Chronic Pain 5-week Self-Management Course

Chronic Pain Ireland is holding our 5-week Self-Management Course for people living with chronic pain. This 5 session course is delivered online over a 5 week period and is a 2 hour session. The course focusses and looks at key ideas in the self-management of chronic pain and encourages participants to explore ways to both manage their condition and cope better.  The course offers a special kind of flexible interactive experience in which questions, feedback, discussion and mutual support are an important part of the process.

There are key topics that will always be covered and there is a ‘direction of travel’ (per topics listed) but the exact order in which topics are discussed and the focus given to each area, depends on the needs and interests of the group at the time.  The course is delivered in a non-linear way such that topics overlap and ‘inform’ each other.  A good example would be how Pacing for instance requires that we also look at the effects of stress, beliefs
and issues around acceptance.

The topics covered during the course will be:

• Introduction – in which participants will be asked what they want to achieve and a big picture of pain management is shared including an explanation of the bio-psycho-social model
• Understanding chronic pain
• Boom-Bust, Pacing, Baselines, goal setting
• Stress awareness and management ideas, breaking the pain stress cycle
• Anxiety
• Sleep
• Social aspects
• Acceptance & emotions
• Flare ups

Live notes from each session will be e-mailed along with more formal pre-prepared materials including audio recordings for relaxation practice. This means that people wanting to explore a focus specifically on a topic can do so in-between sessions and the sessions can help explain things further and deal with questions and challenges.

Facilitator for this programme is the Lead Trainer of Pain Association of Scotland, Phil Sizer who has delivered thousands of workshops throughout Ireland and the UK and is the author of Chronic Pain, the drug free way which is available from your local library or via amazon.co.uk.  Chronic Pain Ireland has for many years offered self-management training for all living with chronic pain and are partnering with the Pain Association Scotland, who (having pioneered the development and delivery of self-management training) have run community programmes for over 20 years. Both CPI and PAS share mutual aims of helping to improve the quality of life for all living with chronic pain.

Please note the above course is only offered to members of Chronic Pain Ireland at no additional cost. For information about taking out membership to Chronic Pain Ireland see here