For teens and adults in Louisiana
Counseling for Health Anxiety and Medical Trauma
Medical issues can be exhausting for your body. But they can be equally exhausting for your mind.
The sleepless nights in the hospital. Managing multiple medications a day. Taking off work or school for appointments. Monitoring your symptoms wondering “Has this always been here? What if they missed something this time?”. The despair of receiving an unwanted diagnosis. You really just want relief at this point.
It’s difficult to feel comfortable when your own body keeps failing you
We say the phrase “Well at least you have your health” to try to ease suffering. That even when everything else falls apart, we assume the body is doing exactly what it was meant to do.
But for you and others with chronic illnesses and acute medical issues, your body can turn into your worst enemy with the ability to turn any moment into a crisis.
Some days, it doesn’t really feel like your body or even feel like you.
Whether you’re dealing with stomach issues that cause you to miss class, healing physically and mentally after a major surgery, or you’ve just received a cancer diagnosis, you deserve to feel safe in your body.
Hi, I’m Dr. Victoria Rodriguez
I help teens and adults in Louisiana just like you work through fear about your health and your body being “not just right” so you can feel safe in your body again.
What is counseling for health anxiety and medical trauma?
Dealing with medical issues can be a lonely experience, but it doesn't have to be. Counseling can help you feel supported during the scariest moments of a disease or the most draining parts of living with a chronic illness. My goal is to create a collaborative environment in counseling so that you can create a collaborative relationship with your mind and your body. Together, we will explore the strengths you already possess to find comfort even the worst moments.
I approach medically-related mental health issues from a holistic lens, meaning we will examine how your emotions and thoughts affect your physical symptoms and vice versa. For example, you might notice anxiety about your health causes panic attacks which causes other symptoms that feel like a heart attack (sweaty palms, heart racing, etc). which causes a panic attack…you see where this is going. Our job in counseling is to disrupt this feedback loop so you can feel your best.
Counseling can help you:
Examine potential causes to your health anxiety
Replace fearful thoughts about your health with confidence and self-compassion
Learn about tools you can use before and during your medical appointments for relaxation
Explore how this anxiety shows up in your body and affects your physical health
Lead a full life where you can go to restaurants with your friends, take vacations to new places, and make it through an entire day of work or school without your health anxiety stopping you
Read about health anxiety and medical trauma on our blog
