Elizabeth Mellin, PhD, LPC, ACS

I offer insurance-accessible therapy for people navigating the intersection of trauma and chronic illness. These experiences don’t exist in isolation. Trauma can take root in childhood neglect, family conflict, abuse, religious harm, medical misogyny, and years of being dismissed, disbelieved, or left to cope alone. Over time, this kind of stress can reshape the nervous system, disrupt immune and hormonal regulation, fuel inflammation, and change how the body processes pain, fatigue, and illness. While trauma doesn’t directly cause chronic illness, research shows that it can increase vulnerability by impacting the systems that regulate stress, immunity, and pain perception. Many people I work with find themselves wondering: Is this physical? Is this trauma? Is it both? These aren’t easy questions. Trauma and illness often overlap in the same nervous system, creating layered patterns of suffering and confusion. That doesn’t make your symptoms “psychosomatic” or “all in your head”—it means your whole system has been working hard to protect you. Therapy can help you listen to what your body is telling you, make sense of what you’re carrying, and move toward a more compassionate, sustainable way of being. Many of my clients live with conditions like fibromyalgia, POTS, rheumatoid arthritis, long COVID, autoimmune disorders, or chronic pain. Others carry a deep exhaustion no amount of rest can fix. These symptoms are often accompanied by grief, anger, anxiety, shame, or the weight of being misunderstood—by doctors, employers, or even loved ones. Therapy offers a space to tend to what’s beneath the surface. Together, we might explore: • Navigating medical trauma and distrust in healthcare • Identity shifts, internalized ableism, and disability grief • Parenting with limited capacity or fluctuating energy • Working with pain, fatigue, and brain fog • Relationship strain, boundary challenges, and caregiving dynamics • Dating and sex while living with chronic illness • Grieving the loss of a former self or imagined future • Rebuilding trust in your body and restoring nervous system safety I’m Liz—a queer therapist with lived experience of how trauma can show up in the body. I’ve pursued advanced training in mindfulness, sex therapy, and trauma therapy to support others walking a similar path. I believe healing isn’t about fixing yourself; it’s about tending gently to what trauma and illness have shaped. If this resonates, you’re welcome to email or text me to schedule a brief initial consultation (no charge). My practice is warm, direct, and grounded in the belief that you are not broken. Your body has been telling the story all along.