Health Psychology
Psychological Care for Chronic Illness, Functional Neurological Disorders (FND), and Complex Health Conditions in Denver and Across Colorado
Your body and mind aren't playing nice with each other.
Your body is doing things you can't explain, predict, or control. Pain that won't go away. Illness that keeps interrupting your life. Neurological symptoms that change how you move, think, or function. A chronic or degenerative condition that brings new challenges at every turn.
When so much of life revolves around symptoms, appointments, and medical decisions, it can become difficult to see yourself as anything beyond a patient. You may have spent years seeing specialists, undergoing tests, and trying treatments, only to find that the medical approach doesn't fully address what you're living with.
Perhaps you’ve been turned away or told there’s nothing more that your medical provider can offer. You may even be left feeling that your doctors think it's all in your head.
At Greenlake, we don't separate body and mind.
Physical illness and mental health are deeply intertwined.
Living with chronic pain, neurological symptoms, or a complex medical condition brings emotional and psychological challenges. Anxiety, stress, trauma, and other mental health concerns affect how your body functions and how you experience symptoms.
We recognize the importance of finding harmony between the body and the mind. Health psychology offers a way to work with the psychological, emotional, and relational dimensions of living with complex health concerns, alongside the medical care you are already receiving.
Yes, it’s all in your head.
And your head is in your body.
Is it your body? Is it your mind? Yes.
We will not attempt to convince you that your symptoms aren't real or that you can think your way out of illness.
We focus on understanding the connections between your physical and psychological experiences, changing your relationship with illness itself, and building a life that is bigger than your symptoms.
We will help you develop new ways to respond to symptoms, reduce distress, and regain a sense of agency in your life. This may mean learning to notice physical and emotional responses without becoming overwhelmed by them, building skills to tolerate pain and discomfort, or understanding how the brain and nervous system contribute to patterns of pain and other symptoms. We may also work with the thoughts, beliefs, and expectations that shape your experience, helping you develop more flexible ways of responding.
Health Psychology Can Help When You Are Experiencing:
Health conditions affect more than your physical health. They can change how you think, feel, relate to others, and move through daily life. Whether you're navigating a new diagnosis, living with ongoing symptoms, or adjusting to changes in your body or abilities, you deserve care that considers the whole picture.
We work with children, adolescents, and adults experiencing a wide range of health-related challenges, including:
Chronic pain and persistent symptoms
Living with ongoing pain can affect nearly every part of your life. We work with people experiencing fibromyalgia, connective tissue disorders, migraines, neuropathic pain, and other persistent pain conditions. Therapy can help you understand the relationship between pain, stress, and emotional well-being while developing ways to manage symptoms and live your life.
Chronic and complex medical conditions
Living with a chronic illness can mean managing uncertainty, frequent medical appointments, changing symptoms, and limitations that others may not see. This can include autoimmune conditions, gastrointestinal disorders, chronic fatigue, cancer, and many other health concerns. We help individuals and families navigate the emotional and psychological impact of illness, adapt to changes in daily life, and find ways to maintain a sense of identity and connection beyond their health condition.
Adjusting to a difficult medical diagnosis
A new or changing diagnosis can bring grief, uncertainty, fear, and significant changes to your sense of identity and future. We help individuals and families process the emotional impact of illness, navigate changes in daily life, and adapt to a future that may look different than they expected.
Cognitive changes and challenges
Medical conditions, neurological differences, and their treatments can affect memory, attention, concentration, processing speed, and executive functioning. Brain fog and cognitive changes can make everyday tasks feel unexpectedly difficult. We help you understand and adapt to these changes, develop practical strategies, and address the frustration and emotional impact that often accompany them.
Neurodegenerative conditions
Living with a progressive neurological condition such as Parkinson's disease, multiple sclerosis, or Huntington's disease can mean continually adjusting to changes in your body and abilities. We support individuals and families navigating these changes, including the emotional experience of a body that may not respond or function the way they want it to. Therapy can help with adjustment, identity, autonomy, relationships, and quality of life.
Functional Neurological Disorders (FND)
Functional Neurological Disorders can be confusing and frustrating, particularly when symptoms are difficult to explain or you have struggled to find providers who understand the condition. FNDs can involve a range of neurological symptoms, including tremors, movement difficulties, dizziness, balance and vestibular symptoms, and changes in sensation.
People with FND may encounter uncertainty, conflicting explanations, or difficulty finding appropriate care. We offer support in understanding the relationship between the brain, body, and nervous system, working with symptoms, and developing new ways of responding to them. We work with both children and adults with FND, recognizing that symptoms and their impact can look different across developmental stages.
Medical trauma and difficult healthcare experiences
Medical experiences can be frightening, overwhelming, or traumatic. This may include emergency care, hospitalization, invasive procedures, prolonged treatment, frightening diagnoses, or experiences of feeling dismissed, disbelieved, or powerless in healthcare settings. These experiences can leave a lasting emotional impact, sometimes making future appointments, procedures, or medical decisions especially difficult. We help individuals and families process these experiences, address anxiety and distress, and rebuild a sense of safety, trust, and agency in their healthcare journey.
Dr. Walker leads our health psychology services at Greenlake Psychology. With a doctorate in Clinical Health Psychology and a background in neuropsychology, hospital-based care, and Eastern philosophy, he brings a distinctive and integrative perspective to understanding the relationship between physical and mental health.
Frequently Asked Questions About Health Psychology at Greenlake:
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No. You don't need to have a clear diagnosis to benefit from health psychology. You may be experiencing persistent symptoms, navigating unanswered questions, or trying to understand how physical and emotional health are affecting one another. We can help you make sense of your experience and determine how therapy might support you.
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Yes. We believe the best care often happens when providers work together. We have relationships with a variety of medical and healthcare providers throughout the Denver area and, with your permission, can consult with your doctors and other members of your healthcare team as part of your treatment. Our goal is to support coordinated care that considers both your physical and psychological health.
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Not at all. Your symptoms are real, and psychological care does not mean that a physical condition is imagined or that symptoms are simply caused by stress. Physical and psychological processes influence one another. We work with that relationship, helping you address the emotional impact of illness and develop new ways to respond to symptoms while respecting the medical realities of your condition.
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Yes. Therapy cannot necessarily change the course of a medical condition, but it can help you navigate the emotional, psychological, and relational challenges that come with it. We can work on coping with uncertainty, adjusting to changes in your body and abilities, managing distress, and maintaining relationships.
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Yes. We work with children and adolescents living with chronic illness, Functional Neurological Disorder (FND), and other complex health concerns. Treatment is adapted to each child's developmental needs and may include working with parents and other family members. We recognize that a child's health condition affects the entire family, and we make room for those experiences in treatment.
Living with complex health concerns can leave you feeling overwhelmed, misunderstood, or unsure where to turn next. You deserve care that takes your whole experience seriously.
At Greenlake Psychology, we look beyond symptoms to understand the relationship between your physical health, emotional well-being, and the life you want to live. Whether you're navigating a new diagnosis, living with ongoing symptoms, or trying to find support after difficult medical experiences, we're here to help.
You don't have to figure it all out before you reach out.