Your lived experience will shapre your clinical work. I know, because as a therapist living with chronic regional pain syndrome (CRPS), I chose to center my practice on clients with chronic, hidden, and mental illness because I understand their pain in a way textbooks can’t teach. Whether you’re navigating your own chronic illness or seeking ways to align your work with your lived experience, you’ll find both inspiration and a step-by-step process to define a niche that’s deeply fulfilling and impactful.

Therapists are great at giving advice - but not always at taking it, especially when it comes to building a practice while managing the uniqueness of their own lives.

We encourage our clients not to compare, to honor their limits, and to define success on their own terms, yet so many of us struggle to do the same.

In this blog, I share what happens when comparison creeps in, how I navigate private practice with a hidden illness, and the lessons I’ve learned about redefining “enough” for myself.

Being a therapist, you already know that the emotional labor of holding space for others can quietly erode your health. In this honest and practical post, I share the boundary-setting shifts that helped me stop the cycle of burnout and start honoring my own healing. These aren’t just professional tips—they’re survival strategies for therapists who give so much while silently struggling themselves.

Therapists with hidden illnesses often push through fatigue, pain, or cognitive fog while still showing up with care and compassion. But the truth is—if your workspace doesn’t support you, it will slowly chip away at your energy, your presence, and ultimately your longevity in this field. The goal isn’t just to make it through your day—it’s to sustain yourself within it.

Here are five small but powerful ways to adapt your physical environment to protect your energy, increase comfort, and ensure your practice supports you as much as you support others.

Therapists with chronic or invisible illness often struggle with guilt—toward clients, family, and themselves. In this honest and supportive post, we explore the emotional toll of balancing clinical care with personal limitations, and offer compassionate strategies for self-care, boundary-setting, and practicing with integrity and sustainability. If you're a therapist managing chronic illness, this guide is a must-read for building a healthier, more balanced practice.

I start my day at 6am—not because I’m a morning person, but because that’s when my body and mind are at their best. I don’t see clients past 3pm, ever. Not because I don’t care, but because I’ve learned the hard way that pushing through chronic pain or fatigue doesn’t make me a better therapist—it makes me a burned-out one.

For years, I tried to live by the ‘shoulds’ I was taught: always be available, put the client first, work long hours. But those rules weren’t made for therapists living with invisible illnesses like fibromyalgia, chronic pain, or depression. It’s time we dismantle those ‘shoulds’ and rebuild practices that honor both our calling and our condition."