Julie Sliga, LPC offers psychotherapy for Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis, inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) in Portland, Oregon and via telehealth across Oregon. Her trauma-informed approach supports adults living with chronic GI conditions who are navigating shame, medical trauma, emotional distress, and nervous system dysregulation. Therapy may not alter the course of a chronic illness—but it can support quality of life, reduce stress-related flare-ups, and offer space for grief, regulation, and healing. Julie draws from evidence-based treatments such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), mindfulness-based interventions, and relational therapy to help clients feel more supported and whole in bodies that often feel unpredictable.

Julie also integrates Pain Reprocessing Therapy, EMDR therapy, somatic awareness, Compassion-Focused Therapy (CFT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), and nervous-system-informed practices in her work with clients navigating chronic illness, pain, trauma, and caregiver stress. She provides in-person sessions in Portland on Fridays and telehealth throughout Oregon. Julie is in-network with PacificSource and CareOregon (OHP/Medicaid), and offers a limited number of sliding-scale therapy sessions based on availability.

Psychotherapy for Crohn’s, Ulcerative Colitis, IBD, & IBS

What If Talking About Your Gut Could Actually Help?

Living with a chronic GI condition can be emotionally isolating, logistically overwhelming, and wildly misunderstood.

You might be navigating Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis, or IBS. You might have a diagnosis—or just years of symptoms that never got a satisfying answer. You’ve probably been told more than once that it’s “just stress.” And maybe, on some level, you’ve started to wonder if they’re right—even if the suggestion never felt quite fair.

Here’s the thing: you’re not imagining it. And it’s not your fault.
But yes—your nervous system is involved. And that matters.

Chronic gut conditions like Crohn’s and IBS often flare alongside stress. That’s not a coincidence—it’s biology. Your digestive system and your nervous system are deeply connected. When one is overwhelmed, the other feels it.

Therapy won’t cure your condition—but it can help you:

  • Navigate the fear of flare-ups

  • Cope with medical trauma or past dismissal

  • Feel more grounded in your body, even when it’s unpredictable

  • Release shame around symptoms that are “taboo” or hard to talk about

  • Grieve the life you thought you’d have—and find space to live the one you’re in

Evidence-Based Support for the Emotional Side of GI Conditions

A 2021 meta-analysis in Frontline Gastroenterology found that psychological therapies—including CBT, mindfulness-based approaches, and psychodynamic therapy—can significantly improve quality of life for people with IBD.¹

Even during remission, people living with Crohn’s or colitis often experience anxiety, depression, and body-based hypervigilance. Therapy can help reduce that distress, build resilience, and offer emotional support that the medical system often overlooks.

¹ McCombie et al., 2021

What Psychotherapy for Chronic Illness Might Look Like

We’re not rushing toward toxic positivity or trying to “fix” what hurts. We’re building space for what’s true—and how you’ve learned to survive it. In our work, we might explore:

  • The beliefs you’ve internalized about being a burden, being weak, or being too much

  • The fear that your body will always betray you

  • The grief and anger that comes with not knowing when you’ll feel okay again

  • The guilt of missing out when the world keeps telling you to push through

Psychotherapy can help reduce distress, increase quality of life, and reconnect you with a sense of agency, even in the midst of unpredictable symptoms. Whether we draw from mindfulness, CBT, or more relational forms of therapy, the work is always attuned to you—your pace, your values, your story.

You’re Not Too Much

Maybe you’re tired of having to explain it all. Maybe you’ve stopped telling people when you’re in pain. Maybe you’ve internalized that your body is inconvenient.

Therapy doesn’t promise to take your symptoms away. But it can offer a space where your experience doesn’t need to be minimized, stigmatized, or hidden.
Just witnessed.
Just held.
Just human.

Let’s explore this together.

To help determine if we’re a good fit, I start with a brief inquiry process by email.
Submit the form below, and I’ll follow up with a few screening questions.

I’m currently accepting new clients for telehealth only. I’m in-network with OHP and PacificSource, and I can also provide superbills for out-of-network reimbursement.