Chronic Pain or Illness

EMDR and CBT provide greater psychological flexibility in the presence of thoughts, feelings, and behaviors associated with pain. Using functional medicine, we explore how and why illness occurs & balance health by addressing the root causes of a disease. It helps us see the common pathways to disease (e.g., inflammation) the role of diet, stress, & physical activity; sciences of genes and metabolic processes; & the effects of environmental toxins on health and recovery.

My goal is to help youmanage their symptoms and improve their overall quality of life. I may use a variety of evidence-based therapies, such as cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) or acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), to help you develop coping strategies and learn new ways of managing your symptoms. In some cases, medication may be helpful in managing symptoms of chronic pain or illness. I will also work collaboratively with your other healthcare providers!

Living with chronic illness or traumatic stress, one might feel overwhelmed and tense on a regular basis or trend more toward feeling numb and shut down, perhaps even dissociated, but regardless of how one's experiences show up in their bodies, one thing remains the same: Being “inside ourselves,” with our thoughts, feelings and emotions, feels scary, confusing and painful. Purposefully creating a sense of safety inside ourselves after trauma, illness or crisis can be likened to returning home.

As a human who has lived with chronic illness for most of my life, I understand the frustrations and self doubt caused by an invalidating medical system, the struggles of navigating each day with unpredictable symptoms, and the isolation of advocating for yourself with doctors, friends and family. I truly believe in arming yourself with knowledge, becoming your own doctor, and listening to your body. Mindfulness and self-compassion are the mainstays of living with chronic illness.

Dr. Clendaniel is a pediatric psychology who specializes in the treatment of children, adolescents and young adults with anxiety and health-related adjustment issues. She has particular expertise in pain management and treatment of chronic headache and functional gastrointestinal illness.

My primary training and practice sites have been in pain clinics, HIV clinics, liver clinics, and primary care clinics. Across those experiences I have developed expertise in treating individuals struggling with a body that is not cooperating. I employ evidence-based treatments like ACT and CBT, but also work hard to address ableism, illness stigma, medical trauma, and other experiences that intersect with one's experience of pain and illness.

From 1999-2018 I worked as a social worker in each segment of the health and mental health care system; hospitals, homecare, short term rehab, long term care, hospice, community mental health, inpatient psychiatric care, and other settings providing case management, counseling, therapy and other services to those in need. I also live with a number of chronic health conditions and am involved with the Ehlers Danlos society, Spinal Leak Foundation and Dysautonomia International.

I am here to validate that your pain is real, and I can help you learn about the incredible mind-body connection. Whether you're experiencing anxiety or depression from chronic pelvic/sexual pain, trauma, or other life stressors, I'm here to help normalize your experiences and provide evidence based strategies to help you achieve your goals.

Psychotherapy with clinical hypnosis has been shown to be effective for treating chronic pain to decrease the intensity of pain and how it may interfere with your life. My VA Hospital research Treating Chronic Low Back Pain with Hypnosis or Biofeedback is published. Clinical hypnosis has also been shown to be very effective for treating Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) and hotflashes.

My work in hospitals has prepared me to help people living with pain,or adjusting to life changing medical issues.

Sometimes hating your body isn't about wanting to be skinny. You listen to others talk about their difficulties together, offering suggestions and support. You struggle to understand why you feel so separate from those around you. Even though others are friendly, you feel disconnected. You feel betrayed by your body. Forced into accepting a reality you would have never dreamt up, you search for control because your sense of control of your life has been ripped away from you.

Supporting individuals & families in all realms of Health, Healing & Life Transitions - coping with chronic illness; managing acute physical or mental illness; adjusting to chronic physical or mental health diagnosis; living better with chronic pain; healing after medical treatments; navigating uncertainty; managing cancer survivorship & chronic disease management; facing dying authentically.

Living with chronic illness or pain involves regular battles with health insurance companies, figuring out whether dishes or laundry are more crucial when you don’t have enough energy for both, and chronic fatigue no amount of coffee can fix. Here you can get the support you’ve been needing with a therapist who understands the challenges of living with chronic illness in a world that assumes every illness can be cured by a visit to the pharmacist, or through strategic application of turmeric.

Living with illness, disability, and/or chronic pain can leave you feeling isolated as you navigate changing relationships, medical care, stretched finances, grief for what's been lost, fear about the future, experiences of invisibility/hypervisibility, and anger about how you've been treated. I work from a Disability Justice model, grappling with the ways in which our world often fails to provide accommodation and access, and how our lives become shaped by that lack of care and recognition.

Not unlike my education regarding LGBTQ issues, my family life brought me to understand the challenges of chronic pain and illness. I would have much rather learned this through formal education, readings or seminars, but unfortunately I was enrolled in the school of hard knocks. While I don't want to share too much detail online, I'm particularly focused and supportive of the challenges of "long haulers" or long-COVID/PASC, cancer and autoimmune disorders.

Living with illness, disability, and/or chronic pain can leave you feeling isolated as you navigate changing relationships, medical care, stretched finances, grief for what's been lost, fear about the future, experiences of invisibility/hypervisibility, and anger about how you've been treated. I work from a Disability Justice model, grappling with the ways in which our world often fails to provide accommodation and access, and how our lives become shaped by that lack of care and recognition.

I am health psychologist and have worked with people with chronic illness or life limiting illnesses like cancer, autoimmune disease, diabetes, injuries, amputations, functional neurological conditions, GI diseases, as well as many others. I also have worked with clients and their families at the end of their life. Coping with physical symptoms and medical systems can be incredibly stressful and therapy can help improve quality of life while living with medical challenges.

Receiving a medical diagnosis can be life altering. Countless medical appointments, new medications, attempting to maintain some sort of normalcy while feeling frustrated, isolated and perhaps grieving the life you once knew. My own medical struggles and my professional experience have allowed me to connect with my clients and help them move through these difficult moments.

Living with illness, disability, and/or chronic pain can leave you feeling isolated as you navigate changing relationships, medical care, stretched finances, grief for what's been lost, fear about the future, experiences of invisibility/hypervisibility, and anger about how you've been treated. I work from a Disability Justice model, grappling with the ways in which our world often fails to provide accommodation and access, and how our lives become shaped by that lack of care and recognition.