669-240-1003
COPING WITH HEALTH CONDITIONS
Have you recently been to the doctor and been given a diagnosis you don’t want?
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Have you been thinking about or trying to implement changes for your health with no luck?
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Are you worried about your health in the long term?
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Is pain getting in the way of living the life you want to live?
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Maybe you’ve been in and out of doctors offices, trying to make sense of what is happening and desperately wanting to find the path through this mess. You feel might feel stuck, worried, or fearful. The peace and satisfaction you once had has been eaten away by tension and discomfort. The diagnosis you’ve been given is daunting yet it seems like people at the doctor’s office think changing your life should be easy, you’ve been given the pamphlets and the knowledge, but that hasn’t helped you figure out how this fits into your life.
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Dealing with a chronic health condition on top of everyday life can be exhausting. You might have to remember to take your inhaler everywhere or take medication several times a day. Between caring for your family and just making it through the work day, you might forget to take your medication, or not have time to go get that refill or the blood test in order to get the prescription. If you have chronic pain, there might not be any medicine that works for you anymore. It can feel like you’re the only person who has to do all this extra stuff with “extra” energy you don’t have.
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Sometimes the impact of a chronic health condition is invisible – at the moment. You feel generally fine but you keep getting stern warnings from your doctor and loved ones that if you don’t get your condition under control now you might have potentially catastrophic, possibly life-ending consequences.
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According to the CDC, nearly half of all adults suffer from chronic disease – things like heart disease, stroke, cancer, type 2 diabetes, and arthritis, that’s 117 million people! The CDC tells us these diseases are expensive, but more important than that, you’re frustrated and feeling like you’re facing an insurmountable road block with just a pamphlet to try to get through it!
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Making matters more complicated, research tells us 29% of adults with a chronic health condition also have symptoms of a mental health condition severe enough to warrent a diagnosis. The most common among these are anxiety and depression. We know there is a complex interplay between biology, psychology, and the world you live in. Feeling things like depression and anxiety don’t increase your ability to follow those directions about changing your lifestyle.
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Maybe you’ve thought about going to get some support before or maybe someone has recommended it. You might have even felt like someone suggested “the problem is all in your head.” I want you to know it’s not all in your head. Your experience is real and it is important. Getting the correct medical intervention is important. The good news is medical intervention it isn’t the only thing that helps. Research indicates behaviors can account for up to 30% of health outcomes – meaning you can live longer and better by making some changes about what you can control. You already got that pamphlet about the lifestyle changes you should make – the problem is it’s not really that easy to quit smoking, change your diet, or change anything really.
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If you have...
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Arthritis
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Cancer
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High Blood Pressure
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High Cholesterol
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Asthma
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Diabetes
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Tinnitus
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Pain
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Obesity
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Fibromyalga
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...and feel like it’s getting in the way, seeing a health psychologist can help.
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With the right support, you can clearly define your unique goals and gain clarity about how you can get there. I hold a specialization in health psychology and have experience in medical centers and outpatient settings supporting people struggling with many physical health conditions from cancer to high blood pressure. Your health condition doesn’t have to stand in the way of you living the rich meaningful life you want.
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It's entirely possible to change the things that are in your control so you can have the life you want. You’ve already tried some things to make a change, we’ll talk about what they were, how they worked and where they didn’t. From there we’ll work together to develop a plan so you can have different experiences and be on the road to living life abundantly, taking the best care of your physical health, and with tools to cope with anxiety and depression. I strive to work collaboratively with your doctor and health professionals so you can have the best results.
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Get an expert in health psychology on your treatment team.
Call 669-240-1003 or reach out below for your free consultation.