Your body has changed. You don’t have to lose yourself too. Specialized virtual psychotherapy with Jacqueline On, MSW, RSW, supporting adults across Ontario in navigating the profound emotional, physical, and identity shifts of chronic health conditions.
Living with a chronic condition impacts far more than your physical body; it shapes how you navigate daily routines, energy fluctuations, and your peace of mind.
You might recognize yourself thinking:
You carry an unrelenting, heavy fatigue that leaves you drained even after a full night’s sleep.
Living with ongoing physical discomfort keeps your body on high alert, leaving you wishing for even a brief moment of relief.
Your stomach knots up days in advance as you worry about being dismissed, misunderstood, or forced to start over with a new provider.
You carry the quiet, invisible isolation of managing an unpredictable body in a world that expects you to function as normal.
You overdo it on days when you feel okay, only to crash for days afterward when your body forces you to stop.
When you live with a chronic condition, your medical team focuses on your body. You may have tried various medications, had multiple sets of bloodwork and scans done, and attended endless appointments trying to find solutions. Maybe you’ve even had to fight to be taken seriously. Maybe your suffering feels invisible to those around you.
Rarely is there a space dedicated to what this condition is doing to your heart, relationships, identity, and mind.
Chronic illness therapy is the bridge between your medical reality and your mental well-being. Living with a long-term condition comes with a heavy emotional load: grief for who you used to be or what you were able to do, the frustration of an unpredictable body, and the isolation of living in a judgmental world that tends to misunderstand.
This therapy is not a physical treatment, nor is it a promise of a cure. I will never be able to guarantee the resolution of your condition or rid your body of pain.
Instead, this is a specialized, trauma-informed virtual space dedicated to helping you process the emotional and nervous system toll of living in an unpredictable body.
Our sessions are designed to support the invisible emotional and physical weight you carry every day. Depending on where your energy is at, our time together generally focuses on three areas:
Chronic illness often brings with it a recurring grief when hopes and expectations don’t match your daily reality. Therapy sessions offer a dedicated space to unpack and honour the valid grief and frustration of living with a long-term condition.
You are allowed to mourn:
Together, we will work on accepting your current physical reality without giving up on your life. By separating your sense of self from what your body is experiencing, you can build a full, meaningful life alongside your condition. You are so much more than your illness.
Living in constant discomfort or anticipating the next flare-up keeps your body in survival mode. This chronic stress does more than weigh on your mind; it can amplify your physical symptoms, increase pain signals, and heighten suffering.
In our sessions, we will use gentle, body-based somatic tools to send safety signals back to your brain. These tools help to calm your nervous system and slowly ease the physical tension you’ve been holding onto.
It’s easy to get caught in an endless “push-and-crash” cycle: overdoing it on good days, only to pay for it later when your body forces complete rest.
In therapy, we will work on practical pacing strategies so you can finally stop riding that energy rollercoaster.
Together, we will:
Our goal is to help you reconnect with your true self, so you can live more of your life on your own terms.
Living with a long-term health condition can feel like an isolating, uphill battle, but you don’t need to face this alone. In our sessions, we will attune to where your body is at on any given day, adjusting our pace to match your current capacity.
Our sessions are held online via secure video, allowing you to join from your couch, your bed, or wherever you feel most comfortable. By eliminating travel time, sensory-heavy waiting rooms, and extra physical effort, you can save your energy for what truly matters. This is your virtual space to rest, process the weight of your condition, and rebuild a gentle relationship with your body.
Before we begin, I want to be entirely transparent with you about what this space is, and what it is not.
While chronic illness and chronic pain often walk hand in hand, the topics you bring to each session might look quite different depending on what your body and mind need that day. In our sessions, we will adapt our focus to meet your specific needs. Your nervous system will lead the way.
While managing a chronic condition can feel very unpredictable and often out of our control, therapy can fundamentally shift how you experience and live alongside it. Together, we can work to:
I blend emotional processing with gentle, body-based modalities so that our work together feels safe and supportive to your nervous system. Our session focus will center around what your body needs on any given day.
Ultimately, our time together is completely for you. Whether today is a high-symptom day that requires adjustment, or a day that feels spacious enough for deeper processing, we will meet your body where it is.
The secure Colib booking system allows you to view my availability and schedule sessions directly. I am currently accepting inquiries via email at jacqueline@sunwardtherapy.ca or by phone at +1(705) 978-1380
The first session is a “get to know you” intake where we focus on your comfort and safety. We will discuss your history, goals for therapy, and any specific accommodations you might need for our virtual work together.
As a Registered Social Worker (RSW) and Psychotherapist in Ontario, my services are covered by most extended health benefit plans. While I do not offer direct billing at this time, you will be provided with a detailed receipt to submit for reimbursement. I always recommend checking with your insurance provider to confirm that “Social Work” or “Psychotherapy” is included in your specific coverage.
For video therapy, we use a secure, PHIPA-compliant platform specifically designed for healthcare privacy. You do not need to download any special software; you will simply receive a private encrypted link to join our virtual room via your web browser. If you prefer phone therapy, we will call you directly from +1 (705) 978-1380 at our scheduled time from a private, confidential line.
At Sunward Therapy, we see you for who you are and meet you there. We acknowledge your lived experiences and focus on helping you adjust your response to what life throws at you rather than trying to “fix you”. Our approach integrates releasing your body’s physical response to emotional triggers for truly holistic healing. We understand that wellness is a journey and prioritize energy conservation and accessibility, ensuring the process of therapy never adds to the physical or emotional weight you are already carrying.
