Counselling Support for Managing
Chronic Illness in Australia
What is Meant by the Term ‘Chronic Illness’
“Chronic illness” can have both a medical and an everyday meaning. Medically, it refers to long-term health conditions that typically last for several months or more. In everyday language, people often use it more broadly to describe ongoing or recurring health challenges that affect daily life. They can be diagnosed conditions including autoimmune conditions, migraine disorders or endometriosis. Or conditions that feature ongoing, disruptive symptoms that may not yet have a clear diagnosis.
How Counselling Can Support You or a Loved One Living with Chronic Illness
Chronic illness isn’t just about managing the symptoms, it often brings up challenges that aren’t visible to others. You might find yourself or a loved one with chronic illness facing:
Loss of identity
Feeling disconnected from the person you once were or struggling to adjust to a body with new limitations.
Being misunderstood
Friends, family, or colleagues may not fully grasp what you’re going through, leaving you feeling isolated.
Medical trauma
Challenging experiences with healthcare systems, misdiagnoses, or difficult ongoing treatments can leave us feeling fearful, skeptical or let down by our healthcare system.
Exhaustion and burnout
The physical and emotional toll of managing your condition can lead to fatigue, overwhelm, and a sense of being stuck.
Counselling can provide a supportive space to explore these challenges. Whether you’re navigating your own experience of invisible illness or supporting someone you love, we can work on managing emotions like grief, frustration and burnout; improve communication and understanding, and find practical ways to cope and maintain emotional wellbeing.
Chronic Illness Counselling at Among Puffins is provided from a compassionate, anti-oppressive and systemic approach. We recognise that societal systems aren’t always designed to support people whose productivity, capacity, or abilities are affected by chronic illness. Internalised messages from these systems can contribute to feelings of frustration, guilt, and shame. Counselling provides a space to explore these pressures and develop strategies to navigate them with self-compassion and agency.
Reach out today to see if counselling with Liz at Among Puffins Counselling is a good fit for you and your needs.