Support without minimising the very real impacts of illness
Chronic Health
Supporting Adults Living with Chronic Health Issues
At Giles House Psychology, we have particular experience supporting people with conditions including hypermobility and hypermobility spectrum conditions, including Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (EDS), dysautonomia (including POTS), Mast Cell Activation Syndrome (MCAS), ME/CFS, endometriosis, lipoedema, and long COVID.
Therapy can support coping, adjustment, advocacy, and self-compassion – without minimising the very real impacts of illness.
Invisible challenges
Living with Chronic Health Conditions
Living with chronic pain, fatigue, or complex health conditions can affect almost every part of life. Health challenges often reach far beyond physical symptoms, influencing identity, relationships, work, independence, and a person’s sense of safety in their own body.
People living with chronic illness often spend years navigating uncertainty, changing symptoms, medical appointments, and treatments. Unfortunately, many have experienced being misunderstood, dismissed, or not taken seriously within healthcare systems, particularly when symptoms are complex, fluctuating, difficult to measure, or poorly understood.
Many chronic health conditions are also invisible to others, which can make it harder for people to feel believed, understood, or supported. Experiences like this can make it harder to trust your own body, your symptoms, or the support available.
The Reality of Fluctuating Capacity
Living with chronic illness often involves significant emotional and practical adjustments. People may find themselves grieving changes in capacity, adapting work or study plans, and renegotiating expectations placed on them by themselves or others.
Many chronic conditions involve fluctuating symptoms and capacity. What is possible one day may not be possible the next. Many people find themselves caught in cycles of pushing through on better days and then needing longer periods of recovery afterwards.
Many people have spent years pushing through symptoms because they felt they had no other choice.
When Several Things Are Happening At Once
Many people find that experiences such as burnout, eating difficulties, body image concerns, chronic health conditions, and navigating environments that do not fit with their needs are closely interconnected parts of their lives.
People may be navigating interactions between:
chronic pain, fatigue, or fluctuating health conditions
burnout and long periods of pushing beyond their capacity
sensory experiences that affect eating, energy, or daily life
changes in appetite, digestion, or medication effects
body image concerns or stigma related to health conditions
environments that do not always accommodate their body, health, or needs
For some people this may look like burnout developing alongside chronic illness, eating becoming more difficult when energy is low, or body image being shaped by both health conditions and social expectations.
Therapy can help make sense of these overlapping experiences and support your body and wellbeing in a way that takes the whole picture into account.
How Therapy Can Help
Therapy can support people living with chronic health conditions in ways that recognise both the physical realities of illness and the broader impacts it can have on life.
It can provide space to better understand your body’s signals and respond in ways that support long-term wellbeing. Therapy can also support people to work with changing capacities, rather than pushing beyond what their body can comfortably sustain, and to navigate work, relationships, healthcare systems, and daily life when energy and symptoms fluctuate.
Support may include:
coping with chronic pain, fatigue, and fluctuating symptoms
adjusting to changes in identity, roles, or capacity
navigating grief, loss, or uncertainty related to illness
reducing self-blame and developing greater self-compassion
managing stress and nervous system responses related to health challenges
advocacy and communication within healthcare systems
finding sustainable ways to care for your body and energy
Support is always collaborative and tailored to your needs. Therapy offers a space where these experiences are understood and supported without minimising the very real impact of illness, and where approaches can be developed that work with your body rather than against it.
GP Chronic Condition Management Plan (GPCCMP)
Some people access psychological support through a GP Chronic Condition Management Plan, which can be arranged through a GP for people living with long-term health conditions.
These plans allow Medicare-supported care from a team of health professionals. For psychology, this may include up to five sessions per calendar year with a Medicare rebate when referred by your GP.
If you are unsure whether this applies to you, we can talk about this together and consider whether it may be helpful to discuss it with your GP.
Some people access support through multiple pathways, and we can discuss what options may be available for you.
You don’t need a diagnosis, a referral, or a clear reason to begin
Many people simply know that something in their life feels difficult, heavy, or unsustainable, and want support to understand why.
Therapy can help you reconnect with yourself, strengthen your internal resources, and move toward a life that feels more meaningful, manageable, and your own.