Long Covid, Mental Health, and Finding a Therapist Who Gets It: A Conversation with Olivia Belknap

Welcome back to A Friend for the Long Haul - A Long Covid Podcast! I have wanted to have Olivia Belknap on this podcast for a long time, and I'm so glad we finally made it happen! Even though I was terribly late and embarrassed lol - Olivia was so kind and gracious!Olivia is a marriage and family therapist in California working with neurodivergent, chronically ill, COVID-conscious, and queer folks...basically all our favorite people. She's also a long hauler herself, which means this conversation is honest, specific, and zero percent "have you tried going outside more?"We talk about what it actually means to find a therapist who understands long COVID and chronic illness, and what it costs your nervous system just to get through a single day. We talk about why the therapeutic relationship matters more than any modality, more than EMDR, more than IFS, and why compartmentalizing your COVID consciousness in a session that's supposed to feel safe defeats the whole purpose.We also get into the messier stuff: the overlap of neurodivergence and chronic illness, interoception and why so many of us are simultaneously dissociated and hyperaware, the boom and bust burnout cycle, complex pandemic trauma, and the very specific exhaustion of being a chronically ill therapist who conducts sessions from the couch during a POTS flare while helping other people regulate their nervous systems.Olivia is also doing really important work to educate other clinicians because she doesn't think you should have to spend your session time teaching your therapist what long COVID is. That is not what you're there for.Topics covered:COVID-informed and COVID-conscious therapyLong COVID and mental healthFinding a therapist who understands chronic illness and disabilityThe overlap of neurodivergence and long COVIDInteroception, alexithymia, and body disconnectionComplex pandemic trauma and ongoing relational traumaPacing, burnout, and nervous system regulation for chronically ill peopleDynamic disability and how symptoms present in therapyBarriers to accessing therapy as a chronically ill personEMDR, IFS, and trauma-informed care for long haulersThe COVID-conscious therapist directoryPOTS, MCAS, ME/CFS, and neurodivergent-affirming careMentioned in this episode:Olivia Belknap: @oliviabelknaptherapy on Instagram | oliviabelknaptherapy.comBeyond Fatigue and Brain Fog: Help for Today's Cognitive and Health Issues: presentation through the Chicago School of Psychology with Olivia Belknap, Erin Batali, and Kate McNultyThe COVID-Conscious Therapist DirectoryDisability Visibility by Alice WongInternal Family Systems (IFS) | EMDR📞 The Long Haul Line: 720-432-9368 - You can leave a message or text this number anytime - leaving questions, messages, or guest suggestions📧 Email: [email protected]📬 Substack: f4lh.substack.comA Friend for the Long Haul is a low budget/high love production made by a disabled woman. If it means something to you, share it with someone whose earballs need it.If you'd like to help me keep the podcast going, you can:get your Amazon staples through my Storefrontgrab me something I could use from my Amazon Wish ListPurchase some long covid gear through my online store, where I sell tshirts, mugs, bags, etcCheck out my long covid stickers for sale