Victoria Rodriguez, PhD LPC, CCTP, NCC
Online counselor in Louisiana specializing in health anxiety, medical trauma, and neurodiversity affirming care
It doesn’t feel like your body anymore.
You wake up wondering if it will be a “bad” day or a “good” day. knowing your body will make that decision.
You might have migraines, stomach issues, and even chronic pain. Maybe you’re overwhelmed with managing a chronic illness, organizing doctor’s appointments, and keeping track of symptoms. You get embarrassed at the thought of feeling bad when you go out - so you just don't go out.
You're obsessed with “eating clean” or you have lost the ability to tell when you’re full or hungry because you feel so disconnected from your body and your cues. It doesn’t help when everyone from your co-workers to your distant family down the bayou keeps offering unsolicited advice. “Give up dairy, that’s really what’s making you sick” or “My daughter-in-law had your exact problem, you need to try keto (or paleo, or gluten free, etc.)”. You’ve jumped from diet to diet, but nothing really works.
If you’ve had a traumatic childbirth/pregnancy termination, complicated surgery, or long hospital stay or recovery, painful memories can prevent you from feeling fully connected to others and even to yourself. You keep thinking that recovery “can’t take this long” or that “living with a chronic illness can’t be this exhausting - what is WRONG?”. If you’re a healthcare professional yourself, you might notice the intense stress and secondary trauma of the job show up as back pain or constant exhaustion.
Hi, I’m Victoria
I help teens and adults in Louisiana just like you heal from health anxiety and medical trauma so you can feel safe in your body again.
Your body is your first home. It’s where you spend the most time, and you deserve to feel safe in it.
You’ve come to the right place. As a Licensed Professional Counselor in Louisiana, I use online counseling to help you build a new, loving relationship with your body even when dealing with acute medical issues and chronic illnesses. Together, we will work to help you find relief and feel comfortable in your body again.
Specialties for Online Counseling in Louisiana
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Health anxiety, or illness anxiety, is the fear that you may develop a terrible illness. If you have a chronic illness, you might experience anxiety directly from this illness or the symptoms.
Distressing medical experiences, such as a traumatic childbirth, complicated surgery, or medical emergency, can prevent you from feeling fully connected to others and even to yourself.
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Some autistic and ADHD experiences can make it especially difficult to recover from medical trauma or find comfort living with a chronic illness.
You might hyprfocus on each body part or, on the other extreme, you might find it difficult to understand your body’s cues that tell you when it’s time to eat or when you’re in pain. Counseling can help you reconnect to your body according to your sensory needs.
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When you experience pain in your body (from a chronic illness, medical trauma, or painful recovery), you might find yourself disconnecting from your body to avoid that pain. This can make it harder for you to pick up on your body’s hunger cues - leading to an unhealthy relationship with food.
As a Health At Every Size aligned and anti-diet practitioner, I believe people of all weights and body shapes can be at risk for developing disordered eating and are deserving of competent care.
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You got into this field to help people, but you never imagined it would be like this. You find yourself imagining what a life outside of healthcare would look like. You might even fantasize about quitting your job or entirely switching careers.
As a practitioner and for my PhD research, I have continued my work to support healthcare professionals just like you experiencing burnout and vicarious trauma.
My Approach to Counseling for Medical Issues
We have an obsession with discomfort. Why else would hospital beds be so uncomfortable? Why else would we ask grocery checkout employees or teachers to stand for hours at a time to “do their jobs better”? Why else would we keep recycling the phrase “no pain, no gain”?
I don’t buy this idea that discomfort is somehow better than being comfortable. That suffering makes us worthy of time off, or higher pay, or a better relationship. That’s why in my practice, we won’t push you beyond anything you’re ready to handle. We won’t force your body to do things it isn’t ready to do, and we won’t force you to talk about things until you feel ready. It is a radical, affirming act to prioritize your comfort.
My goal is to create a collaborative environment in counseling so that you can create a collaborative relationship with your mind and your body.
What is it really like to work together?
We talk about your barriers to feeling like yourself - Why do you feel so much pain? So much disconnection?
I will give you tools to set boundaries with others and even yourself when the inner critic comes out.
We will talk about ways that you can feel comfortable - even when talking about really hard topics.
Some of My Values
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Neurodiversity Affirming
If you’re Autistic, ADHD, or AuDHD, we will work with your thought patterns, not against them, to bring about real change in a way that feels authentic to who you are. Learn more about counseling for Autistic/ADHD experiences here.
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LGTBQIA+ Affirming
You are deserving of a space that does more than “accept” your body and identity - you deserve a space that celebrates it. I want your therapy to be one of those spaces. I’m Safe Zoned Trained, meaning I want therapy for you to feel safe, welcoming, and supportive.
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Health at Every Size (HAES) / Anti-Diet
Painful medical experiences can naturally make us disconnect from our body’s cues, which can cause an unhealthy relationship with food. I believe all bodies are deserving of trauma-informed care.
Why I Love Online Counseling
Picture it, Louisiana, 2020
A little about me: I worked for years in a very demanding community mental health job (if you’re a home health provider, you already know). I was traveling over 3-5 hours a day to see clients in their homes over multiple parishes. If you have a chronic illness or other medical issues, you know how taxing traveling can be. I was burned out and knew I couldn’t keep going at this pace while working on my PhD at the University of New Orleans at the same time.
Then the pandemic hit in 2020. And it was terrible, and life-changing, and….relieving? I know, it sounds terrible to say, but I’ve heard so many other work-from-home professionals and students say the same; the pandemic showed us that we did not have to be physically present to do our jobs or go to school. That we could be just as effective, if not more effective, when we were allowed to work on our own time or attend class online.
Online Counseling is Safe and Convenient
Online counseling, or telehealth, allows those of us who are home-bound or bed-bound, or who just have off-days, the chance to still receive quality, trauma-informed mental health care. For those of you who work during the day or who travel often, the flexibility of online counseling means you can access counseling according to your needs.
In-person counseling requires you to schedule time in for travel and requires the weather to be fair enough for travel. In Louisiana, we already know how a hurricane can seem to appear out of nowhere. It also means you’re limited to seeing a counselor only in your area. If you wanted an expert in health anxiety or medical trauma, you might have to travel hundreds of miles. I love how online counseling has allowed me to meet those of you who are disabled, neurodivergent, or recovering from medical procedures right where you feel the most comfortable: in your own space.
With online counseling, you can still meet me no matter where you are in Louisiana. You can go to your counseling session right from the comfort of your home or even a parked car with only a computer, tablet, or phone.
What is Trauma-Informed Care?
I’m a Certified Clinical Trauma Professional (CCTP) in Louisiana. This means I understand how trauma can show up in your thoughts, actions, and even your body. You might feel like you’re walking on eggshells, waiting for the rug to be pulled out from under. You clench your jaw or your back is in constant pain. You avoid getting close to people, and, yet, you still feel lonely. While these coping tools might have worked at one point to keep you safe, they might not be serving you at this point in your life.
This is a non judgemental space that means no matter what you bring into session, your safety and comfort are my top priority. Didn’t have the energy or in too much pain to shower or brush your teeth before your session? You are still welcome to show up authentically as yourself in your authentic, imperfect body.
Take The Next Step
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Step 1: Schedule Consultation
Call or text 985-441-7550 or email victoria@revivepractice.com to schedule your complimentary 15 minute consultation. Fees are $200 per session.
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Step 2: Work With Me
Meet weekly or every other week through our secure online video platform. You’ll process your emotions in a way that feels right to you and learn coping tools.
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Step 3: Find Comfort Again
Feel safe and comfortable in your body after a medical scare or while living with an illness. Feel connected to yourself again.
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