Chronic Pain Therapists in 61822
Jenn Aardsma
Licensed Professional Counselor, MA, LCPC, CST, NCC
Verified Verified
Champaign, IL 61822
I believe deeply in the power of relationships for growth and healing. If we have the privilege of working together, I will listen attentively to understand your experiences. When applicable, I will seek to help you recognize and develop your strengths and skills to respond effectively to life’s many difficulties and opportunities. Areas of support include guidance for concerns with anxiety, depression, OCD, panic attacks, PTSD, anger, grief, mood disorders, personality disorders, impulse control, relationship challenges, sexual pain disorders and concerns regarding gender and sexuality.
I believe deeply in the power of relationships for growth and healing. If we have the privilege of working together, I will listen attentively to understand your experiences. When applicable, I will seek to help you recognize and develop your strengths and skills to respond effectively to life’s many difficulties and opportunities. Areas of support include guidance for concerns with anxiety, depression, OCD, panic attacks, PTSD, anger, grief, mood disorders, personality disorders, impulse control, relationship challenges, sexual pain disorders and concerns regarding gender and sexuality.
Emily M Burchfield
Counselor, MA, LCPC
Verified Verified
5 Endorsed
Champaign, IL 61822 (Online Only)
From time to time, everyone has struggles in life, whether it's adjusting to loss or transitions, coping with problems in relationships, or with balancing the demands of daily life. Though it can really help to talk things over with a professional counselor, sometimes people hesitate, fearing the possibility of being judged or not understood. I believe that providing a safe, trusting, and nonjudgmental environment is one of the most important elements of good therapy, an element that allows positive change to occur.
From time to time, everyone has struggles in life, whether it's adjusting to loss or transitions, coping with problems in relationships, or with balancing the demands of daily life. Though it can really help to talk things over with a professional counselor, sometimes people hesitate, fearing the possibility of being judged or not understood. I believe that providing a safe, trusting, and nonjudgmental environment is one of the most important elements of good therapy, an element that allows positive change to occur.
My name is Dr. Nashat Shams, and I'm a physician and a Health Psychologist who has worked in this industry since 2005. I have vast experience in counseling individuals with diverse cultural backgrounds and with different age groups. I don't treat diagnoses but clients with compassion and empathy. My interventional approach is CBT, Mindful, and TEAM-CBT. Due to my family background, I'm sensitive to and respectful of various cultures and social backgrounds. I started the journey as a physician and finally became a Ph.D. clinician as I found that the human body cannot be treated without having a healthy mind.
My name is Dr. Nashat Shams, and I'm a physician and a Health Psychologist who has worked in this industry since 2005. I have vast experience in counseling individuals with diverse cultural backgrounds and with different age groups. I don't treat diagnoses but clients with compassion and empathy. My interventional approach is CBT, Mindful, and TEAM-CBT. Due to my family background, I'm sensitive to and respectful of various cultures and social backgrounds. I started the journey as a physician and finally became a Ph.D. clinician as I found that the human body cannot be treated without having a healthy mind.
Hello, I'm Neelma Zafar, a dedicated mental health therapist committed to breaking down the stigma surrounding mental well-being. Regardless of your cultural background, I firmly believe that your mental and emotional health deserves the same attention as your physical well-being. Taking the courageous step to seek help can be daunting, but I am here to meet you where you are, embracing your unique strengths. My therapeutic approach is rooted in trauma-focused and evidence-based methods, empowering clients on their journey to healing.
Hello, I'm Neelma Zafar, a dedicated mental health therapist committed to breaking down the stigma surrounding mental well-being. Regardless of your cultural background, I firmly believe that your mental and emotional health deserves the same attention as your physical well-being. Taking the courageous step to seek help can be daunting, but I am here to meet you where you are, embracing your unique strengths. My therapeutic approach is rooted in trauma-focused and evidence-based methods, empowering clients on their journey to healing.
Do you often feel sad and struggle to get through the day? Do you have difficulty finding the energy to engage in self care practices? Have you been through trauma or loss which has negatively impacted you? Do you just feel stuck and need support, guidance, and encouragement with navigating how to move forward? I primarily work with adult and adolescent populations in navigating life transitions and stressors which leave us feeling stuck, depressed, and anxious while struggling to function in the ways we desire. I enjoy supporting others in navigating their life journey and finding ways to create positive change.
Do you often feel sad and struggle to get through the day? Do you have difficulty finding the energy to engage in self care practices? Have you been through trauma or loss which has negatively impacted you? Do you just feel stuck and need support, guidance, and encouragement with navigating how to move forward? I primarily work with adult and adolescent populations in navigating life transitions and stressors which leave us feeling stuck, depressed, and anxious while struggling to function in the ways we desire. I enjoy supporting others in navigating their life journey and finding ways to create positive change.
It is no secret that mental distress can be a devastating roadblock in life. It is my hope that together, we can create a completely safe and understanding environment in which we can work together toward achieving balance, implementing healthy coping strategies, and navigating life’s many obstacles toward growth. Therapy can be quite a daunting step to take for many, but I have no doubt in my mind that together, we can lay the foundation for personal growth.
It is no secret that mental distress can be a devastating roadblock in life. It is my hope that together, we can create a completely safe and understanding environment in which we can work together toward achieving balance, implementing healthy coping strategies, and navigating life’s many obstacles toward growth. Therapy can be quite a daunting step to take for many, but I have no doubt in my mind that together, we can lay the foundation for personal growth.
My passion for helping people has always been a part of who I am. Most of my interest and education in mental health was born from my own adversity and life challenges. I offer Christian life coaching and aim to support individuals who want to grow in their marriage, parenting, or ability to work through stress management, eating disorders, and trauma. My coaching certifications are in: Executive & Organizational Coaching, Eating Disorders, Marriage & Family, Childhood, Attachment, Stress, trauma, and adoption.
My passion for helping people has always been a part of who I am. Most of my interest and education in mental health was born from my own adversity and life challenges. I offer Christian life coaching and aim to support individuals who want to grow in their marriage, parenting, or ability to work through stress management, eating disorders, and trauma. My coaching certifications are in: Executive & Organizational Coaching, Eating Disorders, Marriage & Family, Childhood, Attachment, Stress, trauma, and adoption.
Dr. Poppy’s approach to psychotherapy develops client-centered foundations of empathy, acceptance, and support with clients to facilitate cognitive-behavioral and family systems therapies. His assessment interest areas include attention, mood, personality, developmental disorders, autism, and learning. His interest areas for therapy include child behavior, depression, anxiety, eating disorders, trauma, life adjustment, and couple and family relationships. He welcomes opportunities to recognize and support diversity.
Dr. Poppy’s approach to psychotherapy develops client-centered foundations of empathy, acceptance, and support with clients to facilitate cognitive-behavioral and family systems therapies. His assessment interest areas include attention, mood, personality, developmental disorders, autism, and learning. His interest areas for therapy include child behavior, depression, anxiety, eating disorders, trauma, life adjustment, and couple and family relationships. He welcomes opportunities to recognize and support diversity.
See more therapy options for 61822
Chronic Pain Therapists
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.