compassion.
MEDICAL TRAUMA
Experiencing chronic or acute illness yourself, or bearing witness to someone you care about going through it, can be traumatic. This process often involves hospitalizations, dealing with unpredictable symptoms, receiving invasive or grueling treatments, recovering from surgeries, and experiencing radical changes in the appearance or function of your body. Navigating the complicated healthcare system can compound the trauma you experience.
I have expertise in helping people address the emotional, physical and behavioral manifestations of medical trauma. We can work together to promote a sense of safety, cultivate self-regulation and integrate your experience.
“Like all explorers, we are drawn to discover what’s waiting out there without knowing yet if we have the courage to face it.”
-PEMA CHODRON
About Me
I am an LCSW licensed in California and New York and have worked in the trenches of community hospice, palliative care, nursing homes and acute care hospitals for almost a decade. I am board certified in palliative care, which means I have specific expertise in helping people who are seriously ill or dying, along with their caregivers and those who are grieving.
I have also been part of a three-year research study, sponsored by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and involving several major universities across the country, working as an interventionist treating people living with chronic illness and chronic pain. Before working in healthcare, I worked fifteen years for the United Nations in New York and internationally.
My own experience with illness and loss was what motivated me to delve into this work that inspires me every day. I am in constant awe of the human capacity to overcome huge obstacles. No matter what we face, we find ways to process, adjust, heal and thrive within the limitations of existence. I also believe that we are not meant to tackle life’s mighty challenges alone. It will be my honor to support you and provide you with a safe and nurturing space. Please reach out!
Education & Certifications
Master’s Degree in Social Work, New York University, Silver School of Social Work, 2015
Certificate in Advanced Clinical Practice, New York University, 2017
Certificate in Bioethics and Medical Humanities, Montefiore-Einstein Center for Bioethics, 2018
Certificate in Approaches to the Addictions, New York University, 2020
Certificate in Foundations of Existential-Humanistic Practice, Institute of Existential and Humanistic Psychotherapy, 2024
Integrative Somatic Trauma Therapy Certificate, The Embody Lab, 2024.
Other Training
Emotional awareness and expression therapy (EAET), Michigan State University & Wayne State University, 2023
AEDP Practitioner Level 1, Accelerated Experiential Dynamic Psychotherapy Institute, 2022
Certified Instructor in Empowered Relief (ER), Stanford University, 2022.
Meaning-Centered Psychotherapy for Cancer Care Providers, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, 2018.
Prolonged Grief Disorder Treatment, Columbia University, The Center for Prolonged Grief, 2017
CBT for anxiety, Beck Institute for Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, 2017
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) Working with Self and Identity with Kelly Wilson, 2024
“Pain is important: how we evade it, how we succumb to it, how we deal with it, how we transcend it.”
-AUDRE LORDE
“Your silence will not protect you.”
-AUDRE LORDE
My Approach
My approach is relational, pragmatic and grounded on existential principles. Together we can process your unique experiences, explore your fears and hopes, and discover sources of meaning, purpose and inspiration in order to harness your strengths and nurture your resilience. Nobody is like you, so I will tailor my approach to the particular challenges you face and your individual strengths. My personal style centers on compassion, companionship, warmth and humor. My practice is LGBTQA + allied and trauma informed. I am fully bilingual in English and Spanish.
Modalities I use: Existential-humanistic therapy, acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), prolonged grief treatment, meaning-centered psychotherapy, somatic therapy for trauma, CBT for pain, empowered relief (ER), and emotional awareness and expression therapy (EAET).
“It seems to me, that if we love, we grieve. That’s the deal. That’s the pact. Grief and love are forever intertwined. Grief is the terrible reminder of the depths of our love and, like love, grief is non-negotiable.”
-NICK CAVE