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Learn more about ME/CFS support
ME/CFS support refers to the psychological care available to people living with myalgic encephalomyelitis and chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS), a complex, chronic physical illness characterised by post-exertional malaise, severe and persistent fatigue, cognitive difficulties (sometimes called brain fog), sleep disturbance, and a range of other debilitating symptoms. ME/CFS is a physiological condition; the psychological support on this page is offered alongside medical care, not as a substitute for or explanation of it. Living with ME/CFS involves significant psychological demands: adjusting to reduced capacity, navigating healthcare systems that do not always take the condition seriously, grieving previous functioning, and managing the impact on relationships and identity.
Psychological support for ME/CFS is relevant to people at different stages of living with the condition.
- You are struggling with the grief, anger, or loss that comes with a significant reduction in what you are able to do
- You are experiencing depression or anxiety alongside ME/CFS and want support that understands the physical context
- You are finding it difficult to pace yourself and want help developing sustainable approaches to daily life within your current limits
- Your relationships, work situation, or sense of identity have been significantly affected by the condition
- You have encountered disbelief, dismissal, or poor understanding from others and are carrying the weight of that
- You want to work with someone who will not suggest that psychological factors are causing your physical symptoms
- You are managing the uncertainty of a condition whose course and prognosis are difficult to predict
Approaches that work alongside ME/CFS tend to be gentle, paced, and focused on acceptance and quality of life rather than pushing for recovery.
- ACT (Acceptance and Commitment Therapy) ACT supports engagement with meaningful life within realistic limits, building psychological flexibility in response to a condition that cannot simply be overcome through effort or positive thinking.
- CBT (Cognitive Behavioural Therapy) CBT in this context focuses on managing the psychological impact of ME/CFS, including low mood, anxiety, and unhelpful thought patterns, rather than on modifying physical activity levels.
- Counselling Counselling provides a consistent space to process grief, loss of functioning, and the relational and identity changes that ME/CFS brings, with a therapist who takes the physical reality seriously.
- Body therapy Body therapy works gently with physical experience and the relationship to the body, which can be valuable when illness has altered how a person inhabits and relates to themselves physically.
- Mindfulness Mindfulness-based approaches support the management of pain, cognitive difficulty, and distress without requiring physical exertion, and can be adapted to very limited capacity where needed.
It's Complicated is a therapist-founded mental health platform connecting clients with verified practitioners across Europe and globally, in over 60 languages. We work with over 2,500 vetted therapists, with in-person availability in Berlin, Amsterdam, Barcelona, Lisbon, Vienna, and other major cities, alongside online sessions worldwide. It's Complicated is free to use, and you pay your chosen therapist directly at rates they set.
Finding a therapist who genuinely understands ME/CFS, and who will not approach it as a psychological problem to be solved, is one of the most important factors in making the support useful. Our matching service is built to remove that friction. You complete a short survey, our psychologists combine data-driven insights with human judgement to identify the right therapists for your situation, and you choose from a shortlist of strong candidates. You can also browse our directory directly if you'd prefer to choose yourself.
Get matched with a therapist who specialises in ME/CFS support, or browse the directory.
