Therapy for Chronic Illness, Pain, and Medically Related Stress in Richmond, VA
Compassionate therapy focused on the brain–body connection, helping calm an overwhelmed nervous system, reduce chronic symptoms, and navigate the emotional ups and downs of living with a medical condition. Sessions offered in-person and virtually across 43 PSYPACT states.
Living with medical stress is exhausting. Therapy can help.
It can feel as though your whole life revolves around managing doctor visits, medications, and symptoms. You might wonder if you’ll ever feel “normal” again or how to live with the day-to-day stress of what you’re carrying. Suddenly, your life feels smaller, harder, and difficult to navigate.
You’re not alone. At VAHMP, we use mind-body therapeutic techniques to help people who are dealing with medical conditions and health-related stress make space for difficult emotional experiences, set up habits and routines that facilitate health and healing, and manage the day-to-day of their condition better. We’re here to help.
Our Services
01 Therapy for Chronic Pain
Chronic pain doesn’t just affect the body, it impacts your sleep, mood, energy, and even relationships. Learn more about pain psychology and whether it may be helpful for you.
02 Therapy for Cancer and Cancer Survivors
A cancer diagnosis brings stress, fear, changes in relationships, and worries about the future. Even if you’re in survivorship, you may still struggle with fear of recurrence. Learn more about therapy for cancer
03 Therapy for Chronic Illness
Treatment for people with chronic illness focuses on the emotional and daily challenges that come with conditions like lupus, diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, or crohn’s. Learn more below.
04 Therapy for Weight Management and Bariatric Surgery
Your health is about more than a number on a scale. Learn more about treatment that addresses emotional eating, body image concerns, lifestyle changes, and bariatric pre-surgical assessments. Learn more below.
06 Therapy for Medically Unexplained Symptoms
Symptoms that have been evaluated, often times over and over, with no identifiable explanation. These symptoms may have an origin in nervous system disruption rather than structural disease. These symptoms are not imagined, exaggerated, or “all in your head.”
Meet Dr. Jessica Grove
Licensed Clinical Psychologist
Throughout my time in healthcare, I’ve noticed how difficult it can be to manage a medical condition and the emotional toll it can carry. I created VAHMP to fill in gaps in healthcare and partner with you to create meaningful improvements in your life and health.
⟡ Licensed Clinical Psychologist
⟡ PSYPACT licensed
⟡ APA Accredited fellowship in clinical health psychology
⟡ Experience working with chronic conditions, cancer, neurological conditions, bariatric surgery candidates, transplant recipients, and chronic pain patients
We focus on parts of healing that traditional medical care often doesn’t address
01 Calming the nervous system
Helping your body move out of constant high alert so it can respond to sensations with less intensity.
02Understanding how the brain and body influence symptoms
Learning how the brain interprets signals from the body, and how those patterns can be reshaped.
03Reducing fear and reactivity around physical sensations
Building confidence in your body so symptoms feel less threatening and less disruptive.
04 Processing the emotional toll of living with illness
Creating space to work through the grief, frustration, and uncertainty that often come with health challenges.
By working alongside your doctors and other providers, we can give you additional strategies, emotional support, and a sense of control over your health journey.
In a world that makes you feel out of place with your diagnosis, you belong here.
Living with a medical condition changes the way you see yourself and how others see you. The world is more difficult for you to navigate - from finding restaurants that cater to your dietary needs, to making sure you have supplies on hand to address any medical fallout, or needing more breaks on outings. Things take more energy and time for you. Here, we understand that. And we’re here to navigate those complexities with you.
