Living with POTS (postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome) or dysautonomia can affect every part of life, and it is often misunderstood. Therapy offers a place where your symptoms are believed and your experience is taken seriously.
What therapy does, and doesn't, do for POTS
We don't treat POTS. POTS is a medical condition, and its care belongs with your physicians. What therapy offers is support for the person living with it. We help you build skills to cope, understand your boundaries and limitations, advocate for yourself in medical settings and at work or school, and relate to your symptoms differently, so that POTS takes up less of your emotional bandwidth.
How we support POTS patients
- Coping skills for flares, fatigue, brain fog and the unpredictability of symptoms
- Pacing and boundaries: understanding your limits without giving up the things that matter
- Self-advocacy: preparing for appointments and asking for accommodations
- Calming skills for the stress response, such as paced breathing, grounding and noticing early signs of overwhelm, for the anxiety that can ride along with a racing heart. These skills support coping; they don't treat the autonomic condition itself
- Grief, identity and relationships: making room for what has changed and rebuilding trust in your body
Clinicians who understand chronic illness
Dr. Danielle Kassouf has particular expertise in the psychological challenges of chronic illness, including stigmatized and poorly understood conditions such as POTS/dysautonomia, migraine and vestibular disorders, and trains other clinicians to provide sensitive, body-aware care. Dr. Emma McCulloch also works with chronic health concerns, drawing on mindfulness and self-compassion.
Clinicians who offer therapy for POTS patients
Where we offer therapy for POTS patients
In person
- Therapy for POTS patients in Berkeley
- Therapy for POTS patients in Kensington
- Therapy for POTS patients in the East Bay
- Therapy for POTS patients in Sonoma
Online
- Online therapy for POTS patients in California
- Online therapy for POTS patients in Florida
- Online therapy for POTS patients in Virginia
- Online therapy for POTS patients in Hawaii
San Francisco residents can meet online or in person in the East Bay; in-person sessions in San Francisco are coming soon.
Related reading
Questions about therapy for POTS patients
Do you treat POTS?
No. POTS is treated by medical providers. We support people living with POTS: coping skills, boundaries, self-advocacy, calming skills for the stress response, and changing your relationship with symptoms.
Can I see a POTS therapist online?
Yes. Online therapy for POTS patients is available in California, Florida, Hawaii and Virginia with Dr. Kassouf, and in California with Dr. McCulloch.
Do sessions accommodate my symptoms?
Yes. Online and telephone sessions mean you can attend from home, lying down if you need to.
Schedule your free consultation
Book in real time with any available clinician in the collective.