Counseling for Chronic Illness or Cancer
TCS is bringing on a second licensed clinical social worker to offer counseling for adults living with chronic illness, chronic pain, or a cancer diagnosis. We’re currently building the caseload she needs to join us full-time, so this page is both an introduction to her work and an open invitation to be among her first clients.
Living with a body that doesn’t cooperate, whether that’s a chronic pain condition, a complex diagnosis like hEDS, POTS, or MCAS, or a cancer diagnosis and everything that follows it, comes with its own kind of exhaustion. The appointments. The doctors who don’t quite listen. The grief that doesn’t always have a clear starting point. The way people around you expect you to be “better” on a timeline your body isn’t following.
TCS already serves adults navigating these exact conditions, and this new counseling track adds dedicated mental health support alongside that care, from a clinician trained specifically in oncology social work and chronic illness.
Who This is For
- Adults managing a chronic illness or chronic pain condition (including hEDS, POTS, MCAS, and related conditions)
- Adults navigating a cancer diagnosis, treatment, or survivorship
- Anyone whose mental health has been shaped by living with a body that requires ongoing medical care
What Counseling Will Offer
This counseling is:
- Individual counseling focused on the emotional and psychological weight of chronic illness or cancer, not just symptom management
- A clinician trained specifically in oncology social work, not general talk therapy applied loosely to a medical situation
- Support for grief, medical trauma, identity shifts, fear of progression or recurrence, and the isolation that often comes with chronic or serious illness
- Telehealth sessions available across Pennsylvania
Where things stand right now
We want to be upfront with you: Our new clinician hasn’t started seeing clients at TCS yet. As a nonprofit, we build new services around real, sustained community need, so while we have a committed clinician ready to join us, we need to make sure we can fully support her position from day one before we set a start date. Right now, we’re building the caseload that makes that possible.
Joining the waitlist means:
- You’ll be contacted as soon as we’re ready to begin scheduling sessions
- You’re helping make this service possible for yourself and for others who need it
- There’s no cost or commitment to add your name
We don’t have an exact launch date yet. We’re working toward opening as soon as we’re able to, and every person who joins this list helps us get there sooner. You can join the waitlist here.i
How Sessions Work
Sessions take place virtually over a secure, HIPAA-compliant telehealth platform. You’ll need to be physically located in Pennsylvania at the time of your session.
FAQ's
Is TCS currently accepting new clients for chronic illness or cancer counseling? Not yet. We’re building the caseload needed for our new clinician to join TCS full-time. Joining the waitlist is the best way to be contacted first once sessions begin.
What kind of therapist will I be working with? A licensed clinical social worker (LCSW) with certification in oncology social work and experience supporting adults with chronic illness and chronic pain.
Will sessions be in person or virtual? Sessions will be offered by telehealth, available to clients located anywhere in Pennsylvania.
Does TCS treat conditions like hEDS, POTS, or MCAS? TCS already works with adults managing these conditions across our services. This new counseling track adds dedicated mental health support specifically for the emotional impact of living with them.
How is this different from general therapy? This clinician’s training is specific to chronic illness and oncology social work, so sessions are shaped around the realities of medical trauma, diagnosis-related grief, and ongoing illness, rather than applying general talk therapy to a medical situation.
How do I get updates on when this launches? Join the waitlist below. We’ll reach out directly as soon as scheduling opens.