Support beyond the diagnosis
FND-Informed Therapy in California
Living with Functional Neurological Disorder can affect far more than your physical symptoms. You may be adjusting to changes in what your body can do, wondering when symptoms will appear, or feeling exhausted from appointments, explanations, and trying to be understood.
FND-informed therapy offers a place to talk about what this experience has meant for you, find ways to respond to the uncertainty, and make room for the parts of your life and identity that can get lost when so much attention is focused on your health.
What is Functional Neurological Disorder?
Functional Neurological Disorder, often called FND, is a neuropsychiatric condition involving changes in how brain networks function. It sits at the intersection of neurology and mental health and is recognized within both medical and mental health care. Symptoms can include weakness, tremors, changes in movement or walking, functional seizures, numbness, dizziness, speech difficulties, and problems with concentration or memory.
FND symptoms are real, involuntary, and can have a significant effect on daily life. A person does not consciously create or control them. FND is diagnosed through recognizable clinical signs, rather than being used simply as an explanation when testing does not identify another condition.
There is no single cause of FND. Stress, trauma, or emotional experiences may be relevant for some people, but they are not present for everyone and should not be assumed to explain someone’s symptoms. FND can also occur alongside other neurological or medical conditions.
The parts of FND that can be harder to explain
Living with FND can mean more than managing symptoms. You may also be carrying the uncertainty of not knowing how you will feel from one day to the next, the frustration of having to repeatedly explain your condition, or the exhaustion of moving from one appointment to another.
You may be:
Grieving changes in your health, abilities, independence, or plans
Worried about symptoms appearing at work or school, in public, or when you are alone
Feeling dismissed, doubted, or misunderstood by healthcare providers or people close to you
Struggling to trust your body or recognize what it needs
Trying to balance activity and rest without knowing what will make symptoms better or worse
Feeling guilty about needing help, accommodations, or changes in your responsibilities
Navigating changes in your relationships, work, school, or identity
Feeling anxious about the future or discouraged by setbacks
Tired of having so much of your life revolve around symptoms and medical care
You do not have to minimize these experiences simply because someone else has it worse or because you think you should be coping differently. Therapy can make room for the emotional and practical impact of living with FND.
Where psychotherapy fits into FND care
Being referred to therapy does not mean your symptoms are imagined or that FND is “just stress.” Psychotherapy is one part of FND care that can help you understand your responses, cope with uncertainty, and address the ways symptoms have affected your daily life.
Together, we may pay attention to patterns surrounding your symptoms without blaming you for them. We can work on responding with less fear or panic, gradually reducing avoidance, rebuilding confidence, and finding grounding strategies that feel useful in your actual life. Therapy can also make room for grief, frustration, anxiety, changes in identity, difficult healthcare experiences, and the challenge of communicating your needs to other people.
If trauma or other painful experiences are relevant to you, we can address them without assuming they caused your FND. Therapy does not replace care from a neurologist, physical therapist, occupational therapist, speech therapist, or another medical provider. When appropriate and with your permission, I am open to coordinating with the other professionals involved in your care.
What working together looks like
FND can be unpredictable, so therapy needs to leave room for what is happening in your life and body that day. We may begin a session by talking about a recent symptom change, a difficult medical appointment, something affecting your relationships, or something that has little to do with FND. You are still a whole person, and therapy does not have to revolve around your diagnosis.
Our work will be collaborative and paced around your needs. We may practice ways to feel more grounded, notice how fear or avoidance has begun shaping your choices, problem-solve barriers, or find manageable ways to reconnect with parts of life that matter to you. We will revisit your goals over time and adjust our focus as your symptoms, circumstances, and priorities change.
EMDR may also be part of our work when it fits your goals and you feel ready. It can be used to address traumatic experiences, difficult medical encounters, or other memories that continue to carry distress. Using EMDR does not mean we are assuming that trauma caused your FND. We will decide together whether it feels relevant and helpful.
I will not ask you to ignore your symptoms or push through at any cost. We will work toward helping you respond to your body with greater understanding, flexibility, and confidence while recognizing that progress may not follow a straight line.
An FND-informed perspective
FND-informed therapy means you should not have to spend every session teaching your therapist what FND is or defending the reality of your symptoms. I approach this work with an understanding that FND is a neuropsychiatric condition, that symptoms are real and involuntary, and that each person’s experience and treatment needs are different.
I have completed focused continuing education in FND and continue to pursue ongoing training in its assessment, treatment, rehabilitation principles, and psychological care. As a therapist, my role is not to diagnose FND or replace the medical and rehabilitation providers involved in your care. My role is to offer psychotherapy that respects the diagnosis and supports the emotional, relational, and practical parts of living with it.
I also understand personally how exhausting it can be to move through the medical system, see one provider after another, and repeatedly explain what you have been experiencing. You will not need to persuade me that your symptoms are real before we can begin talking about how they have affected your life.
Getting started with FND-informed therapy
FND-informed psychotherapy is available to adults who have received an FND diagnosis from a qualified medical provider. I do not diagnose FND, but I can provide support for the emotional, relational, and practical effects of living with it while you continue working with your medical and rehabilitation team.
Standard therapy sessions are approximately 55 minutes. Virtual appointments are available throughout California, with limited in-person availability in Santa Barbara. The private-pay rate is $185 per session. Select Aetna and Providence plans and straight Medi-Cal (fee-for-service) are accepted.
You do not need to have clearly defined therapy goals before reaching out. We can begin by talking about what has been most difficult lately and what kind of support you are looking for.
Common questions about FND-informed therapy
Will therapy focus only on FND?
No. FND may be part of what brings you to therapy, but it does not have to be the focus of every session. We can also make room for relationships, work, school, anxiety, trauma, identity, or anything else affecting your life.
Do I have to talk about trauma?
No. Trauma is not assumed to be the cause of FND, and you will not be expected to search for a traumatic explanation for your symptoms. If there are experiences you want to address, we can approach them at your pace.
Can therapy make my FND symptoms go away?
There is no way to promise a particular change in symptoms. Therapy may help you respond to symptoms with less fear, reduce patterns of avoidance, cope with uncertainty, and improve your quality of life. Some people also notice changes in their symptoms, but progress looks different for everyone.
Can you work with my other providers?
Yes. With your written permission, I can communicate with your neurologist, physical therapist, occupational therapist, speech therapist, or other members of your care team when coordination would support your treatment.