Counselling for People living with PCOS & Chronic Illness

for Women, Queer Folks, Neurodivergent People & Adult Children of Immigrants (18-55)

in Ontario, Nova Scotia and Alberta

Living with Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) or any chronic illness can feel like a full-time job – one that demands emotional labour, invisible endurance, and constant navigation through systems that don’t always listen, understand or care.

You may be living with symptoms that shift from day to day, doctors who dismiss your pain, or cultural expectations that don’t account for what it’s like to live in a body that resists control.

And at the same time, you may be holding:

  • Shame around your body

  • Guilt about how much you can or can’t do

  • A quiet grief for the parts of life that feel out of reach

 

PCOS & Chronic Illness Are More Than Medical Conditions

The emotional weight of chronic illness often goes unseen.
PCOS, for example, is not “just” irregular periods or hormonal fluctuations. It’s:

  • Living in a body that doesn’t respond to mainstream solutions

  • Navigating weight stigma, medical gaslighting, or fatphobia

  • Managing symptoms like fatigue, pain, hair growth, or acne that affect self-image

  • Constantly questioning your own memory, motivation, or ability to keep up

  • Feeling disconnected from your body – or trapped inside it

And when chronic illness intersects with queerness, neurodivergence or immigrant experiences, the impacts compound.

When Identity & Illness Intersect

You might be:

  • A queer or nonbinary person navigating gendered healthcare systems

  • A racialized immigrant trying to advocate for care in a second (or third) language

  • A neurodivergent person with executive functioning challenges who’s expected to track complex medical data

  • A woman who was told for years that your symptoms were “normal” or “psychosomatic”

  • Someone who carries medical trauma, fear of not being believed, or exhaustion from having to “prove” your pain

These stories deserve space. You deserve care that holds the whole of you – not just a diagnosis.

In Therapy, We Can Explore

Counselling is a place to rest the part of you that always has to hold it together.
It’s a space to name the hard parts – and imagine something softer.

Together, we can work through:

  • The emotional impact of chronic illness, pain, and misdiagnosis

  • Body image, shame, and your relationship to weight, body size and shape, food, or self-care

  • The grief and loss of energy, intimacy, fertility or freedom that often go unnamed

  • Navigating medical systems with more self-trust and less self-blame

  • Hormonal fluctuations, executive dysfunction, or trauma responses

  • Reclaiming a relationship with your body that centres compassion, not control

This is not about pushing through. It’s about learning to listen inward, with care.

You Are Not a Problem to Be Solved

You are not lazy. You are not dramatic. You are not making it up.
Your body has carried you through more than most people know – and you deserve support that honours that truth.

Rest is not a reward. Care is not conditional. You don’t have to go it alone.

Frequently Asked Questions

  • I provide counselling to women, queer folks, neurodivergent people, and adult children of immigrants between the ages of 18 to 55. If you see yourself reflected in these lived experiences, you're warmly welcome here.

  • I’m a Registered Social Worker (RSW) in Ontario, Nova Scotia, and Alberta, and can provide virtual counselling to residents of those provinces.

  • My fee for individual counselling is $180/hr.

    This rate allows me to continuously offer $100 discounted spots to make therapy more accessible for students and folks who are unemployed or precariously employed.

  • I’m a white-passing, Middle Eastern / Southwest Asian, bisexual, cisgender, neurodivergent woman and a first-generation immigrant and settler who came to Canada as a refugee during childhood. I've personally lived through trauma, immigration and displacement, mental illness, divorce, chronic illness and chronic pain – all of that informs how I show up in my work.

  • At its core, my approach is:

    • Trauma-Informed

    • Anti-Racist and Anti-Oppressive (ARAO)

    • Intersectionally Feminist

    • Neurodivergent-Affirming

    • Queer-Affirming

    • Sex Positive

    • Harm-Reduction-Based

    • Strengths-Based

    That means I honour the ways people’s identities, lived experiences, and cultural contexts shape their needs, relationships and healing process. I centre your strengths, capacity, and values – and work towards change that is realistic, sustainable and grounded in your actual life.

  • It means I don’t follow a one-size-fits-all model. I draw from various therapeutic modalities, schools of thought, and practical strategies – adapting them intuitively based on who you are and what you bring into each session.

  • Yes – I speak, understand, and read Farsi fluently. My sessions are primarily in English, but I can offer language flexibility for Farsi-speaking clients.

  • You get to decide what frequency works best for you. Most of my clients meet with me every 2 to 6 weeks. That gives you space to reflect, process and integrate what we talk about without feeling like therapy is “one more chore.”
    In times of burnout, crisis or transition, we might meet weekly for 1–2 months, if that feels supportive for you.

  • That’s completely okay. You set the pace. I won’t push you to talk about anything you’re not ready to explore. You’ll always have choice and control in our sessions.

  • You can count on me to:

    • Be fully engaged, honest and compassionate

    • Share new perspectives and practical tools

    • Offer relevant books, articles, podcasts, videos and other resources

    • Encourage reflection and sustainable action

    • Bring warmth, humour and balance to our sessions

  • You can book a free 15-minute phone consult to see if we’re a good fit. I’d be honoured to support you on your journey toward healing, clarity, and self-trust.