This group is for individuals with a chronic illness seeking support and tools to assist with increasing connection, meaning, and quality of life. It is a safe space to explore your experience with chronic illness and connect with others on the same journey. $20.00 per session
I am a current Resident in Counseling with experience working with adults with severe mental illness, a dual diagnosis, addictions, and those needing crisis stabilization.
This group is for individuals with a chronic illness seeking support and tools to assist with increasing connection, meaning, and quality of life. It is a safe space to explore your experience with chronic illness and connect with others on the same journey. $20.00 per session
This group is for individuals with chronic health issues wanting to increase their quality of life. It is a safe space to explore the losses of chronic illness and yoga practices that can help. The group is a committed, closed five week series beginning Friday August 21st and continuing each Friday through Friday September 18th.
I am a current Resident in Counseling with experience working with adults with severe mental illness, a dual diagnosis, addictions, and those needing crisis stabilization.
This group is for individuals with chronic health issues wanting to increase their quality of life. It is a safe space to explore the losses of chronic illness and yoga practices that can help. The group is a committed, closed five week series beginning Friday August 21st and continuing each Friday through Friday September 18th.
Online Groups
Are you tired of being tired? Do you feel like no one understands? You don't have to do this alone! Join us in creating community for teenagers navigating the emotional and physical challenges of chronic illness.
Are you tired of being tired? Do you feel like no one understands? You don't have to do this alone! Join us in creating community for teenagers navigating the emotional and physical challenges of chronic illness.
Virtual Women’s Mindfulness Group Women often carry the emotional weight of others while neglecting their own well-being. This group offers a supportive space to slow down, reconnect, and build community through shared mindfulness practice. What to Expect: Live, guided sessions via secure video. Simple practices to reduce stress and restore balance. Optional readings and between-session tools. A structured, non-therapy environment. Real-life tools for work, relationships, and emotional resilience Grounded in Jon Kabat-Zinn’s MBSR approach, this group invites you to show up for yourself—and alongside others—in a meaningful, sustainable way. Join us.
Hosted by Elizabeth M Wilkins-McKee
Clinical Social Work/Therapist, MSW, LCSW
Group meets in Alexandria, VA 22304
Virtual Women’s Mindfulness Group Women often carry the emotional weight of others while neglecting their own well-being. This group offers a supportive space to slow down, reconnect, and build community through shared mindfulness practice. What to Expect: Live, guided sessions via secure video. Simple practices to reduce stress and restore balance. Optional readings and between-session tools. A structured, non-therapy environment. Real-life tools for work, relationships, and emotional resilience Grounded in Jon Kabat-Zinn’s MBSR approach, this group invites you to show up for yourself—and alongside others—in a meaningful, sustainable way. Join us.
A Mindful Life is an 8-week Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) course taught to break the cycle of depression, anxiety, anger, and even chronic pain. MBCT is proven to be as effective as medication in preventing depression relapse, and daily mindfulness practice can increase calmness, improve concentration, significantly decrease stress. Developing self-compassion techniques is also an important part of the class. Each teacher practices mindfulness and/or meditation daily, have attended silent meditation retreats, and one has studied in India. Upon completion, course graduates are encouraged to attend a weekly FREE follow-up program.
Hosted by Robert 'Trip' Young
Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner, RN, MSN, PMHNP
Group meets in Henrico, VA 23228
A Mindful Life is an 8-week Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) course taught to break the cycle of depression, anxiety, anger, and even chronic pain. MBCT is proven to be as effective as medication in preventing depression relapse, and daily mindfulness practice can increase calmness, improve concentration, significantly decrease stress. Developing self-compassion techniques is also an important part of the class. Each teacher practices mindfulness and/or meditation daily, have attended silent meditation retreats, and one has studied in India. Upon completion, course graduates are encouraged to attend a weekly FREE follow-up program.
A space where you don’t have to explain your body, your energy, or your experience. This virtual therapeutic group offers adults living with chronic illness a place for connection, understanding, and support. Together, we’ll explore the emotional impact of chronic illness, changing or unpredictable bodies, pacing, self-compassion, and finding connection with others who get it. Thursdays, 10:30–11:30 AM | Sept. 10–Oct. 8 Led by Deborah Hudson, Resident in Counseling, MT-BC $65/session | Insurance & self-pay available Available in VA, WI, AZ, CO, IA & TX.
Hosted by Creekside Therapeutics
Licensed Professional Counselor, LPC, BCBA, RYT
Group meets in Lynchburg, VA 24502
A space where you don’t have to explain your body, your energy, or your experience. This virtual therapeutic group offers adults living with chronic illness a place for connection, understanding, and support. Together, we’ll explore the emotional impact of chronic illness, changing or unpredictable bodies, pacing, self-compassion, and finding connection with others who get it. Thursdays, 10:30–11:30 AM | Sept. 10–Oct. 8 Led by Deborah Hudson, Resident in Counseling, MT-BC $65/session | Insurance & self-pay available Available in VA, WI, AZ, CO, IA & TX.
Dates and information TBD. Please reach out for more information!
Additional experience with queer issues, chronic illness, parts work, estrangement, religious deconstruction, and immigration.
Dates and information TBD. Please reach out for more information!
Are you tired of being tired? Do you feel like no one understands? You don't have to do this alone! Join us in creating community for young adults navigating the emotional and physical challenges of chronic illness.
Are you tired of being tired? Do you feel like no one understands? You don't have to do this alone! Join us in creating community for young adults navigating the emotional and physical challenges of chronic illness.
Insight Works offers a 90-minute interactive class designed to help adults understand and change their experience of chronic pain. You will learn the science behind why pain becomes chronic and, more importantly, how to retrain your brain and nervous system so pain is no longer running your life. This virtual session focuses on practical, evidence-based strategies you can begin using right away. This is a class and not psychotherapy. Call or text 423-275-2121 or e-mail me through Peychology today for more information.
If you're feeling worn down by pain, anxiety, or stress and want an approach that is evidence-based, compassionate, and practical, I'd be glad to talk with you about whether working together feels like a good fit
Insight Works offers a 90-minute interactive class designed to help adults understand and change their experience of chronic pain. You will learn the science behind why pain becomes chronic and, more importantly, how to retrain your brain and nervous system so pain is no longer running your life. This virtual session focuses on practical, evidence-based strategies you can begin using right away. This is a class and not psychotherapy. Call or text 423-275-2121 or e-mail me through Peychology today for more information.
Balance is a skills-based support group for young adults (ages 16-22) managing life with a chronic illness (e.g., POTS, migraines, depression, Lyme). Living with a chronic condition brings unique challenges that can upset daily balance; it can be especially overwhelming and lonely as a young adult. This group offers a safe space for young people to connect and share their experiences while developing effective strategies to manage pain and fatigue. These strategies include activity pacing, movement, distress tolerance, scaling, and reframing. Dr. Gray (psychologist and pain management specialist) and Cate work to help participants achieve a more balanced approach to life demands.
Hosted by Cate Riihimaki
Licensed Professional Counselor, LPC, MEd, EdS
Group meets in Great Falls, VA 22066
Balance is a skills-based support group for young adults (ages 16-22) managing life with a chronic illness (e.g., POTS, migraines, depression, Lyme). Living with a chronic condition brings unique challenges that can upset daily balance; it can be especially overwhelming and lonely as a young adult. This group offers a safe space for young people to connect and share their experiences while developing effective strategies to manage pain and fatigue. These strategies include activity pacing, movement, distress tolerance, scaling, and reframing. Dr. Gray (psychologist and pain management specialist) and Cate work to help participants achieve a more balanced approach to life demands.
INQUIRE IF INTERESTED. Times and days will be determined by interest. Living with a chronic illness, chronic pain, or an invisible disability impacts far more than just your physical health. The constant weight of pacing, managing medical fatigue, and dealing with a world that expects constant productivity can feel deeply isolating. This therapist-led support group is designed as a safe, zero-pressure space for individuals navigating long-term or unknown health conditions. We focus on emotional validation, coping with the grief of lifestyle changes, processing medical trauma or gas-lighting, and building community with people who truly "get it.".
INQUIRE IF INTERESTED. Times and days will be determined by interest. Living with a chronic illness, chronic pain, or an invisible disability impacts far more than just your physical health. The constant weight of pacing, managing medical fatigue, and dealing with a world that expects constant productivity can feel deeply isolating. This therapist-led support group is designed as a safe, zero-pressure space for individuals navigating long-term or unknown health conditions. We focus on emotional validation, coping with the grief of lifestyle changes, processing medical trauma or gas-lighting, and building community with people who truly "get it.".
See more therapy options for Harrisonburg
Chronic Pain Support Groups
How does chronic pain therapy work?
Engaging with a psychotherapist to help treat chronic pain does not mean that one’s pain is all in their head. Therapy for chronic-pain patients has been shown to benefit both the mind and the body, targeting physical symptoms and increasing daily functioning. In other words, for many, addressing their emotional health through therapy affects their physical health. A therapist can help a client challenge unhelpful thoughts about pain and develop new ways to respond to it, such as distraction or calming breathing techniques. Studies have found that therapy can be as effective as surgery for certain cases of chronic pain and many doctors recommend trying psychotherapy in advance of considering invasive surgery.
What are the most effective treatment options for chronic pain?
Stress, anxiety, depression, catastrophizing, ruminating, lack of activity, and social withdrawal all make chronic pain worse. Addressing these issues, research shows, can help people gain control over their pain symptoms. Therapeutic approaches such as cognitive behavioral therapy, biofeedback, and mindfulness-based stress reduction, along with greater pain-management education, have been found to help people reduce fear and disability.
Are there new treatments for chronic pain?
Many cases of chronic pain, particularly those involving back pain, remain medically unexplained. But there is evidence that changes in the brain or nervous system are caused by previous physical ailments such as tissue damage; in such cases, the brain may continue to send out pain signals despite the physical cause having healed. To aid patients under these circumstances, a recently developed treatment known as pain reprocessing therapy (PRT) is designed to help the brain “unlearn” this response. A PRT practitioner helps individuals to reduce the “threat value” of their ongoing pain signals until they can reappraise them as less threatening and fear-inducing. They also help an individual to develop new emotional regulation skills.
How long does therapy for chronic pain take?
There is no set timeline for recovery from chronic pain, especially as there may be a range of physical and psychological causes for any individual’s discomfort, but most patients should expect to see a therapist for a number of weeks or months, typically spanning at least 12 sessions. Studies of pain reprocessing therapy found that many individuals’ experience of pain lessened in eight sessions over four weeks.