Chronic Pain Therapy Vancouver
Counselling & Support for Living with Chronic Pain
When pain doesn’t go away, it doesn’t just affect your body—it can touch every part of your life. Maybe you’ve spent hours researching symptoms, trying to make sense of your body. Or maybe you’ve seen multiple doctors, tried countless treatments, and still feel stuck. Chronic pain can leave you feeling isolated, exhausted, and misunderstood.
Get matched with an ARC therapist who understands the complex interplay between chronic pain and emotional wellbeing, and can help you reconnect with your body in a way that feels safe, supportive, and empowering.
Is chronic pain affecting your mental health, energy, or sense of self?
Chronic pain doesn’t just live in the body—it affects your entire life. When pain is ongoing, vague, or medically unexplained, it can leave you feeling disoriented and alone. You might begin to question yourself, avoid the things you once enjoyed, or lose trust in your body entirely.
Here are some signs chronic pain may be impacting more than just your physical health:
- Persistent fatigue or exhaustion, even after rest
- Cycles of anxiety, irritability, or emotional burnout
- Feeling dismissed or misunderstood by medical providers (medical gaslighting)
- Difficulty explaining your pain or getting a clear diagnosis
- Obsessive researching or self-diagnosing to try and “figure it out”
- Grief or anger over changes to your identity, body, or daily life
- Self-doubt or shame when others don’t take your pain seriously
- Disconnection from your body, or fear of what you might feel
Chronic pain conditions can take many forms. Some of the most common include migraines, fibromyalgia, endometriosis, IBS, chronic fatigue, dysmenorrhea, and unexplained joint or nerve pain. Whether you have a diagnosis or not, your experience is real—and you deserve support.
How therapy can help with chronic pain
Chronic pain and mental health are deeply connected. Stress, anxiety, trauma, and unprocessed emotions can amplify physical pain. And in turn, chronic pain can erode your mental wellbeing—creating a cycle that’s hard to break.
Your ARC therapist will help you:
- Understand the relationship between stress, trauma, and chronic pain
- Navigate feelings of anger, loss, fear, or grief around your pain
- Rebuild trust in your body and feel less at war with yourself
- Learn nervous system regulation tools to reduce pain intensity and flare-ups
- Identify internal narratives that aren’t serving you and challenge them (e.g. “I’m lazy” or “I did this to myself”)
- Cope with medical trauma, gaslighting, and the emotional toll of invisibility
- Create boundaries and advocate for your needs with doctors, employers, or loved ones
- Reconnect with meaning, identity, and hope—even when pain is still present
Let’s work through this together
Chronic pain may have reshaped your life, but it doesn’t have to define you. At ARC, our therapists offer trauma-informed, compassionate care to support you emotionally, physically, and holistically.
Whether you’ve been living with pain for years or are just beginning to seek support, we’ll meet you with respect, understanding, and tools that honour both your body and your story. Reach out today to book a free 30-minute consultation with one of our therapists.
Meet Our Vancouver Therapists
Tianna Bobariu
Registered Clinical Counsellor (RCC)
Amenda Kumar
Registered Social Worker (RSW)
Kristen Rattray
Registered Clinical Counsellor (RCC)
Kiana Maeda
Registered Clinical Counsellor (RCC)
Jack Wong
Registered Social Worker (RSW)
Danielle Simpson
Registered Clinical Counsellor (RCC)
Elise Millett
Registered Social Worker (RSW)
Lilian Wang
Registered Clinical Counsellor (RCC)
Getting The Help You Need is Easy
Reach Out
Fill out our easy contact form. All we need is your basic info, and a few words about what brings you to therapy.
Free Consultation
We’ll reach out to schedule your complimentary consultation. We’ll discuss your goals, questions, and make sure we’re the right fit.
Start Therapy
Feeling ready? We’ll book your first session and create a personalized plan to help you live the life you deserve.
What to Expect in Chronic Pain Therapy
Creating Safety & Validation
We begin by creating a space where you don’t need to prove your pain or minimize your experience. These early sessions are about understanding how pain shows up for you, what’s helped (or hurt), and what kind of support you need now.
Understanding the Emotional Toll
Chronic pain affects more than just the body. We’ll explore how it impacts your identity, mental health, and relationships—and how past invalidation, self-doubt, or medical trauma may still be affecting you.
Learning Regulation & Coping Tools
You’ll learn grounding techniques, breathwork, and body-based tools to calm your system during flare-ups, reduce stress, and interrupt the pain loop. These are practical, adaptable tools you can use anytime.
Challenging Internalized Beliefs
We’ll gently explore beliefs that may have formed after years of dismissal—like "I must be exaggerating" or "It’s my fault." Therapy helps you unlearn these messages and reconnect with your inner wisdom.
Reclaiming Agency & Identity
As therapy progresses, we’ll support you in reconnecting with parts of your identity that may have been overshadowed by pain. You’ll begin to build a life that includes joy, meaning, and self-trust—on your terms.
Creating Sustainable Change
In the later stages of therapy, we’ll focus on integrating what you’ve learned into daily life. You’ll leave with tools to support long-term resilience, emotional balance, and a more empowered relationship with your body.
Frequently Asked Questions
How can therapy help with physical pain?
While therapy doesn’t treat physical pain in a medical sense, it can reduce the emotional and physiological stress that often intensifies it. By calming the nervous system, addressing anxiety, and processing unresolved trauma, many clients experience a meaningful reduction in their pain experience. Because the mind and body are so interconnected, supporting your emotional health can sometimes ease— and in some cases, significantly shift—chronic pain over time.
What types of therapy do you use for chronic pain?
We use integrative, evidence-based approaches including CBT, ACT, Emotion-Focused Therapy, and trauma-informed care. These methods help you build emotional resilience, improve your relationship with your body, and respond to pain in a way that reduces suffering.
What if I’ve had chronic pain for years?
You’re not alone—and it’s not too late. Many clients come to therapy after years of trying to push through or manage alone. We’ll meet you where you are and help you explore what healing and relief could look like for you now.
Is chronic pain therapy only for people with a diagnosis?
Not at all. Whether you have a diagnosis, are still searching for answers, or have symptoms that haven’t been fully explained, you deserve support. Therapy is here to meet you wherever you are—not to require proof.
Will I have to relive trauma or talk about medical history in detail?
Only if it feels helpful. We’ll go at your pace. Therapy isn’t about rehashing every detail—it’s about supporting you psychologically and emotionally, and helping you feel more equipped to navigate what’s happening now.
Can therapy help with the stress and isolation that comes with pain?
Absolutely. Chronic pain often affects relationships, work, school, and your sense of self. Therapy can help you manage stress, reconnect with others, and rebuild a sense of agency and belonging—even during hard seasons.
What if I’ve been dismissed by other providers?
Sadly, medical gaslighting and invalidation are common experiences for people with chronic pain. At ARC, we believe you. Your story and your pain are real. Therapy is a space where you can be fully heard and supported, without needing to justify or explain away your experience.
How does therapy address the mind-body connection?
Pain isn’t just physical—it’s shaped by your nervous system, emotions, past experiences, and how your brain interprets threat. Chronic pain can actually rewire the brain to stay in a heightened state of alert, which amplifies discomfort. Therapy helps you calm this cycle by addressing stress, trauma, and emotional strain, so your system can begin to shift out of survival mode. It’s not about suggesting your pain is “all in your head”—it’s about recognizing that your body and mind are deeply connected, and healing one supports healing the other.
How long does therapy for chronic pain take?
That depends on your goals, needs, and history. Some clients benefit from short-term support focused on specific tools; others choose longer-term therapy to process emotional impacts or address underlying trauma. We’ll tailor it to your pace and preferences.
Is chronic pain therapy covered by insurance?
Yes. Most extended health plans cover counselling with a Registered Clinical Counsellor (RCC) and/ or Registered Social Worker (RSW). We’ll provide a receipt you can submit for reimbursement—many clients are reimbursed within a few business days.
What if I'm too exhausted to start therapy?
That’s okay. We understand that chronic pain can deplete your energy and motivation. We offer a free 30-minute consultation so you can meet your therapist, ask questions, and decide if it feels like the right fit. There’s no pressure. Just a safe space to explore what support could look like for you.
A Message of Support from Our Director
Hi, I’m Kelsey, the Clinical Director here at ARC. I want to start by saying something that doesn’t get said enough – it’s okay to need support.
If you’re reading this, you might be feeling overwhelmed, stuck, or simply not yourself. At ARC, we understand how deeply personal it is to reach out for help. That’s why we’re so intentional about the care we offer. Every therapist on our team is here because they lead with heart, they know their stuff, and they truly care about helping people feel better.
We also know that feeling safe in therapy means feeling seen and respected. That’s why we’re committed to creating an inclusive space – one that honours your identity, your culture, and your lived experience.
My role is to make sure your experience here is thoughtful, safe, and meaningful – from your very first point of contact to the support you receive in therapy. If you’re unsure about where to start, I encourage you to reach out for a free consultation. I’ll personally take the time to read your request and match you with one of the therapists on our team.
You’ve already taken the first step by being here. When you’re feeling ready, take the next step by reaching out – and we’ll walk the rest of the way together.
Take the next step towards feeling better today
Location
470 Granville St, #922
Vancouver, BC, V6C 1V5
Our Hours
Mon – Fri: 09:00 – 21:30
Sat – Sun: 09:00 – 20:30