Therapy for Vaginismus & Pelvic Pain in Chicago and Throughout IL

Heal pain, find pleasure.

Sex doesn’t feel the way you thought it would.

Maybe you're avoiding conversations about sex because they leave you feeling different from everyone else.

Maybe a simple TV scene catches you off guard and brings up grief, frustration, or shame.

Maybe you've postponed another OB/GYN appointment or pelvic floor therapy referral because the thought of it feels overwhelming.

Or perhaps your hopes of becoming a parent feel painfully on hold because penetrative sex isn't possible, or feels impossible right now.

The physical symptoms of vaginismus and pelvic pain are difficult enough. For many people, though, the emotional impact can be just as painful.

You may find yourself questioning your body, avoiding dating or intimacy, worrying about how this affects your relationship, or carrying a level of shame that feels impossible to explain to people who haven't experienced it themselves.

Over time, it's easy to start believing that something is wrong with you.

But your body isn't broken.

And no matter how long you've been struggling, change is possible. Relief is possible. Pleasure is possible.

What healing for Vaginismus and pelvic pain can look like

You can participate in conversations about sex without feeling inadequate, embarrassed, or left out.
You can experience intimacy as enjoyable, relaxing, and connected rather than stressful or overwhelming.
You can pursue relationships without worrying that you're somehow "broken" or not enough.
You can feel confident expressing your needs, setting boundaries, exploring pleasure, and trusting your body again.

My approach to treating vaginismus and chronic pelvic pain looks beyond symptoms alone.

While physical interventions can be incredibly helpful, they don't always address the emotional, relational, and nervous system factors that can keep the fear-pain cycle going.

Because your mind and body are deeply connected, healing often requires both your body learning to feel safe and your mind learning to trust that safety.

It doesn’t have to feel like this forever.

In our work together, we'll create a safe, nonjudgmental space to better understand your experience. We may explore things like perfectionism, cultural or religious messages about sex, relationship patterns, anxiety, body image, and other factors that may be influencing how your mind and body respond to intimacy.

If you're also working with a pelvic floor therapist, OBGYN, or other providers, we'll thoughtfully incorporate those experiences into our work together.

If this feels both hopeful and a little intimidating, you're not alone. Healing is deeply personal, and my role is to walk alongside you at a pace that feels manageable while helping you build greater safety, confidence, and trust in yourself.

What you’ll gain:

Release shame and self-blame
Feel more confident in yourself, your body, and your relationships
Build a greater sense of safety and trust in your body
Reduce the impact pain has on your daily life
Experience more pleasure, connection, and freedom, both inside and outside the bedroom!

FAQS

What others have wondered about counseling for Vaginismus and Chronic Pelvic Pain

Yes. While vaginismus often involves physical symptoms, it can also affect your thoughts, emotions, relationships, confidence, and sense of safety in your body.
Therapy can help you better understand the fear-pain cycle, process feelings of shame or frustration, build coping skills, and develop a greater sense of trust in your body. Many clients find that therapy works especially well alongside support from providers such as pelvic floor therapists, OBGYNs, or sex therapists.
There is no single cause of vaginismus. For some people, symptoms develop after a painful or uncomfortable experience. For others, they seem to appear without a clear explanation.
Factors such as anxiety, perfectionism, cultural or religious messages about sex, relationship experiences, medical concerns, trauma, and chronic stress can all play a role. Every person's experience is unique, which is why treatment should be individualized rather than one-size-fits-all.
While I strongly believe sexual health is a very important part of overall health and wellbeing, I am not here to push you to do anything you do not want to. We may gently explore resistance that comes up however it is ultimately your decision how you want to engage in this process.
The answer is often both.
Vaginismus and chronic pelvic pain involve real physical symptoms, but they can also be influenced by the way our nervous system responds to fear, pain, stress, or past experiences. This is one reason why treatment focused only on the body or only on emotions can sometimes feel incomplete.
I take a holistic approach that recognizes the connection between mind and body, helping you address both the physical and emotional aspects of healing.
Yes. Painful sex can impact far more than intimacy alone. It can affect your relationships, self-esteem, confidence, future plans, and overall quality of life.
Therapy can help you better understand your experience, reduce shame and self-blame, address fears surrounding intimacy, and develop practical tools to support healing. The goal isn't just reducing pain, it's helping you feel more connected, empowered, and at ease in your body.
Yes!
Many of my clients are also working with pelvic floor physical therapists, OBGYNs, or other healthcare providers. Therapy can complement that work by addressing the emotional, relational, and psychological aspects of pelvic pain that may not be the focus of other treatments.
Together, we can integrate what you're learning from other providers while helping you build confidence, reduce anxiety, and create a greater sense of safety in your body.

More questions? Check out my FAQs page.

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