Chronic Illness Therapists in New York, NY

As a licensed clinical social worker and private psychotherapist, I am interested in supporting individuals, couples, and families coping with such issues as anxiety, depression, infertility, relationship challenges, and life transitions. I have extensive experience working with those facing chronic illness, end-of-life- challenges, and bereavement and have completed advanced clinical training in family therapy at the Ackerman Institute for the Family. I take a client-centered, relational approach and strive to create a safe, warm, and supportive space for joint exploration, in which clients can feel comfortable exploring and addressing their thoughts and challenges.

People often come to a therapist because they want to talk about being anxious, being lonely, feeling depressed, having difficulty in relationships, feeling stressed and burned out, or having a hard time taking care of themselves and others. I aim to help people to reduce symptoms (e.g., anxiety, pain) and, more generally, to engage in personal growth and to foster a more connected, meaningful life by focusing on mind and body wellness. I will work with you to help you cope more effectively; in doing so, I focus on your strengths and potential.

Each person brings to therapy a unique life story that deserves to be heard in a trusting and respectful environment. We will spend the first sessions gaining an understanding of who you are and what brings you to therapy. Together, we will develop a tailored plan with realistic goals that address your specific needs and desires. We will move through the sessions at a pace that feels safe and meaningful and we will build a therapeutic collaboration that enables us to explore your thoughts and feelings with nonjudgmental curiosity and kind openness to your life experiences.

I am Dr. Lara DiCarlo, a Licensed Clinical Psychologist. I have prioritized working with marginalized communities over the past decade as a psychotherapist. People most often come to me for concerns with anxiety, chronic illness, depression, identity, life transitions, perinatal period, and relationships (attachment, family, peer, romantic, sexual). I primarily offer individual therapy for late teens and adults of all ages, with a specialization in working with young adults. My approach is warm, engaging, empowering, and collaborative. I also offer appointments for gender affirming letters and personality/psychopathology assessment.

You are a strong woman feeling overwhelmed navigating complex health issues such as chronic illness, chronic pain, anxiety, infertility or pregnancy loss. You are an intelligent, high achieving woman who is dealing with the grief of a diagnosis, pregnancy after loss, infertility or chronic illness. You are juggling it all: a career, family, a romantic partner, friends, dating and your health. You want to figure out a way to not just survive with women's health issues but to thrive and live your life fully each day. You need support, a place to process your grief and coping skills to walk through this difficult situation.

Do you feel like nobody understands you? Do you feel alone, isolated, forgotten, or unwanted? Nobody deserves to feel that way. I commend you for taking the first step to prioritizing your mental health by seeking support. I’m happy you’re here. I’m passionate about acknowledging the unique experiences of individuals and strive to make individuals of all gender identities, sexualities, cultures, disabilities, and backgrounds, feel heard, validated, and accepted. I do this by ensuring that all my clients are given a safe and inclusive environment to freely express themselves.

I am a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) with a passion for collaborative and interactive therapy. My goal is to empower individuals by tailoring my approach to their unique needs and aspirations. My experience spans across various age groups, from adolescents to adults, and I have worked extensively with individuals dealing with anxiety, depression, chronic illness, life transitions, and other mental health concerns.

Psychotherapy offers a way to identify one’s thoughts, feelings and behaviors that result from life's naturally occurring challenges. This collaborative work encourages self-awareness and development of new ways of being. While I work with people seeking therapy for a variety of reasons, my specialties include mood disorders, relationship issues, and chronic illness/pain disorders. I integrate motivational, cognitive-behavioral and mindfulness-based approaches to help each person meet their goals. I also utilize a harm reduction framework to help individuals explore their substance use and identify opportunities for change.

Being a person can be hard. Living a life that best suits you as an individual is a work in progress. Along the way, there are undoubtedly challenges. Sometimes, our experiences leave us confused, overwhelmed, and in need of some support. As a therapist, my role is to help understand where you’ve been, where you’d like to go, and help you get there. It’s possible to move from getting by to feeling you have agency over your own life and choices. I specialize in working with challenging life events such as trauma, major life changes, relationship distress, and chronic illnesses. I also work with C-PTSD and Narcissistic Abuse recovery.

Often when people are faced with life's challenges, they do not realize how strong they can be. I work with children and families who are struggling with the impact of divorce, learning disabilities, sudden or chronic illness, disability, trauma, loss, neglect or abuse. Challenges can be difficult but they can also lead us to new emotional growth. My strength-based approach will help you and/or your children grow closer together, heal emotionally and find inner resiliency. I am committed to navigating with you, side by side, to help you be the best you can be!

Are you struggling to do what matters to you? Are you triggered by old wounds or perhaps experiencing symptoms that you have never had before? You may feel like your Brain is controlling you with negative messages about yourself and others. It would therefore be helpful to have someone to talk to AND teach you skills that will help you manage these difficult times. Are you a young adult having to live home due to economic and other concerns? You may feel invalidated by your loved ones and need support in order to move forward in your life. Is chronic illness exacerbating your symptoms?

I believe therapy should be a collaborative, exploratory, and compassionate space for clients to work toward their goals. I utilize a blend of different treatment modalities that are psychodynamic, relational, and trauma-informed, as well as integrate cognitive behavioral techniques and mindfulness practices when appropriate.

I am accepting new clients! My goal is to provide you with a safe and supportive environment where you can feel comfortable sharing and exploring your thoughts and feelings. I hope that together we can navigate the challenges, while also building awareness and gaining the tools you need to make positive changes in your life. I use humor, warmth and compassion in my sessions, and want you to feel as if we are working together to manage the stressors that have brought you here today.

I am passionate in helping clients explore the disparity between where they are now and where they want to be with their desired goals in life. I provide empathic listening, compassionate presence, and nonjudgmental support to my clients. I subscribe to the core values of trust, respect, empathy, warmth, and genuineness, which have been shown to elicit insight, healing, change, and growth in clients. My culturally sensitive approach makes me aware and appreciative of the layers of difference among the multiculturally diverse populations I work with.

Do you struggle with a chronic health condition that affects all aspects of your day-to-day life? Do you feel exhausted, overwhelmed, and worried that there is no light at the end of the tunnel? Have you had a provider gaslight you or insist that "it's all in your head?" Do you hope that your life will get better? More than ever, people with chronic illnesses are feeling frustrated by the countless treatments they have tried which have yielded little to no benefit. They have been dismissed by various providers, and have trying to find a new way in life. Getting better should not be so hard, and I am here to help you get going!

Asking for help is one of the strongest things you can do, but it can also be one of the hardest because of past experience of not being heard, believed, or supported. Extreme stressors and traumatic events - including new or ongoing health conditions - affect every aspect of our lives and can make relationships - with family, friends, colleagues, and even healthcare providers - very challenging. The impact of these events can make us feel isolated, misunderstood, and unsupported (even by the well-intentioned). They can lead us to make choices we aren't proud of and limit our enjoyment of life in general.

I am committed to creating a soft, genuine, relational space for my clients to get to know their inner systems. I have a graduate degree in Social Work, and I am trained in Internal Family Systems (IFS). I have been engaged with the IFS model for over nine years, and it is the primary model I use for psychotherapeutic work. I have assisted as a staff member on three Level 1 IFS trainings, helping other therapists and practitioners learn the model.

Do you struggle with physical bodily sensations that control your life? Are feelings of chronic pain or illness, agitation, fatigue, anxiety, depression, or brain fog familiar to you? Or do you feel completely disconnected from your body, feeling numb or struggling to feel anything at all? You may feel as though you do not understand parts of yourself, but I'm here to remind you that you are not broken. You are a human being trying to live a happy, healthy life. From chronic illness to anxiety, depression, and trauma, I focus on mind-body work for providing relief and helping you feel whole again.

I work with adults, couples and older adolescents (16+) who are coping with a wide variety of life challenges including depression, anxiety, acute or chronic illness, physical pain, caregiver stress, sleep difficulties, relationship strain, divorce, trauma, role changes, life transitions, grief and loss. I also have extensive experience in medical social work, palliative care, and facilitating difficult end-of-life planning discussions.