SCIENCEWORKS
BEHAVIORAL HEALTHCARE
Complete Care for all Neurotypes
Therapy | Assessments | Coaching
Chronic Illness and Medical Trauma Therapy in Tennessee
If your body has been through a lot, it makes sense that your mind, mood, and nervous system feel worn out, on edge, or shut down. At ScienceWorks Behavioral Health, we offer trauma-informed chronic illness therapy via telehealth across Tennessee to help you navigate symptoms, appointments, and life changes with more support and less self-blame. Schedule a Consultation to see whether this approach feels like a good fit for you.
You might be a good fit for chronic illness therapy if:
You have chronic illness, complex diagnoses, or long medical histories and feel like your whole life now revolves around symptoms, appointments, and recovery.
You have experienced scary, invalidating, or confusing medical procedures or hospital stays that still show up as anxiety, panic, shutdown, or nightmares.
You have felt dismissed, gaslit, or not believed by medical providers, and you are tired of wondering if you are "too sensitive" or "making it up".
You are trying to balance work, school, caregiving, or parenting with flares, fatigue, and brain fog, and it feels like there is never enough energy to go around.
You want a therapist who understands chronic illness, disability, and neurodivergence—and will coordinate with your medical care instead of telling you to “just think positive.â€
Top Statistics Related to Chronic Illness and Medical Trauma Therapy
Stat 1: In 2023, 76.4% of U.S. adults reported at least one chronic condition (CDC PCD published 2025). https://www.cdc.gov/pcd/issues/2025/24_0539.htm
Stat 2: In 2023, 51.4% of U.S. adults reported multiple chronic conditions (CDC PCD PDF, published 2025). https://www.cdc.gov/pcd/issues/2025/pdf/24_0539.pdf
Stat 3: In the U.S., 42% of people have two or more chronic conditions and 12% have at least five (CDC PCD published 2024). https://www.cdc.gov/pcd/issues/2024/23_0267.htm
Stat 4: 90% of the nation's $4.9 trillion in annual health care expenditures are for people with chronic and mental health conditions (CDC updated 2025-08-08). https://www.cdc.gov/chronic-disease/data-research/facts-stats/index.html
Stat 5: In Tennessee, 16.1% of adults had three or more chronic health conditions (2022). https://www.americashealthrankings.org/explore/measures/CHC/TN
Stat 6: Pooled prevalence of PTSD symptoms shortly after ICU discharge was 25.69% (systematic review/meta-analysis, 2019). https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6560853/
When Chronic Illness Therapy Can Help
People across Tennessee often reach out for chronic illness and medical trauma therapy when they realize that their medical story is affecting far more than just their lab results. Maybe you are in the middle of a new diagnosis, living with long-term conditions, or recovering from medical trauma and starting to notice the emotional toll.
Chronic illness therapy may be helpful if you are experiencing:
Health-related anxiety, panic, or dread before appointments, procedures, or lab results.
Flashbacks, body memories, or shutdown when you see hospitals, needles, or medical equipment.
Grief, anger, or numbness about the life you had before illness, injury, or disability.
Burnout from advocating for yourself in medical settings, fighting to be believed, or managing endless paperwork.
Difficulty pacing yourself or managing energy, swinging between pushing too hard and crashing for days.
Tension in relationships as friends, family, or coworkers struggle to understand what you are going through.
Feeling like your identity has been swallowed by diagnoses, symptoms, or a medical chart.
You are not broken, dramatic, or "too much". Your body and nervous system have been through a lot, and they are doing their best to keep you safe. Therapy can give you new tools, language, and support so you do not have to carry this alone.
How Chronic Illness Therapy Works at ScienceWorks
Chronic illness and medical trauma therapy at ScienceWorks weaves together trauma-focused therapy, health psychology, somatic awareness, CBT, and acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT). We adapt these evidence-based approaches for neurodivergent adults and people managing complex medical conditions, so sessions fit your energy, sensory needs, and real-life constraints.
What Sessions Look Like
Gentle Assessment and Story-Gathering
In the first sessions, we move at your pace to understand your medical history, diagnoses, symptoms, and the experiences that still feel stuck. We listen for patterns in flares, triggers, and stress, and begin naming how chronic illness, disability, and trauma are impacting your daily life.Collaborative Plan That Respects Your Energy
Together we identify what matters most to you - easing appointment anxiety, building pacing and energy-management strategies, processing specific medical traumas, or reducing guilt around rest. We draw from CBT and ACT to notice unhelpful thought patterns while building more flexible, self-compassionate ways of responding.Trauma-Informed Skills and Body Awareness
Using somatic awareness and trauma-focused therapy, we help you build a toolkit for working with your nervous system: grounding during procedures, recovering after flares, and noticing early signs of overwhelm. We practice advocacy scripts, boundary-setting with providers, and pacing plans that are realistic for your body.Ongoing Support and Adjustments
Chronic illness is rarely linear. We expect ups and downs and adjust your plan as life, symptoms, and medical care change. We check in regularly about what is helping, what feels like too much, and how to keep therapy sustainable alongside the rest of your life.
Our style is collaborative, neurodivergent-affirming, and paced with your nervous system. There is no gold star for pushing past your limits. We will never shame you for canceling when you are sick, needing to lie down during session, turning your camera off, or asking to slow down trauma work. We focus on practical support, kind honesty, and experiments that fit the reality of your body.
Who We Help in Tennessee and Across Tennessee
We provide chronic illness and medical trauma therapy via secure telehealth to adults physically located anywhere in Tennessee. Our clients often live with chronic illness, medical trauma, health-related anxiety, disability-related stress, burnout, and grief and are looking for a therapist who understands that their symptoms are real, complex, and not "all in their head".
Neurodivergent adults (including ADHD, autism, OCD, and PDA-style demand avoidance) who are also navigating chronic illness or disability.
Adults managing conditions like chronic pain, autoimmune illness, POTS, EDS, MCAS, long COVID, or other complex medical diagnoses.
People who have experienced frightening or invalidating medical events, surgeries, ICU stays, or misdiagnoses that still feel unresolved.
Folks balancing work, school, caregiving, or parenting while dealing with fatigue, flares, mobility changes, and brain fog.
People exploring disability identity, accommodations, and pacing after a new diagnosis or progression of symptoms.
Adults whose earlier trauma histories (including childhood or complex trauma) intersect with current medical experiences.
Sessions are offered via secure video telehealth by clinicians licensed in Tennessee. To work with us for therapy, you will need to be physically located in Tennessee during sessions, whether you are in Nashville, Knoxville, Memphis, Chattanooga, or another part of the state.
Why Choose ScienceWorks for Chronic Illness Therapy?
Neurodivergent- and Illness-Affirming Care
We believe your symptoms and your story. Many of our clients have been told they are too anxious, noncompliant,or "it is all in your head". At ScienceWorks, we take your lived experience seriously and work to create a space where chronic illness, disability, and neurodivergence are understood - not minimized or blamed.
Evidence-Based, Health Psychology-Informed
Our clinicians draw from trauma-focused therapy, health psychology, somatic awareness, CBT, and ACT to support both your emotional wellbeing and your day-to-day functioning. We stay grounded in research while adapting tools for real bodies, real limitations, and real medical complexity. Therapy is designed to complement - not replace - your medical care.
Coordination With Your Medical Team
With your permission, we can coordinate with your physicians, specialists, or other providers to help your care feel more cohesive. That might mean sharing therapy goals, offering context about how procedures affect you, or helping you prepare questions and advocacy scripts for upcoming appointments. We do not provide medical advice or prescribe medication, but we can be part of your broader support system.
Pacing, Energy Management, and Gentle Trauma Work
We pay close attention to pacing and energy management so therapy does not become one more drain on your system. Together we experiment with realistic rest plans, boundary-setting, and sustainable routines. When we process medical trauma, we do so gently and collaboratively, always respecting your consent, limits, and timing.
Getting Started with Chronic Illness Therapy in Tennessee
Starting therapy while you are already juggling symptoms, appointments, and everyday life can feel overwhelming. We keep the process as simple and low-pressure as we can.
Reach Out
Complete our brief contact form at scienceworkshealth.com/contact and mention that you are interested in chronic illness and medical trauma therapy in Tennessee. You can share as little or as much detail as feels workable right now.We Match You With a Clinician
Our team reviews your information, confirms that our services are likely to be a good fit, and connects you with a clinician who has experience with chronic illness, disability, and trauma. If it seems like another service—such as specialized therapy or assessment might also be helpful, we will talk that through with you.Begin Telehealth Sessions
In your early sessions, we focus on understanding your story, clarifying what you would like to be different, and setting a pace that respects your energy and medical realities. We will also cover logistics like scheduling, communication, fees, and how to prepare for sessions on days when symptoms are heavy.
If you are in Nashville, Knoxville, Memphis, Chattanooga, or anywhere in Tennessee and living with chronic illness or medical trauma, you are welcome here. Schedule a Consultation to get started with chronic illness therapy, or reach out through our contact form to ask questions and see whether we are a good fit.
FAQs About Chronic Illness Therapy in Tennessee
Q: Do you offer chronic illness therapy entirely online?
A: Yes. All of our chronic illness and medical trauma therapy for Tennessee residents is provided via secure telehealth. You can attend sessions from home, work, or wherever you have enough privacy, as long as you are physically located in Tennessee at the time of your appointment.
Q: Is this therapy a replacement for medical treatment?
A: No. Therapy is meant to work alongside your medical care, not replace it. We do not prescribe medication or make medical decisions, but we can help you cope with symptoms, navigate anxiety around procedures, and communicate more effectively with your providers. Think of us as part of your support team, focusing on your emotional wellbeing, coping, and quality of life.
Q: What if I also have ADHD, autism, OCD, or a trauma history?
A: You are in the right place. Many of our clients are neurodivergent and have multiple diagnoses. We offer support for concerns like OCD, trauma, and executive functioning, and we keep all of that in mind when working with chronic illness. You can read more about related services like our OCD treatment, trauma therapy, and executive function coaching.
Q: How long does chronic illness therapy usually last, and what about fees?
A: Length of therapy varies. Some people work with us for a few months around a specific medical event or transition; others prefer ongoing support as their health picture evolves. We will talk openly about your goals, financial considerations, and practical needs so we can plan something sustainable. We are glad to discuss current fees, insurance-related questions, and options like using HSA/FSA funds during your consultation, so you can make informed decisions.
About ScienceWorks Behavioral Health
ScienceWorks Behavioral Health is a neurodivergent-affirming practice offering therapy, psychological assessments, coaching, and groups for people whose lives do not fit neatly into checkboxes. We regularly work with chronic illness, medical trauma, ADHD, autism, OCD, anxiety, and related concerns, and we value collaboration with your broader care team. You can learn more about our services—including specialized therapy, psychological assessments, groups, and CBT-I for insomnia—on our website.
Learn more about our team, including Dr. Kiesa Kelly and other clinicians, at scienceworkshealth.com.
