Dr. LaChapelle, a licensed clinical health psychologist, will be teaching an advanced skills course to senior clinical graduate students in the Doctoral Psychology Program at the University of New Brunswick. As part of this course, the student therapists will each provide a maximum of 8 individual therapy sessions to volunteers with chronic pain. Dr. LaChapelle will closely supervise all of the students’ work and there will be no cost to the volunteers.
Volunteer Requirements: Volunteers should be English speaking adults (18 years of age or over) who have been experiencing chronic physical pain (of any type) for three months or longer. Those experiencing mild to moderate levels of depression or anxiety are likely to benefit the most from therapy. For students to maximize their learning experiences and for volunteers to maximize the benefits they achieve in therapy, volunteers need to commit to attending eight sessions between February 1st and April 10th (excluding the week of March 7th, which is March Break for the school systems). All therapy sessions will take place at the Psychological Wellness Centre (http://www.unb.ca/fredericton/arts/centres/pwc/index.html) on the UNB campus. Appointments will be scheduled at the volunteer’s convenience (day and evening appointments will be available).
Focus of Therapy Sessions: The overall focus of psychotherapy for chronic pain is to reduce distress and maximize quality of life despite pain. While therapy can help people better manage their pain by reducing the frequency of pain flare-ups and lowering the overall intensity of their pain level, elimination of pain is not a realistic goal. Volunteers can expect therapy to progress as follows: The first session will focus on assessing the nature of the volunteers’ pain experiences, their emotional responses to the pain, and how they are currently coping. The second session will involve providing volunteers with feedback about the results of their assessment, education about chronic pain and Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for Pain (http://www.cpa.ca/psychologyfactsheets/), and setting personal therapy goals. The remaining six sessions will focus on developing pain management skills including learning relaxation and cognitive coping strategies and how to plan and pace activities to reduce flare-ups and maximize functioning. The specific focus of each session will be individualized based on each volunteer’s needs and experiences.
For more information about this opportunity please contact Dr. LaChapelle by phone (476-3907) or email (Diane.LaChapelle@unb.ca). Please mention your interest in the “pain course” in your message.
Volunteer Requirements: Volunteers should be English speaking adults (18 years of age or over) who have been experiencing chronic physical pain (of any type) for three months or longer. Those experiencing mild to moderate levels of depression or anxiety are likely to benefit the most from therapy. For students to maximize their learning experiences and for volunteers to maximize the benefits they achieve in therapy, volunteers need to commit to attending eight sessions between February 1st and April 10th (excluding the week of March 7th, which is March Break for the school systems). All therapy sessions will take place at the Psychological Wellness Centre (http://www.unb.ca/fredericton/arts/centres/pwc/index.html) on the UNB campus. Appointments will be scheduled at the volunteer’s convenience (day and evening appointments will be available).
Focus of Therapy Sessions: The overall focus of psychotherapy for chronic pain is to reduce distress and maximize quality of life despite pain. While therapy can help people better manage their pain by reducing the frequency of pain flare-ups and lowering the overall intensity of their pain level, elimination of pain is not a realistic goal. Volunteers can expect therapy to progress as follows: The first session will focus on assessing the nature of the volunteers’ pain experiences, their emotional responses to the pain, and how they are currently coping. The second session will involve providing volunteers with feedback about the results of their assessment, education about chronic pain and Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for Pain (http://www.cpa.ca/psychologyfactsheets/), and setting personal therapy goals. The remaining six sessions will focus on developing pain management skills including learning relaxation and cognitive coping strategies and how to plan and pace activities to reduce flare-ups and maximize functioning. The specific focus of each session will be individualized based on each volunteer’s needs and experiences.
For more information about this opportunity please contact Dr. LaChapelle by phone (476-3907) or email (Diane.LaChapelle@unb.ca). Please mention your interest in the “pain course” in your message.
