HOW I CAN HELP

In a session, we begin with your specific situation and first identify where illness is having the greatest impact on your life, and what you want to change, clarify or put in order.

From there, we look at different parts of the situation: the inner experience of illness, its impact on everyday life and, where relevant, navigating healthcare and the decisions that come with it. The focus depends on what brings you here. Often, these areas are intertwined.

On the inner level, we look at how illness has changed your relationship with yourself and with life, what has been lost because of it, what you want to preserve, and how to live with the body's limitations without illness becoming your entire identity. There is also space for questions of fear, uncertainty, loss, relationships, the future, and the changes illness can bring to a person's sense of who they are.

In everyday life, we look for specific ways to reduce demands and preserve as much independence, energy and quality of life as possible. We consider where the greatest difficulties lie and what might be adapted, simplified, replaced or organised differently.

When healthcare is part of the situation, the focus may be on preparing for appointments, organising a complex medical history, identifying key information and questions, or preparing for a second opinion. We can also work on communicating the impact of symptoms on everyday functioning and on self-advocacy in healthcare settings.

These parts of life are rarely separate. If illness means that work is no longer possible in the same way as before, this is not only a question of work. It may also affect financial security, everyday functioning, relationships and identity. We therefore do not look at one part of the situation in isolation, but at how the different parts affect one another.

And it is precisely here that we return to the central idea of Labirint: the third identity. The aim is neither a return to life before illness nor a life entirely defined by illness. We look for a way of living that takes the reality of the body into account while preserving as much as possible of what still allows you to recognise yourself in your life.

In counselling, I bring together the knowledge and approaches I am gaining through my ongoing education in the field of marriage and family therapy, my legal background, and my own experience of living with an invisible illness over many years.

A session lasts 50 minutes. There is no set number of sessions; it depends on what brings you here and what you want to address.

Online counselling is available internationally via Zoom.