the wisdom of this group

hi everyone, my name is shawn and i have a friend who has type 1 diabetes. i am working on learning more about what she deals with day-to-day and what generally concerns her about her condition, and am doing everything i can as a friend to make sure all is well with her. if by any chance some of you folks out there might have some responses or leads that i can work with to some questions i have, that would be really appreciated.

it seems to me that there isn’t really a professional in my friend’s life that is truly partnering with her on maintaining her health and well-being. while she gets the basic medical care she needs from her doctor – there isn’t really a true connection there…she gets the testing and medical supplies she needs, but emotionally it all seems rather cold. is this typically the experience that folks have with doctors or are there docs out there who really make an effort to care / check-in on physical and emotional well-being of the patient? she does see a therapist, but it seems like the ideal professional would be part doctor, part therapist, and a small part life coach. is there any combination of support that people here have found helpful in terms of professional support?

beyond those questions, i’m wondering if anyone has any suggestions on good doctors / professionals / support groups in the nyc area. my friend is in her early 20’s and the little that she has connected with other folks with type1 seems to have been very positive for her. i’m particularly interested in any diabetes group / projects associated with the arts – as she’s an artist herself.

thank you so much in advance for any insight you can offer!

best,

shawn