Health Psychology (Insomnia, Chronic Pain, Chronic Medical Illness, Disordered Eating, etc.)
What is Medical/Health Psychology?
Health Psychology focuses on the intersection of your physical health and emotional well-being. Receiving a medical diagnosis or managing an ongoing and chronic disorder can be life-altering. If you are struggling with a chronic medical condition, insomnia, chronic pain, migraine, or if you’ve recently received a new and potentially life-threatening diagnosis, you don’t have to go through this journey alone.
Insomnia
COPE clinicians are trained in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia (CBTi). CBTi is a short-term, structured, evidence-based treatment for chronic insomnia that involves recognizing and changing the behaviors and thinking patterns that may be exacerbating your sleeping difficulties. The first step is recognizing how insomnia develops and the ways in which short-term strategies for sleep difficulties may actually contribute to long term problems with sleep. Other components of CBTi involve improving your sleep associations in order to more easily fall asleep as well as optimizing your sleep behaviors in order to have a less variable sleep pattern and increase quality of sleep. Research has shown significant improvements in ability to fall asleep and stay asleep in as few as 6-8 50-minute sessions of CBTi.
Chronic Pain
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Chronic Pain (CBT-CP) is a short-term, goal-directed, evidence-based treatment for individuals struggling with chronic pain, including chronic fatigue, migraine, musculoskeletal pain, or pain due to other medical conditions. COPE clinicians work closely with your physicians to monitor physical functioning and health, and treatment involves giving you the tools and strategies to put yourself back in the driver’s seat of your own life. As clinicians we are aware there is no “magic pill” to make all the pain go away, so CBT-CP offers strategies for changing your thoughts and behaviors and managing emotions related to the pain to improve your quality of life. Research has shown CBT to be as effective as medications or other strategies with improvements seen in as many as 10-15 50-minute sessions.
Chronic/New Medical Illness
Developing a new or serious health problem can disrupt all aspects of your life. Given that many of these conditions happen unexpectedly, experiencing feelings of grief, sadness, despair and shock is normal and expected. However, just because these reactions are expected does not mean you have bare this reality on your own. COPE clinicians are available to help navigate the emotional turmoil that a chronic or new medical illness can have in your life and offer coping strategies and skills to help you continue to engage in your life in a meaningful way.
Binge Eating Disorder/Disordered Eating
Health-related difficulties or conditions do not only entail medical diagnoses, but can also involve managing your health and wellness more generally. COPE clinicians have worked with many individuals dealing with symptoms of disordered eating or binge eating disorder. We utilize a Health at Every Size (HEAS) framework in order to heal wounds of diet culture, improve self-compassion and esteem, and tackle difficulties with cycles of restriction and binge eating.
How can COPE help?
Our clinicians are trained in evidence-based treatments to help you manage your medical or health-related diagnoses or complications. Accepting and managing chronic or acute health conditions comes with a host of challenges such as stress, anxiety, depression and changes in identity. At COPE we believe that giving you the tools to (1) process what this diagnosis means for you and your life and (2) manage the diagnosis in a way that you are able to lead a fulfilling and meaningful life, is the secret to healing. Contact us below for more detailed information about specific treatments for health-related conditions and difficulties.