medical trauma & health-related life
When illness changes not just your body, but your entire sense of who you are.
this may be for you if...
you've received a cancer diagnosis, at any stage
you're living with a chronic illness
you've experienced a sudden disability or health event
you fear recurrence and can't stop waiting for bad news
you've lost trust in your body
you're struggling to return to work after illness
you feel like a different person since your diagnosis
others expect you to be 'back to normal' but you're not
areas of focus
cancer survivorship
The complex emotional, relational, and identity challenges that continue long after treatment ends. The 'new normal' that isn't normal at all.
chronic illness
Living with ongoing health conditions that reshape your capacity, your relationships, and your sense of who you are and what your life can be.
sudden disability
The acute identity disruption that follows an unexpected health event, an accident, stroke, or sudden diagnosis that changes your physical reality overnight.
fear of recurrence
The hypervigilance, anticipatory grief, and loss of bodily trust that can persist long after a medical event has resolved.
returning to work after illness
The physical recovery may be complete, but the professional and identity challenges of re-entering the workplace after illness are often just beginning when you are not quite the same person who left.
identity loss after illness
The sense of discontinuity of being a "before" and "after" person, and the work of integrating these two selves
how therapy can help
Therapy for medical trauma is not about "getting over" it or "moving on". It is about making sense of what has happened, integrating the experience into your life story, and finding a way to inhabit your changed self with dignity and meaning.
This is not a short-term process. The work is non-linear and takes time. But it is possible and for many people, it becomes some of the most meaningful work they have ever done.
ready to talk?
I offer a brief initial conversation to explore whether this practice is the right fit for you. No obligation, no pressure.
OPEN TO ADULTS OF ANY AGE FACING MEDICAL TRAUMA
Yolande Barkhuysen, Master of Counselling
Australian Counselling Association (ACA) | ACA College of Supervisors
If you are in crisis, please contact Lifeline 13 11 14 or Beyond Blue 1300 22 4636