Chronic Pain or Illness

Chronic pain is considered to be any pain that lasts longer than six months. Chronic pain might start with an injury or an illness, although many people suffer chronic pain without any past injury or evidence of illness. Chronic pain may come and go and can range from mild to agonizing. In addition to the physical symptoms, chronic pain can take an emotional toll. Individuals suffering from chronic pain are more likely to feel depressed, irritable or anxious and may experience other related symptoms, such as insomnia. If you are dealing with pain that won’t go away, a mental health professional can help you learn ways of coping.

Local experts in Chronic Pain or Illness

Katrina Severin (She/Her)

Professional Counselor Associate

MS, LPC Associate

I hold a Master's degree in Clinical Rehabilitation Counseling, which focuses on the disability experience from a social justice perspective. I have familiarity with conditions such as fibromyalgia and other types of chronic pain.

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Monica Marquard (she/her)

Marriage and Family Therapist Associate

MA, Marriage and Family Therapist Associate

I hold a masters in Child Life in Hospital settings in addition to my counseling degree. Prior to counseling, I worked with many children and families impacted by chronic health conditions or acute illnesses. I am here to help you or your family whether you have been more recently impacted by injury or illness or this has been something lifelong.

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Daniella Kramer, Keshet Counseling

Licensed Professional Counselor

LPC

In addition to my work in other areas, I have a deep commitment to supporting those living with chronic illness and chronic pain—particularly individuals navigating the complex challenges of Lyme disease, mold illness, and related conditions. I understand how exhausting and isolating these experiences can be, and I’m here to offer a validating, informed, and compassionate space for healing.

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Cheryl Lane (she/her)

Marriage and Family Therapist Associate

PsyD

As mentioned previously, I specialize in treating chronic pain and other chronic ailments. Some of the most common chronic pain issues we see in our practice include chronic back pain, migraines, fibromyalgia, chronic dizziness (PPPD), CRPS (chronic regional pain syndrome), TMJ, repetitive strain injury, and chronic tendonitis, to name just a few. If an injury has healed but is still causing pain, or the issue isn't responding to treatment as expected, it may be a mindbody issue.

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Marina Nelson, MC (she/her/hers)

Licensed Professional Counselor

Oregon LPC, Washington LMHC

I have training in Trauma-Informed Stabilization Therapy (TIST), hypnotherapy and Sensorimotor psychotherapy for addressing pain management issues.

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Brittany England

Licensed Marriage Family Therapist

LMFT, MA in Counseling

Mind-Body healing professionals and the field of neuroscience believes that there is no separation of the mind/brain and body. They deeply influence one another. This means that your symptoms likely have an emotional root. I work with clients who have chronic pain /illness who continue to have symptoms despite medical treatment. We work to identify past experiences and traumas that are unresolved that may influence the manifestation of physical illness and pain.

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Ryja (Rylan Jay) Testa (he/him)

Clinical Psychologist

PhD; Psychologist Licensed in OR and CA

- Experience healing from and working with people healing from chronic diseases and poorly understood conditions such as chronic fatigue, multiple chemical sensitivity, mold toxicity, nervous system dysregulation/imbalance, dysautonomia, Lyme, and chronic pain - Experience working with clients with terminal illnesses - Doctoral Internship rotations in behavioral medicine - Experience providing group therapy for veterans with chronic pain and insomnia

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Laura Wozniak (she/her)

Licensed Clinical Social Worker

LCSW BCD

I have worked for 12 years in a medical setting supporting patients who have a wide variety of chronic and acute conditions. I have worked to prepare patients for bariatric surgery, chronic pain, fibromyalgia, transplant and in supporting family members as well. I have skills and experience using guided imagery and relaxation skills which can enhance resiliency.

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Eden Baron-Williams (she/her)

Marriage and Family Therapist Associate

MA, Marriage and Family Therapist Associate

I personally deal with chronic pain/chronic illness and am invisibly physically disabled. Working with those who are impacted by ableist systems and helping them navigate the world in a way that promotes their wellbeing and helps them receive necessary, validating, informed care, is a special passion of mine.

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Peter Addy (he/him)

Licensed Professional Counselor

PhD, LPC, LMHC

Drawing from both professional expertise and personal experience with fibromyalgia, I help clients understand chronic pain within broader systems of capitalism and labor exploitation. My approach integrates practical pain management strategies with analyzing how profit-driven healthcare impacts treatment access and options. I focus on helping clients develop new relationships with their bodies while building solidarity and mutual support networks to challenge systemic barriers to care.

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Marcy Irene Jenks (she/they)

Licensed Professional Counselor

MS, RN, LPC, LMHC

Now more than ever is the time to address issues related to health, illness, pain, wellness, and suffering. The Covid-19 pandemic has exacerbated any preexisting physical and mental health concerns; what an opportunity to strengthen our commitment to health for ourselves and our families. With a background in nursing and Ayurvedic medicine, let me support you on your journey to health, wellness and ease.

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Justin Little (he/him/his)

Licensed Marriage Family Therapist

LMFT, INHC

As someone who lives with an autoimmune disorder, I have spent the last 4 years educating myself on the connection between our mental health (anxiety, depression, brain fog, lack of motivation, etc) and our physical health and gut health. I often work with clients in partnership with medical professionals to address the mental health side of chronic illness: learning to control what you can, reduce stress, improve nutrition and prioritize a regulated nervous system to increase wellbeing.

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Julie Sliga (she/her)

Licensed Professional Counselor

MS, CRC, LPC

Chronic pain and illness can reshape your sense of self—how you move through the world, how others see you, and how you relate to your own body. You might be grieving, adjusting, or ready to explore new ways of living with what’s here. Our work can include deep listening, mind-body awareness, and practices like Pain Reprocessing Therapy—always grounded in your pacing, your permission, and your lived experience.

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Andrew Rose (He/him/his)

Professional Counselor

Intern, will be APC in 7/2025

My caseload is composed almost entirely of people suffering from chronic illness. I also lead a weekly group, sponsored and endorsed by the MS Society of Portland, designed to teach mindful self-compassion to partners and loved ones of people with multiple sclerosis.

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Zoe Presley (she/her)

Licensed Professional Counselor

Having experienced my own health challenges in the past, I can empathize with the frustration and isolation of physical pain and illness. However, as you deepen your relationship with your body, you will connect with a deeper, healing essence that resides within us all. This has been true for me, and can also be true for you.

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Christine Finucane (She/her/hers)

Licensed Clinical Social Worker

LCSW, SUDP, LICSW, SEP

Physical pain is almost always accompanied by emotional pain. Attending to them both is essential for healing. The ACE study (Adverse Childhood Experiences) shows a strong correlation between childhood trauma and the later development of chronic health conditions. My approach is to bring mindful presence to areas in the body where trauma and stress is stored. This mindful presence can also allow for the release of physical pain.

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Madilyn Long (she/they)

Licensed Clinical Social Worker

LCSW

Through my own experience as a bone marrow transplant recipient, I learned first-hand the importance of having access to a mental health professional that could guide me and help me in processing all of the complex emotions that were unearthed before, during, and after my diagnosis and treatment. Because of that experience, I am passionate about providing the same support and assistance to others who are experiencing chronic pain or illness in navigating that road themselves.

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Cornelia Taubmann (she/her/hers)

Hypnotherapist

PGDip, SEP

Living with chronic pain or illness can be exhausting, especially when health concerns and unhelpful beliefs heighten your awareness of discomfort. These patterns can create a cycle that feels hard to escape. Through hypnotherapy, I can help you gently shift these beliefs, reduce tension, and reframe your relationship with your body. Together, we’ll work to ease your symptoms, calm your mind, and help you feel more at ease and in control of your well-being.

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James Reling (he/him/his)

Licensed Professional Counselor

#C7430

My training in working with people who have disabilities includes chronic pain/illness, which can be particularly tricky to navigate when these disabilities are not 'visible' to others. Many people with chronic pain/illness can feel alone and misunderstood by their medical providers, family, friends, and employers.

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Kellie Collins, MS, LPC

Licensed Professional Counselor

Navigating chronic illness along with mental health symptoms can be difficult, but you don't have to go it alone. I can help you utilize tools to successfully manage these conditions and have the best quality of life for you and for your family.

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Natascha Yogachandra (she/her)

Professional Counselor Associate

MS, NCC, Certified Body Trust® Provider

I've spent over a decade experiencing mysterious symptoms, experimenting with various treatments, and navigating our medical systems. I deeply know the frustration, fear, and complex grief of chronic pain and illness. While there is no way to fully understand each person's unique experience with illness and disability, my personal experience informs the way in which I hope to support others through their own acceptance and finding their own agency in the face of various health challenges.

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Audra Lee

Licensed Professional Counselor

LPC (OR, TX), LMHC (WA), LPCC (NM), LCPC (MT)

As an Ayurvedic practitioner, I have extensive knowledge of the mind-body connection. I can help you identify potential mental and emotional sources that may be contributing to your physical symptoms, including functional somatic symptoms. I also have a special interest in the psychosocial factors that are affected by living with gastrointestinal disorders, such as IBS and SIBO.

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Lisa Winestock (She/They)

Clinical Social Work Associate

MSW, CSWA

I have experiencing working with individuals living with chronic illness and helping them process their grief, as well as helping them navigate healthcare systems.

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Jessi Huffman (she/her)

Licensed Professional Counselor

LPC

When you are experiencing chronic pain or an illness with no end, it is often invisible to those around you, perhaps leaving you with feelings of hopelessness, isolation, and resentment. I have my own personal understanding of those experiences, and provide an empathic space where you can work toward acceptance and joy in the midst of loss and grief.

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Kate Robinson (she/her)

Licensed Professional Counselor

LPC

Chronic Pain can be so frustrating and exhausting. It often leads to symptoms of depression and /or increased use of medication that can make the condition worse and lead to overuse. From my own experience with chronic pain as well as from working at a chronic pain management center, I have learned the pain management skills that appear to best provide relief and maximize functioning. I focus on the cognitive aspects and thought processes that can help decrease pain.

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Kayleigh Rogalski (she/her)

Licensed Psychologist

PsyD

Talk to someone who "gets it." I'm knowledgeable about POTS, hEDS, IC, overactive bladder, long COVID, chronic fatigue. I can support you connecting with appropriate healthcare providers, establish self-management routines, and discern when to rest and when to push. I can help quiet your "anxious" bladder so you can sleep through the night, get back to important activities, and finally take that trip.

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Maddy Engelfried (she/her)

Professional Counselor Associate

MA in Art Therapy and Counseling, School of the Art Institute of Chicago

I know firsthand how difficult it can be to integrate chronic illness into our identity while hanging onto our goals, dreams, and relationships. In my work with younger and older adults, I've noticed that adjusting to a new diagnosis can be a huge challenge at any stage of life. I use narrative and existential therapy to help clients explore their potential and integrate disability or illness into their life narratives while staying true to the other parts of their identities.

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G. Ravyn (Ravyn) Stanfield (she/her)

Marriage and Family Therapist Associate

M.A.in Counseling, EMDR trained, Licensed Acupuncturist

I support folks through chronic pain challenges including exhaustion, hopelessness, frustration with the medical system, changes in function, and ways to cope.

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Megan Sapp (she/her)

Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner

PMHNP, CNM, FNP

I am a certified Family Nurse Practitioner.

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Lavinia Magliocco (she/they)

Licensed Professional Counselor

LPC, CRC, NCC

People with chronic illness often come from difficult family of origin dynamics. I bring somatic, trauma-informed lens to working with chronic illness, pain, disability. As someone with Crohn's disease, I have personal experience with financial, sexual, career, and relational sequelae of chronic illness. I use an integral lens that includes mindfulness practices for symptom relief as well as practical skills to manage ADL's.

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Rebecca Lundberg (she/her)

Professional Counselor Associate

M.A.

I integrate Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), movement therapy, breathwork, and Internal Family Systems (IFS) to create a comprehensive framework for addressing chronic pain. This approach provides clients with the tools they need to empower themselves and improve their quality of life. I draw on my background in movement and physical therapy, as well as my own experiences of chronic conditions.

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Grace Provost (she/her)

Licensed Clinical Social Worker

MSW, LCSW

I utilize somatic approaches and trauma modalities to explore deeper sources of pain with you. I teach you to find safety in your body, even if sometimes it doesn't feel like home.

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Francis Aurora Otto (she | her)

Licensed Professional Counselor

MA, LPC, RSMT/E

Having gone through Lyme Disease, I understand the invisible suffering of chronic pain and illness. There is the condition you suffer and the fact that many people do not perceive or believe your experience. I work to support with all aspects of your what you are going through.

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Sally Rudolph (she/her)

Licensed Art Therapist

LCAT, ATR-BC

I have over a decade of experience working with health crisis, medical trauma, chronic pain and life-threatening illnesses. From both personal and professional experiences, I have come to believe that tending to the emotional state of the human being, and befriending the body are crucial to managing the illness. I have specialized training in somatic therapy, as well as creative approaches to tending to illness and pain.

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Sunya Grantham

Marriage and Family Therapist Associate

My work with clients involves incorporating biological, psychological, social, and spiritual components. I offer support by allowing for the expression of feelings and challenges in navigating chronic illness. In some cases, I collaborate with medical providers to improve communication and support client's sense of agency.

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Rachael Patoray (she/her)

Licensed Professional Counselor

LPC, ATR

Having a Chronic Illness can bring a whole other set of issues to ones life. I have the pleasure of working with folks whose autoimmune systems have been effected or compromised, who are also struggling with physical illness, (often) because of their trauma histories.

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Eshe Boyette (she/her)

Professional Counselor Associate

MA, NCC

As a therapist who understands the challenges of living with chronic health issues, I’m passionate about supporting others who struggle to find peace in their bodies due to illness. Whether you're seeking help to reconnect with your body, process grief, or work through traumas that affect your nervous system’s reactivity, I’m here to guide you. Together, we’ll create a space where you feel validated in the difficulty of your experience and empowered to make meaningful changes within your control

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jane Newman

Licensed Professional Counselor

Working with clients dealing with chronic pain and illness is part of my experience in the area of grief and loss. Living with pain/illness is a loss of life as they knew it before - the process gives clients an opportunity to identify/discuss issues associated with their condition- to feel validated and supported; and to learn coping techniques.

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Katie Clark, LMHC, LPC (she/her)

Licensed Professional Counselor

NCC

Methods of treatment used are evidence-based, supported by research, and by the American Psychological Association (APA). Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy are highly effective in living with pain and illness, so are the main methods I use in working with clients.

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