Alycia O'Connell, LCSW (Oregon), LICSW (Washington), CADC III, is a licensed trauma therapist offering telehealth therapy for adults in Oregon and Washington living with chronic and invisible illness. She integrates IFS, Somatic Experiencing, AEDP, and nervous system-focused approaches with deep familiarity with the medical landscape, brain retraining programs, and the lived experience of chronic illness.
Therapy for Chronic and Invisible Illness
If you live with chronic illness, you've probably heard things like:
"You don't look sick." "I'm tired too." "Maybe you should just…" "This is all in your head." "At least it's not…"
Even when well-intentioned, these words land like dismissals. They leave you questioning your own experience on top of everything your body is already carrying. Finding a therapist who genuinely understands — not just clinically but from the inside — changes what's possible in the room.
What I Bring to This Work
I bring my own history with chronic illness to this work. I've lived many of the common themes — the grief, the uncertainty, the dismissal, the long road toward feeling better. Your experience is yours, and I won't presume to know it. But I'll recognize a lot of what you're carrying. I'm also genuinely familiar with the medical landscape — the terminology, the treatments, the local specialists, and the particular exhaustion of trying to navigate a system that doesn't always have answers. I'm familiar with many brain retraining programs and nervous system healing approaches — including DNRS, the Gupta Program, and Primal Trust — and can work alongside or in support of those practices rather than in conflict with them.
Alongside that lived familiarity, I bring 25 years of clinical experience and advanced training in trauma-informed care, somatic therapy, nervous system regulation, and mind-body integration. For many people with chronic illness, physical symptoms and psychological trauma are deeply intertwined — and that intersection is exactly where my work lives.
Who I Work With
I work with adults in Oregon and Washington navigating:
Fibromyalgia, ME/CFS, and chronic fatigue Lyme disease and tick-borne illness Autoimmune conditions Dysautonomia and POTS Long COVID Mast cell activation syndrome (MCAS) Other complex, chronic, or invisible illnesses The emotional and psychological impact of any serious or ongoing medical condition
You don't need a diagnosis to work with me. If your body is struggling and the medical system hasn't given you clear answers, that experience is valid and it's something I understand.
Approach and Modalities
IFS (Internal Family Systems) — exploring the parts of you that are exhausted, frightened, grieving, or pushing through Somatic Experiencing — gently working with the nervous system and body-held patterns AEDP — supporting emotional processing and healing through a warm, attuned relationship EMDR and Flash Technique — for trauma processing when appropriate Nervous system regulation — including familiarity with DNRS, Gupta, and Primal Trust Mind-body integration — including fascia release and somatic healing approaches
Insurance and Fees
I am in-network with PacificSource, Moda, HealthShare OHP, OHP Open Card, Trillium, UnitedHealthcare (Nike and Intel plans only), Kaiser, and Aetna. Private pay is $225 per session with a limited sliding scale available down to $175. All sessions are via telehealth on Zoom to clients in Oregon and Washington.
Living with chronic illness can be profoundly isolating — especially when the people around you can't fully see what you're carrying. If you're ready to work with a therapist who understands the terrain, I'd welcome a conversation.
Therapy for Chronic and Invisible Illness
If you live with chronic illness, you've probably heard things like:
"You don't look sick." "I'm tired too." "Maybe you should just…" "This is all in your head." "At least it's not…"
Even when well-intentioned, these words land like dismissals. They leave you questioning your own experience on top of everything your body is already carrying. Finding a therapist who genuinely understands — not just clinically but from the inside — changes what's possible in the room.
What I Bring to This Work
I bring my own history with chronic illness to this work. I've lived many of the common themes — the grief, the uncertainty, the dismissal, the long road toward feeling better. Your experience is yours, and I won't presume to know it. But I'll recognize a lot of what you're carrying. I'm also genuinely familiar with the medical landscape — the terminology, the treatments, the local specialists, and the particular exhaustion of trying to navigate a system that doesn't always have answers. I'm familiar with many brain retraining programs and nervous system healing approaches — including DNRS, the Gupta Program, and Primal Trust — and can work alongside or in support of those practices rather than in conflict with them.
Alongside that lived familiarity, I bring 25 years of clinical experience and advanced training in trauma-informed care, somatic therapy, nervous system regulation, and mind-body integration. For many people with chronic illness, physical symptoms and psychological trauma are deeply intertwined — and that intersection is exactly where my work lives.
Who I Work With
I work with adults in Oregon and Washington navigating:
Fibromyalgia, ME/CFS, and chronic fatigue Lyme disease and tick-borne illness Autoimmune conditions Dysautonomia and POTS Long COVID Mast cell activation syndrome (MCAS) Other complex, chronic, or invisible illnesses The emotional and psychological impact of any serious or ongoing medical condition
You don't need a diagnosis to work with me. If your body is struggling and the medical system hasn't given you clear answers, that experience is valid and it's something I understand.
Approach and Modalities
IFS (Internal Family Systems) — exploring the parts of you that are exhausted, frightened, grieving, or pushing through Somatic Experiencing — gently working with the nervous system and body-held patterns AEDP — supporting emotional processing and healing through a warm, attuned relationship EMDR and Flash Technique — for trauma processing when appropriate Nervous system regulation — including familiarity with DNRS, Gupta, and Primal Trust Mind-body integration — including fascia release and somatic healing approaches
Insurance and Fees
I am in-network with PacificSource, Moda, HealthShare OHP, OHP Open Card, Trillium, UnitedHealthcare (Nike and Intel plans only), Kaiser, and Aetna. Private pay is $225 per session with a limited sliding scale available down to $175. All sessions are via telehealth on Zoom to clients in Oregon and Washington.
Living with chronic illness can be profoundly isolating — especially when the people around you can't fully see what you're carrying. If you're ready to work with a therapist who understands the terrain, I'd welcome a conversation.
