Compassionate counseling to help you cope with pain, fatigue, and lifestyle changes.
Living with a chronic health condition — whether fibromyalgia, multiple sclerosis, cancer, Crohn's disease, diabetes, lupus, chronic pain, or any other long-term diagnosis — profoundly affects not just the body but the entire landscape of a person's emotional and relational life. Research consistently shows that depression and anxiety occur at significantly higher rates among people living with chronic illness than in the general population, yet these emotional dimensions of chronic illness are often undertreated or overlooked entirely in medical settings focused on the biological aspects of disease management.
The emotional experience of chronic illness is complex and frequently misunderstood. There is grief — a genuine, valid grief over the loss of the healthy self one once was, the activities one can no longer do, the future one had imagined, and the identity one held before illness entered the picture. There is the exhausting work of managing symptoms, medications, and appointments while still trying to maintain a life. And there is the particular pain of invisible illness — the experience of appearing outwardly healthy while carrying a burden that others cannot see or fully appreciate.
LC Psych's chronic illness counseling addresses the full range of emotional and psychological challenges that accompany chronic health conditions. These include depression and anxiety related to diagnosis, prognosis, or day-to-day symptom management; grief over the losses chronic illness brings; adjustment to new physical limitations and changed capabilities; medical anxiety and health-related worry; the relational strain that illness places on partnerships, families, and friendships; and the identity disruption that comes with no longer being able to define oneself in the ways one used to.
Chronic illness counseling at LC Psych also addresses medical trauma — the distressing experiences that can accumulate through difficult diagnostic journeys, frightening hospitalizations, painful procedures, or encounters with medical providers who minimized or dismissed a patient's experience. Caregiver stress is another area of focus: family members and partners who are supporting a loved one with a chronic illness carry their own significant emotional burden, and they too are welcome at LC Psych. Finally, the counseling addresses the practical and emotional work of making meaning and finding purpose within a life shaped by chronic illness.
The primary therapeutic approaches used in chronic illness counseling at LC Psych are Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and pain psychology. ACT is particularly well-suited to chronic illness because it does not ask people to think positively or pretend that difficult things are not difficult. Instead, it helps people develop the psychological flexibility to fully experience their lives — including pain, limitation, and uncertainty — while still moving toward what matters most to them. ACT has a strong evidence base for improving quality of life in people living with chronic pain, cancer, and other serious health conditions.
Pain psychology applies behavioral and cognitive principles to the experience of chronic pain, helping clients understand how pain signals are modulated by psychological factors — including attention, mood, fear, and meaning — and empowering them to use specific strategies to reduce pain's interference with daily functioning. Behavioral activation helps clients reclaim valued activities even within current limitations, countering the natural but counterproductive tendency toward withdrawal and inactivity that so often accompanies chronic illness. The overall approach is non-minimizing — your clinician at LC Psych will never tell you that your pain is "just psychological" or that you simply need to think more positively.
Chronic illness counseling at LC Psych is offered with a flexibility that recognizes the realities of living with a chronic condition. Sessions can be held in person in Florence, Kentucky, or via telehealth — an especially important option on days when symptoms make travel difficult. Your therapist will begin by understanding your diagnosis, your experience of illness, and the emotional and relational impact it has had on your life. They will make no assumptions about what is or is not hard for you, and will follow your lead on the pace and focus of treatment.
Sessions may address grief and loss one week, communication with medical providers the next, and the impact of illness on your identity and relationships the week after that. There is no fixed script — the work evolves with you. Your therapist will also collaborate with your medical care team when appropriate and with your permission, ensuring that your psychological care is integrated with your broader health management. Above all, you will be met in the therapy room with the respect, warmth, and clinical expertise that your experience — which is genuinely hard — deserves.
If you are living with a chronic health condition and the emotional weight of that experience has become more than you can carry alone, LC Psych is here. Chronic illness counseling is available in person and via telehealth, and the team understands that scheduling around medical appointments, symptom flares, and fatigue requires flexibility. To reach out, call 859-525-4911 or visit lcpsych.com to schedule online. You deserve support that sees the whole of you — not just your diagnosis.
CATEGORY 2 — TESTING SERVICES
Each clinician below offers Chronic Illness Counseling. Explore their profiles to learn more about their approach and availability.
Clinical Psychologist
Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor
Counseling Psychologist
Licensed Clinical Social Worker
Clinical Psychologist
6900 Houston Rd.
Building 500 Suite 11
Florence, KY 41042
Office hours
Mon – Thurs: 8AM – 9PM
Friday: 8AM – 5PM
Saturday: 8AM – 2PM
Our therapists are accepting new clients. Schedule your first appointment today — in-person or via telehealth, evenings and weekends available.
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