Type 1 Diabetes Distress

People with Type 1 Diabetes are far more likely than average to have some form of depression, anxiety, or eating disorder*. (Some clinicians now use the term "diabetes distress" to refer to the state of worry, overwhelm, and burnout associated with managing diabetes.) This is no surprise to anyone who has experienced or witnessed someone managing this condition. The lack of a functioning pancreas requires constant management to stay alive. Not only is this a significant amount of extra day-to-day work, but it also involves navigating:

• evolving insulin requirements

• the constant presence of risk from hypoglycemia

• concerns related to health complications

• relationship dynamics

• the healthcare system and healthcare costs

As someone with Type 1 Diabetes, I am intimately familiar with its ins and outs. Many of my Type 1 clients have stated that they appreciate knowing that their therapist understands the medical terminology, logistical demands, and emotional weight of the condition. You won't have to stop and explain what your numbers mean, the differences between insulin types, the distress related to middle-of-the-night lows, etc. 

When working with clients with Type 1 Diabetes, I am strictly focused on the mental health side of things, though I have the capacity to coordinate care with endocrinologists when needed. My role in the treatment team is to treat anxiety or depression that may be related to diabetes, helping clients find mental and emotional stability even as their blood sugar may be a roller coaster.

Other Chronic Health Conditions

While I am most familiar with Type 1 Diabetes, I have experience providing therapy for clients navigating other chronic health conditions. While chronic health conditions are all different, there are some important similarities they tend to share. They are often invisible to others, which can be isolating. They tend to be strongly associated with exhaustion and burnout, both from the emotional and logistical toll of managing the condition and from the condition itself. They often carry an element of grief—for lost bodily ability, for plans and dreams that no longer fit, for relationships that shift or fade, or for the pain-free, low-hassle life that once felt like a given.

A common reason people seek therapy for a chronic health condition is a mismatch between how much they need to talk about what they're going through and how much bandwidth even a supportive social circle has to listen. Friends and family may care deeply but still reach a limit—understandably, since living alongside someone else's chronic condition, day after day, is its own kind of taxing. Therapy can fill that gap: a space where the need to process doesn't have to be rationed.

*Please note that I am not qualified to treat eating disorders. If present, appropriate referrals will be provided.