Online Therapy for Long COVID Across Canada

Long COVID can feel like losing yourself in slow motion — the fatigue that doesn't lift, the brain fog that steals your words, the body that stopped working the way it used to. If you're months or years past your initial infection and still struggling, you're not imagining it, and you're not alone. Therapy can help you process what's happened, regulate a nervous system that's been thrown off course, and build a life that makes sense with the body you have now.

I'm Elysia Bronson, a Registered Clinical Counsellor (RCC) who works exclusively with chronic illness and chronic pain. I'm certified in the Safe and Sound Protocol (SSP) for nervous system regulation and Pain Reprocessing Therapy (PRT) for chronic pain — two evidence-based approaches with direct relevance to Long COVID symptoms.

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Adapt Therapy to Fit You

There are multiple ways to adapt therapy to fit your life, you can do self guided SSP for vagus nerve stimulation, or take a self guided course with video walk throughs on how to manage life with a new disorder, or we can meet 1:1 online for weekly support.

How Therapy Helps with Long COVID

Long COVID isn't just a physical condition — it's an experience that reshapes your relationship with your body, your identity, your career, and your future. Many people with Long COVID are dealing with grief over lost health, anxiety about whether they'll recover, frustration with a medical system that's still catching up, autonomic dysfunction (POTS, temperature dysregulation, heart rate variability), and a nervous system stuck in a state of threat.

Therapy addresses these layers directly. We're not treating the virus — we're treating the full human impact of living with a post-viral condition that the world is still learning to understand.

What We Work On Together

Nervous System Regulation

Long COVID frequently disrupts the autonomic nervous system, leading to POTS, sensory sensitivity, sleep disruption, and emotional reactivity. The Safe and Sound Protocol (SSP) is a Polyvagal-informed listening therapy that uses filtered music to stimulate the vagus nerve and help shift the nervous system toward a calmer, more regulated state. Many of my Long COVID clients find SSP particularly helpful for reducing sensory overload and improving stress tolerance.

Post-Viral Grief and Identity Loss

You may have been highly active, career-driven, or socially engaged before COVID. Living with Long COVID often means mourning the person you were while trying to build a sense of purpose in a body with different limits. We work through this grief without rushing it.

Brain Fog and Cognitive Frustration

While therapy doesn't cure brain fog, it can help you develop strategies for managing it — and process the frustration, shame, and anxiety that cognitive difficulties create. We also work on pacing cognitive activity so you can reduce the post-exertional worsening of brain fog.

Medical Trauma and Dismissal

If you've been told "your tests are normal" or "it's probably anxiety," those experiences cause real harm. We process the impact of medical gaslighting and rebuild your confidence in advocating for your own care.

Chronic Pain from Long COVID

Many people with Long COVID develop widespread pain, headaches, or joint pain. Using Pain Reprocessing Therapy (PRT), we work with the brain's pain processing system to help reduce chronic pain that has become centralized.

Pacing and Energy Management

We develop personalized pacing strategies based on your specific symptom patterns, helping you reduce crashes and build a sustainable routine.

Therapy Approaches I Use for Long COVID

Safe and Sound Protocol (SSP) — Polyvagal-informed listening therapy for autonomic nervous system regulation
Pain Reprocessing Therapy (PRT) — evidence-based approach for chronic pain that often accompanies Long COVID
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) — adapted for chronic illness, not the "push through it" version
Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT) — emotional regulation and distress tolerance for symptom flares
Somatic pacing — gentle, body-based approaches that respect post-exertional malaise

I understand post-exertional malaise. I will never push you to do more than your body can handle.

Why Online Therapy Works for Long COVID

Leaving the house with Long COVID can cost you days of recovery. Online therapy removes that barrier completely. You attend from home — from bed if that's where you need to be. You control your environment: lighting, noise, temperature, positioning. If you need to pause, adjust, or keep your camera off on a hard day, we make it work.

Who I Work With

I see clients across British Columbia, Alberta, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Newfoundland & Labrador, Yukon, Northwest Territories, and Nunavut. I'm registered with the BC Association of Clinical Counsellors (BCACC).

I currently cannot see clients from Ontario, Quebec, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, or PEI due to provincial registration requirements.

About Me

I'm Elysia Bronson, RCC. I serve on the Board of the Canadian Pain Society and co-chair the Interprofessional Special Interest Group. I'm certified in the Safe and Sound Protocol (SSP) and Pain Reprocessing Therapy (PRT). My entire practice is focused on chronic illness and chronic pain — I work with the conditions other therapists don't fully understand.

I live with chronic illness myself. I know what pacing looks like in practice, not just in theory.

Session Details

Individual counselling: $150 CAD / 50-minute session
SSP-integrated session: $180 CAD / 50-minute session
Free 20-minute consultation: No cost, no pressure
Insurance: Most extended health plans cover RCC services. ICBC and WorkSafe BC accepted.
Sessions: Monday–Friday, online via secure video

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need a referral?

No. You can book directly — no referral, no doctor's note.

Is Long COVID therapy covered by insurance?

Most extended health insurance plans in Canada cover Registered Clinical Counsellors (RCC). ICBC and WorkSafe BC claims are also accepted. Check with your insurer for your specific plan.

I don't know if I have Long COVID or something else. Can you still help?

Yes. Many of my clients are navigating uncertainty about diagnosis. I work with you regardless of where you are in the diagnostic process. Post-viral conditions, unexplained symptoms, and diagnostic limbo are all things I specialize in.

Will therapy cure my Long COVID?

Therapy doesn't cure Long COVID. What it can do is help regulate your nervous system, reduce chronic pain, process the emotional impact, and help you build a sustainable life while you heal — or while you adapt. Both paths are valid.

Can I do SSP if I have sensory sensitivity?

Yes — in fact, sensory sensitivity is one of the primary reasons people do SSP. We start slowly and adjust the pace based on your nervous system's response. Many clients with Long COVID find SSP helps reduce their sensory reactivity over time.

Take the First Step

You don't need to have it all figured out. If you're living with Long COVID and want support from someone who specializes in post-viral illness and chronic conditions, I'm here.