Your pain management programme

Although pain can manifest similarly from one person to another, the factors behind each person’s pain are different. That’s why together we will create a pain management programme specifically tailored to you. Looking at your unique situation, I’ll suggest targeted pain management techniques that you can use yourself. And we’ll monitor your progress throughout, making adjustments as necessary.

The pain management programme consists of six appointments including the initial consultation and follows this schedule:

1. A free phone consultation – 20 mins

This conversation will enable us to get to know each other and discover how my role as a pain management coach can help you.

2. First appointment – 90 mins

Using a questionnaire as a guide, we’ll talk about your health history and identify potential root causes for your constant pain. We’ll explore the goals you wish to achieve and agree manageable steps (at a pace to suit you) to come up with your personalised pain management programme.

3. Follow-up appointments – 60 mins

These occur at weekly or fortnightly intervals, depending on what works best for you. Here we will monitor your progress, discuss pain management techniques and analyse which triggers and stressors are contributing to your constant pain, helping you to better understand and manage it. 

It’s important to me as a chronic pain coach that you gain as much as you can from your programme. So, I’m always contactable between sessions if you have any queries or concerns.

What happens at the pain management sessions?

I’ll ask you to fill out a questionnaire before your first session. This will ask you about everything from family and work, to diet, sleep and stress levels. 

At the first session, we’ll have a detailed discussion around your completed questionnaire and use it as a basis to root out the factors that are contributing to your pain. We’ll also talk about what causes you stress, any life events you may be managing and how your relationships with friends and family are impacted by your constant pain – and how they impact on it as well. 

We’ll then talk about what goals you want to achieve. That might be something as critical as getting back to work, or something more everyday such as going on a bike ride with your children.

In our subsequent sessions, we’ll uncover the links between your thoughts, feelings, moods, actions and your pain. My sessions are very much client-led, so we can focus on whatever you’d like to that day.

I’ll also ask you to keep a pain diary. This will help us identify which thoughts and actions impact on your pain, and also what you’re doing or thinking when you don’t notice it as much.

What pain management techniques do you use?

No one chronic pain sufferer is the same, so unlike a medical route, there is no standard path in my pain management programme. How your pain is managed will depend on your own individual situation.

I use a three-pronged approach to help you manage your constant pain. You’ll learn how to lower your pain stress responses, limit your pain triggers and prevent flare-ups of pain with pain management techniques including breathing exercises, thought reprogramming and focusing on sleep and nutrition. For more information, visit the what is pain management page.

How long will it take me to be pain-free?

Although you may never lead a completely pain-free life, it is entirely possible to vastly improve your quality of life.

As a pain management coach, I passionately believe that life isn’t just for living, it’s for celebrating. And I can help you get to a point where you’re living the fullest life you’re able to.

I know that making changes is hard, but I’ll be there to support you throughout your journey.

How long is the pain management programme?

I recommend that we work together over a three-month period. Both my experience as a chronic pain coach and other experts in this area suggest this is the minimum period of time it takes for people to see the impact of the changes they make.

Do you offer follow-up sessions?

I find that my three-month programme enables my clients to confidently manage their pain themselves by the time it’s completed. However, if you feel that you would benefit from further coaching, this can be arranged on an ad-hoc basis.