Therapy for diabetes
Diabetes affects every choice you make. You check numbers, count carbs, adjust insulin, plan ahead, and worry about complications. The mental load can be overwhelming, especially when you fear lows, feel guilty about highs, or hear comments from people who do not understand your condition. Many people experience distress, burnout, or low mood, which then makes diabetes management harder. Therapy helps you handle the emotional weight while building practical strategies to manage a demanding condition.
Living with diabetes in Canada
The scope of diabetes across the country
Diabetes is one of the most common chronic conditions in Canada. About 3.7 million Canadians have diagnosed diabetes, and when undiagnosed cases are included, an estimated 11.7 million people live with diabetes or prediabetes according to Diabetes Canada statistics. Most people have Type 2 diabetes, while Type 1 affects about 10 percent of cases. Risk is higher in many Indigenous, South Asian, Asian, African, and Hispanic communities. A new diagnosis occurs every few minutes, making diabetes a major health issue across the country.
Diabetes in Canada
Sources: Diabetes Canada.
The daily reality of diabetes management
Living with diabetes means constant attention. People with Type 1 often check blood sugar many times a day, count carbs at every meal, adjust insulin for food, activity, stress, and illness, and carry supplies everywhere. People with Type 2 may balance medication, diet, exercise, monitoring, and sometimes insulin as well. Appointments with specialists are frequent. The mental load is huge because diabetes requires decisions and adjustments every single day with no real break.
The psychological burden
The emotional impact of diabetes is significant. Many people feel overwhelmed, worried about complications, frustrated by unpredictable numbers, or burned out from the constant work of managing the condition. Depression is more common, and fear of low blood sugar can affect daily life. Stigma adds to the strain when others blame or minimize the condition. Therapy helps you navigate the emotional, social, and practical challenges that come with living with diabetes.
The hidden impact of diabetes
Food becomes emotionally charged
Eating becomes work. Every meal means counting carbs, predicting blood sugar changes, and timing insulin. Social meals can feel stressful, and comments from others make it harder. Some people develop disordered eating patterns, including risky insulin restriction. Food becomes tied to pressure rather than comfort.
Numbers feel like moral judgments
Blood sugar readings can feel like grades. When numbers are high or low, you may blame yourself even when you have done everything right. Many factors outside your control affect blood sugar, yet shame often builds. Family members may act like the diabetes police, adding pressure you do not need.
Burnout and fear of complications
The constant work of diabetes can lead to burnout. You may feel tired of checking, calculating, and planning. Fear of complications adds to the stress, and appointments can bring anxiety. Some people become hypervigilant, while others avoid thinking about diabetes at all. Finding balance is hard.
Relationships and financial strain
Diabetes can affect relationships through tension, worry, and the need for support from partners or family. Dating and social situations take extra planning. The financial cost of supplies, devices, and travel adds another layer of stress, especially for people in remote or underserved communities.
How therapy helps with diabetes
Why diabetes-specific therapy matters
Managing diabetes affects far more than blood sugar. The emotional load is heavy, yet often overlooked in standard care. A therapist who understands diabetes knows that the work you do each day is demanding, that high numbers are not always your fault, and that feeling overwhelmed is a normal response. They understand fears about lows, burnout, food challenges, and the pressure of constant decisions. Diabetes therapy validates your experience and teaches skills that support both emotional wellbeing and daily management. Research shows that this kind of support can improve A1C levels, reduce distress, and raise quality of life.
What diabetes therapy addresses
Therapy helps you work through overwhelm, frustration, guilt, and burnout. You learn to view blood sugar numbers as information rather than personal judgment. Support also focuses on managing anxiety or low mood, building coping skills, improving communication with healthcare providers, and finding a healthy balance between taking diabetes seriously and still living your life.
Evidence-based therapeutic approaches
Cognitive behavioural therapy
CBT is well supported for diabetes and helps both emotional health and blood sugar control. You learn to challenge thoughts that fuel guilt or fear and replace them with steadier perspectives. CBT also teaches practical tools like problem solving, pacing, and exposure for hypoglycemia fear. Research highlights these benefits in the CBT and diabetes outcomes.
Motivational interviewing
Diabetes requires daily decisions that can feel draining. Motivational interviewing helps you explore what makes management hard, clarify why it matters to you, and build motivation from within. Research shows it improves self care and blood sugar control, as noted in the motivational interviewing research.
Mindfulness based interventions
Mindfulness helps you notice difficult thoughts or numbers without spiralling into worry or frustration. It lowers stress, improves emotional wellbeing, and can support better glucose control. These benefits are shown in the mindfulness for diabetes research.
Acceptance and commitment therapy
ACT helps you accept the parts of diabetes you cannot control while taking action toward the life you want. You clarify values, make meaningful choices, and reduce distress without waiting for perfect numbers. Research shows ACT reduces diabetes distress and supports healthier self care, as seen in the ACT for diabetes distress.
Your therapy journey with diabetes
Understanding your experience
Early sessions focus on how diabetes affects your daily life and emotional health. Your therapist learns about your routines, challenges, and feelings around numbers, burnout, or distress. They validate how demanding diabetes truly is and give you space to talk openly about the parts that feel overwhelming. Together you identify the areas therapy will focus on.
Building skills and new perspectives
Therapy then focuses on learning practical and emotional skills. You might work on reframing numbers, managing fear, problem solving barriers, creating sustainable routines, or improving communication with your care team. You practise strategies between sessions and explore new ways of responding to difficult moments with support and self compassion.
Integration and ongoing support
As you become more confident with your skills, therapy may shift to occasional check ins. Many people return during stressful periods, new treatments, major changes, or renewed burnout. This ongoing support is a normal part of managing a lifelong condition and helps you stay grounded through challenges.
Find a therapist for diabetes
Choosing the right therapist matters. Each province in Canada has its own regulations, which is why working with a recognized professional can make a real difference in your care. Stellocare takes the uncertainty out of the process by listing only verified therapists you can trust.
The right therapist for you
No therapists found with these specialties in Ontario.
Try selecting a different province.Canadian diabetes resources and self-management
Canadian support resources
Diabetes Canada
National organization providing comprehensive diabetes information, resources, support programs, and advocacy. Offers educational materials, connection to local programs, peer support opportunities, and information about research. Visit Diabetes Canada.
Diabetes education centres
Every province has diabetes education centres staffed by specialized nurses and dietitians providing free education, support, and management guidance. Programs include individual appointments, group education, and ongoing support. Access is usually through physician referral or direct contact.
JDRF Canada
Focused on Type 1 diabetes research, advocacy, and support. Provides resources for people with Type 1 and their families, funds research toward cure and better treatments. Strong community support programs including events and online forums. Visit JDRF.
Provincial drug coverage programs
Each province offers drug coverage programs helping with diabetes medication and supply costs. Programs vary by province but typically include coverage for insulin, testing supplies, and some diabetes medications. Contact your provincial health ministry or diabetes education centre to learn about programs in your area.
Daily coping strategies
Managing diabetes distress
- Acknowledge the burden: managing diabetes is genuinely hard. Validating this reality rather than minimizing difficulty is important for mental health.
- Take management breaks: during high-stress periods, simplify to minimum necessary. Give yourself permission to manage adequately rather than perfectly.
- Separate yourself from diabetes: you are not your A1C. High blood sugar readings are data about physiology, not judgments of character.
- Focus on behaviors, not just outcomes: evaluate yourself based on effort and consistency rather than solely on numbers.
Building sustainable routines
- Create systems: use alarms for medication reminders, keep supplies in multiple locations, establish consistent routines that make management automatic.
- Start small: choose one small change, master it, then add another. Small sustainable improvements outweigh ambitious unsustainable plans.
- Problem-solve specific barriers: if you forget morning medication, put pills next to your coffee maker. Specific solutions address specific problems.
- Prepare for challenges: keep emergency supplies in your car, plan management strategies before travel, have backup plans for technology failures.
Communicating about diabetes
- Be clear about helpful support: tell loved ones specifically what helps versus what doesn't.
- Set boundaries: it's okay to say "I'm handling my diabetes management. Please don't comment on my food choices."
- Educate selectively: have a brief explanation ready for casual acquaintances, save detailed discussions for people who matter.
- Advocate in healthcare settings: speak up if providers focus exclusively on numbers without acknowledging effort.
Questions about therapy for diabetes
Will therapy improve my blood sugar control?
Therapy can help improve A1C for many people because better emotional health makes diabetes management easier. But the main goal is to reduce distress and help you feel more in control. Even if numbers do not change dramatically, therapy still offers meaningful support.
Should I see a therapist or just work with my diabetes educator?
Both are helpful in different ways. Diabetes educators teach medical and practical skills. Therapists support your emotional wellbeing, burnout, anxiety, and daily stress. Many people benefit from working with both so their physical and emotional needs are covered.
What if my therapist doesn't understand diabetes?
A therapist with experience in diabetes or chronic illness is ideal. If they do not know much about diabetes, ask if they are open to learning and collaborating with your care team. Starting with someone familiar with diabetes often means faster progress.
Is it normal to feel this overwhelmed by diabetes?
Yes. Diabetes requires constant decisions, monitoring, and planning. Many people feel overwhelmed or burned out at times. This does not mean you are failing. It means the condition is demanding. Therapy helps you manage stress and build tools to cope with daily challenges.
Related concerns
References
- Diabetes Canada. (2024). Diabetes in Canada. Retrieved from https://www.diabetes.ca/about-diabetes/what-is-diabetes
- Pouwer, F., Nefs, G., & Nouwen, A. (2013). Adverse effects of depression on glycemic control and health outcomes in people with diabetes. Endocrinology and Metabolism Clinics, 42(3), 529-544. Retrieved from https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24011885/
- Safren, S. A., Gonzalez, J. S., Wexler, D. J., et al. (2014). A randomized controlled trial of cognitive behavioral therapy for adherence and depression in patients with uncontrolled type 2 diabetes. Diabetes Care, 37(3), 625-633.
- Christie, D., & Channon, S. (2014). The potential for motivational interviewing to improve outcomes in diabetes management. Clinical Medicine, 14(6), 635-640. Retrieved from https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23927612/
- Hartmann, M., Kopf, S., Kircher, C., et al. (2012). Sustained effects of mindfulness-based stress-reduction intervention in type 2 diabetic patients. Diabetes Care, 35(5), 945-947. Retrieved from https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22338101/
- Hagger, V., Hendrieckx, C., Cameron, F., et al. (2018). Diabetes distress is more strongly associated with HbA1c than depressive symptoms in adolescents with type 1 diabetes. Diabetic Medicine, 35(10), 1146-1153. Retrieved from https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29383803/
- Young-Hyman, D., de Groot, M., Hill-Briggs, F., et al. (2016). Psychosocial care for people with diabetes: A position statement of the American Diabetes Association. Diabetes Care, 39(12), 2126-2140.
- Diabetes Canada. (2018). Diabetes and mental health. Canadian Journal of Diabetes, 42, S130-S141.
About Stellocare
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Marla Soubhie
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Katherine Collins
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Shayesteh Zarieh
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Laura Prikosovich
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Peter Wong
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Natasha Elliott
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Amanda Sanichar
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Devyn Eadie
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Anna Evans
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Joseph Bottros
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Regan Kelly
Registered Psychotherapist (ON)
Marla Soubhie
Registered Psychotherapist (Qualifying) (ON)
Katherine Collins
Registered Psychotherapist (Qualifying) (ON)
Shayesteh Zarieh
Registered Psychotherapist (Qualifying) (ON)
Laura Prikosovich
Registered Social Worker (ON)
Peter Wong
Registered Psychotherapist (ON)
Natasha Elliott
Registered Psychotherapist (ON)
Emily Hiram
Registered Psychotherapist (ON)
Carissa Cochrane
Canadian Certified Counsellor
Carol Ma
Registered Social Worker (ON)
Natasha Milloy
Registered Psychotherapist (Qualifying) (ON)
Amelie Rossignol
Counselling Therapist (AB)
Sumudini Sathivadivel
Registered Social Worker (ON)
Lindsey Cepek
Registered Psychotherapist (Qualifying) (ON)
Liz Hagerty
Registered Social Worker (BC)
Nicole Pawlick
Canadian Certified Counsellor
Amanda Sanichar
Registered Social Worker (ON)
Devyn Eadie
Registered Psychotherapist (ON)
Anna Evans
Registered Social Worker (ON)
Joseph Bottros
Registered Psychotherapist (ON)
Regan Kelly
Registered Psychotherapist (ON)