Thriving Together: Women with Chronic Long COVID

Group Therapy and Support Group

Are you a woman navigating the challenges of Chronic Long COVID? You're not alone. Join my upcoming in-person therapy and support group designed specifically for women like you. Meeting weekly on Thursdays from 2PM-4PM, this group offers a safe haven where you can be heard, understood, and supported. (Start date TBD- ideally summer!)

I myself have been struggling with severe Chronic Long COVID for 5+ years. I know we have not had spaces where we can support one another, and in-person support is non-existent. We cannot continue in isolation, and we really need to help one another.

Sadly, even psychotherapists will attempt to tell you that you can heal with more walks, or more skills etc… As a somatic-therapist I’m the first to say that the the mind and body are not separate- and yet I’m at a loss with this illness and I’m not alone. I have talked with a couple of other somatic-based therapists with Chronic Long COVID as well, who specialize in working with the nervous system, and this is SO frustrating to each and every one of us, as the work we do that is effective with other nervous system based, and autoimmune illnesses, is not with this. The very work we specialize in is not helping here. These are tools, of which some are helpful; each person is SO different though!

I do plan on including such work in this group, and am using several tools myself. But, we need support, we cannot do this alone. And we need to know that we have a space where we can go for help- where no one will tell us that mindfulness work or more walks or nervous system work, will cure us, and that we are being difficult or unwilling, etc. We need to know that this isn’t even a thought that the therapist is having, while perhaps not voicing it. We need to KNOW we are believed. IN ONE SPACE AT LEAST! I also know that certain things that usually are helpful are even harmful to some with this illness- and this is just different with each person. You will be believed here! PERIOD!

Also, very sadly, this is life and death as, aside from brain damage, organ failure and strokes, suicide rates among people with Long COVID are increasing rapidly, and under this new administration, as research stops and information is erased, and our money issues increase rapidly- I predict even larger and faster increases in suicides. Additionally, research is showing that the more chronic and the more severe the symptoms one has with Long COVID, the greater the risk of suicide. However, I have also seen some reports that those considering suicide with this illness report no longer feel suicidal after attending even just one group. We all need to know that we are not alone, and that there is a space for us, a space where we are wanted, needed, and welcome just as we are. Our very health depends on it! Human beings can only thrive in connection with supportive others. And connection that is all online is not sufficient.

Additionally, the trauma of going through this pandemic, and it being the center of everyone’s lives for so long, has lead to people understandably just wanting to move on. This is resulting in leaving those with Long COVID behind - even as the numbers of those with this illness increase daily. It’s very easy to go about life without thinking about people suffering from this illness as most of us are at home and out of sight. We are easy to not see, and thus to not think about, leaving us behind and suffering alone. Also, chronically ill people just aren’t that much fun!

However, this group needs you, and this group can give you some purpose as your attendance can be the difference between someone feeling alone or even suicidal, and feeling loved, supported, connected and purposeful! We really do need eachother - you are needed and wanted here.

Connection and support are not luxuries or privileges- they are needs that are absolutely necessary for healing, for health and for happiness. Human beings are just not wired for isolation.

Since here, even the therapist is suffering from this- you can know it’s safe and free of judgment or gaslighting. Take a deep breath and contact me now!

In this judgment-free environment, you’ll connect with others who share similar experiences, fostering a sense of community as we face the feelings of abandonment often felt in the medical system and by those around us. Here, each member is welcomed without gaslighting, allowing for authentic sharing and healing.

Together, we will explore techniques such as EMDR and Mindfulness, integrated with other therapeutic approaches, to address the challenges related to immune and nervous system regulation, sleep disturbances, chronic pain and the grief that often accompanies chronic illness. We can talk about things like figuring out who we are now… since the onset of this illness- EVERYTHING changes. And it is a RAPID change. I usually tell people that I have been on “lock down, since lock down-” and this is true.

We then went through Hurricane Helene… and this trauma along with this illness is just a whole experience we may need to help each other with as well, if ready or desired. Moving from no control over one’s body, and such an unexpected illness, into this unexpected natural disaster, with no control over one’s space/environment along with diminished mental/emotional/physical capacity is just too much…

Your health matters. This is a space created physically to accommodate your needs and emotionally to nurture your spirit. Don’t wait! Text me now to set up a time to talk. Let’s support each other on this journey. Together, we can find strength and healing. Please don’t wait, as we all urgently need one another!

This is also a way to get therapy in a more affordable way as well ($50 per group).

I will give you more detailed information on health protocols, the space arrangements, location, etc. when we speak. I also intend to hear out each person and any specific needs in order to make accomodations if possible.

I am taking individual clients too. feel free to contact me about that as well, or instead! For the quickest response text me! Click here!

*If you are not a woman, and/or do not have “chronic” Long COVID, but want support, or if you are a caregiver or loved one of someone with this illness and need support, please contact me as well! I am open to starting more groups, and I am taking individual clients and couples as well currently. I am starting with this specific group as I am a woman with chronic Long COVID. However, many are being affected from this illness and I sincerely want to support anyone who is grappling with this.

*If you are interested in working strictly remotely, online, I am also open to starting an online group!

For the quickest response text me! Click here!

*scroll to the bottom for an invaluable document/resource for your health.