Chronic Pain Ireland

Chronic Pain 5-week Self-Management Course
2023-11-20 02:00 - 16:00, 2023-11-13 02:00 - 16:00 (Europe/Dublin)
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

CPI Members Network meeting
2023-11-14 11:00 - 12:00, 2023-10-10 11:00 - 12:00, 2023-09-12 11:00 - 12:00
Each month CPI holds our peer to peer network meetings which are facilitated by our current Chairperson. It’s a safe, inclusive space to meet others, to chat, share and support each other. Our membership feedback regularly mentions the importance of speaking with others where they can chat openly without judgement and connect with others.
This event is open to members of Chronic Pain Ireland and if you would like to join, membership is €22.00 per year. See here for more details.
Many of our members have formed life long friendships as a result of attending CPI events, workshops and taking part in research. Please, consider becoming part of our community.

CPI LEAP Programme - Fibromyalgia
2023-11-12 10:00 - 12:00, 2023-11-05 10:00 - 12:00, 2023-10-29 10:00 - 12:00, 2023-10-22 10:00 - 12:00, 2023-10-15 10:00 - 12:00, 2023-10-08 10:00 - 12:00, 2023-10-01 10:00 - 12:00, 2023-09-24 10:00 - 12:00
Chronic Pain Ireland is offering people living with fibromyalgia the opportunity to attend the Lifestyle Educational Awareness Programme (LEAP) during Pain Awareness Month 2023.
What is LEAP?
LEAP is a Lifestyle Education Awareness Programme containing 7 modules to help you get your health on track. It is not about making big changes; it’s about making small changes and doing them consistently. It will also give you a better understanding of what affects your health and the areas of your life that you may need to look at. LEAP (Lifestyle Education Awareness Programme) was piloted in 2017 and is designed by patients for patients. Information is updated after each course to reflect patient feedback and evaluation along with changes in research and treatments.
Each Module is 2 hours long with appropriate rest breaks and the group size is between 8 and 16 participants.

Module 1 â€“ My Movement
Module 2 â€“ My Sleep
Module 3 â€“ My Nutrition
Module 4 â€“ My Journey
Module 5 â€“ My Habits
Module 6 â€“ My Plan
Module 7 â€“ My Next Steps

Facilitator Rachel Lynch, is a registered member of the Irish Association of counselling and psychotherapy with lived experience of fibromyalgia.
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

Flare ups and reaction to pain workshop
2023-11-03 14:00 - 16:00 | online, Ireland
The topic of flare up is often treated on its own, but the best way to manage a flare up is to avoid it in the first place.
It means that when we look at flare ups, we need to do some detective work about what affects pain and how we react to it.
Managing a flare up is both proactive so that we make it less likely and reactive, so that we reduce suffering and recover as quickly as possible.
In this session we’ll look at changing our reaction to pain at a ‘small’ level and we’ll also look at making a flare up plan.
Chronic Pain Ireland has for many years offered self-management training for all living with chronic pain and are partners 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. The focus of these interactive workshops is therefore on introducing people to, and quickly building, self-management skills, thereby creating practical, positive change leading to an improved quality of life and well-being. Our trained facilitator has delivered over 10,000 workshops to date.
These workshops are offered to members of Chronic Pain Ireland only. If you would like to become a member and avail of all our chronic pain support services including: self-management workshops, mental health support group, telephone support line, chronic pain courses and programmes, online meetings, webinars and networking opportunities â€“ Join here

CPI Turn2Me Support Group for chronic pain
2023-10-31 19:00 - 20:00, 2023-09-26 19:00 - 20:00 | online, Ireland
Chronic Pain Ireland has partnered with Turn2Me an Irish online mental health charity that provides free, anonymous and confidential online professional health services to anyone that needs it. They provide a range of online services which anyone can access via their website www.Turn2Me.ie
Chronic Pain Group Counselling
Chronic Pain is invisible, you cannot show it to your doctor, friends, or family. There isn’t always a scar or any visual cues to the pain you are suffering. This support group is a place where you can seek support from others who can empathise with what you are going through, and your experience will resonate with other Chronic Pain Ireland members. Empower yourself to take control and arm yourself with ways to improve your quality of everyday life, strengthen your resilience, prioritise your mental health and self-care. The support group is facilitated by an experienced Psychotherapist who lives with Chronic Pain.
Turn2Me in partnership with Chronic Pain Ireland will facilitate a specific ‘chronic pain group counselling support group’ on the last Tuesday evening of every month. Please note that while the above group is open only to Chronic Pain Ireland members at this time however all other mental health services are available to the general public and you can sign up directly via www.Turn2Me.ie
If you would like to learn more about CPI membership see here
About Turn2Me:
Turn2Me is supported by the HSE’s National Office for Suicide Prevention to deliver counselling online. Turn2me is a national mental health charity that was founded in 2009 by Oisin and Diarmuid Scollard, who tragically lost their brother, Cormac, to suicide in 2003. Turn2me offers adult counselling and support group services to adults and young people aged 12 plus. Turn2Me has helped over 120,000 people since it was set up in 2009. Turn2Me offers up to six free counselling sessions to adults living in Ireland. To sign up, go to www.Turn2Me.ie

HSE Living Well with Chronic Pain Programme
2023-10-14 10:30 - 14:30, 2023-10-07 10:30 - 14:30, 2023-09-30 10:30 - 14:30, 2023-09-23 10:30 - 14:30, 2023-09-16 10:30 - 14:30 | online, Ireland
The HSE in conjunction with Chronic Pain Ireland is supporting our members during CPI’s Pain Awareness Month 2023 Campaign. Over a 7 week period members are invited to take part in the Living Well with Chronic Pain programme. The Living Well Programme can help you develop skills and confidence to manage your condition.
Programme Topics
Techniques to deal with symptoms of chronic pain conditions, such as fatigue, sleeplessness, stress, and emotional problems such as depression, anger, fear, and frustration, with emphasis on cognitive behavioural therapy techniques for managing pain.
Topics include:
ï‚· Appropriate exercise for maintaining and improving strength and endurance
ï‚· Balancing activity with rest
ï‚· Tools for overcoming worst-case thinking
ï‚· How our minds affect pain and how we can use our minds to lessen pain
ï‚· Negative emotions
ï‚· Healthy eating
ï‚· Appropriate use of medication
ï‚· Working more effectively with health care providers
ï‚· Communicating with friends and family
ï‚· Communicating with the health care system
ï‚· Communicating with oneself
ï‚· Action-planning, problem-solving, decision-making
Why join the Living Well with pain programme?
People who are supported in this way increase their knowledge, skills and confidence to better manage their health in partnership with their health care provider(s).
How: For more information or to register, contact the Living Well Team Email LivingWellDNCC@hse.ie

HSE Living Well Chronic Pain programme
2023-10-13 10:30 - 13:00, 2023-10-06 10:30 - 13:00, 2023-09-29 10:30 - 13:00, 2023-09-22 10:30 - 13:00, 2023-09-15 10:30 - 13:00 | online, Ireland
The HSE in conjunction with Chronic Pain Ireland is supporting our members during CPI’s Pain Awareness Month 2023 Campaign. Over a 7 week period members are invited to take part in the Living Well with Chronic Pain programme. The Living Well Programme can help you develop skills and confidence to manage your condition.
Workshop Topics
Techniques to deal with symptoms of chronic pain conditions, such as fatigue, sleeplessness, stress, and emotional problems such as depression, anger, fear, and frustration, with emphasis on cognitive behavioural therapy techniques for managing pain.
Topics include:
ï‚· Appropriate exercise for maintaining and improving strength and endurance
ï‚· Balancing activity with rest
ï‚· Tools for overcoming worst-case thinking
ï‚· How our minds affect pain and how we can use our minds to lessen pain
ï‚· Negative emotions
ï‚· Healthy eating
ï‚· Appropriate use of medication
ï‚· Working more effectively with health care providers
ï‚· Communicating with friends and family
ï‚· Communicating with the health care system
ï‚· Communicating with oneself
ï‚· Action-planning, problem-solving, decision-making
Why join the Living Well with pain programme?
People who are supported in this way increase their knowledge, skills and confidence to better manage their health in partnership with their health care provider(s).
How: For more information or to register, contact the Living Well Team Email LivingWellDNCC@hse.ie

CPI's Chronic Pain Self-Management Course (5 weeks)
2023-10-09 02:00 - 16:00, 2023-10-02 02:00 - 16:00, 2023-09-18 02:00 - 16:00
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 â€“ 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

CPI Workshop - Confidence & Self Esteem
2023-10-06 14:00 - 16:00 | online, Ireland
Confidence & Self-Esteem
A lack of self- esteem often blocks us from looking after ourselves. This issue is a major block to managing health, because if you don’t value something you don’t look after it! The session will look at:

Your version of yourself/self image vs others
Old rules
Effects of change
Gap between self-image vs ideal
Closing the gap
Do vs are
A surprising quiz

Chronic Pain Ireland has for many years offered self-management training for all living with chronic pain and are partners 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. The focus of these interactive workshops is therefore on introducing people to, and quickly building, self-management skills, thereby creating practical, positive change leading to an improved quality of life and well-being. Our trained facilitator has delivered over 10,000 workshops to date.
These workshops are offered to members of Chronic Pain Ireland only. If you would like to become a member and avail of all our chronic pain support services including: self-management workshops, telephone support line, chronic pain courses and programmes, online meetings, webinars and networking opportunities â€“ Join here
