Chronic pain & health changes
Psychological support for chronic pain and health changes
Persistent pain and changes in physical health rarely stay contained to the body. Sleep, mood, work, relationships, activity, confidence, independence and everyday routines all tend to shift, often gradually enough that it is hard to say when things changed.
Persistent pain is real. Psychological therapy is not about treating pain as imagined or “all in your head”.
Saturdays: In person in BlackburnWednesdays & Thursdays: Telehealth, including after hours
Particular clinical experience
Della has clinical experience supporting adults with persistent pain and health-related difficulties within a specialised chronic pain clinic setting.
Her work has included supporting the psychological and everyday impact of persistent pain, including sleep, mood, activity, coping and adjustment.
Why see a psychologist for physical pain?
Seeing a psychologist does not mean the physical reality of your pain is in question. It stays exactly as real as it was before you walked in.
Psychological therapy can help with the practical and emotional impact, including how pain or illness affects sleep, energy, mood, everyday activity and routines. It can also support you in adapting to changes that were not chosen and are often not reversible.
It sits alongside your medical care and does not replace it. I do not provide diagnosis, medication advice, physiotherapy or medico legal reports.
What we might work on
- Coping with changes in daily functioning
- Activity patterns, and balancing activity with recovery where appropriate
- Sleep that has been disrupted by pain or illness
- Stress and frustration, including with medical systems
- Fear and avoidance of movement or activity
- Adjustment to illness or significant health changes
- Staying connected to meaningful activities and roles
- Emotional responses to persistent physical symptoms
This work is not a treatment that promises to reduce pain. The focus is on the impact pain and health changes have on your life, and on what remains possible alongside them.
Who this service may suit
- Adults living with persistent or chronic pain, whatever the diagnosis
- Adjustment to illness, including recent diagnoses
- Significant health changes affecting daily life
- Reduced functioning, fatigue or an unpredictable symptom pattern
- Distress associated with ongoing physical symptoms
Working alongside your other care
Where it is useful, I am glad to work in parallel with your GP, specialist or allied health team. Telehealth can help when travel, fatigue or symptom flare ups make regular face to face attendance difficult.
Sessions are 50 minutes. Medicare rebates may be available with an eligible Mental Health Treatment Plan from your GP.
In person appointments are available in Blackburn on Saturdays, with Telehealth also offered on Wednesdays and Thursdays, including after hours.
Thinking about making an appointment?
You don’t need to have everything figured out before reaching out. Tell me a little about what you’re looking for and I’ll contact you about the next step.
Want to talk first? You are welcome to to ask a couple of questions.