Challenging Pain Online - Virtual service

This is a virtual service which is available online only. Please note that these courses are only for people in the Belfast Health and Social Care Trust area.

Is it for me?

This programme is for anyone over 18 living in persistent pain who would like an introduction to the benefits of self-management. It is perfect for as either a standalone option or a taster session before commencing our 6 week course.

What will I learn?

• How to understand your own pain and the impact it has your everyday life.
• Simple techniques to help you manage this impact for a better quality of life.
• How to adopt healthy approaches and the importance of long term goal setting to challenge pain.
• That you are not alone in your pain and have an opportunity to meet others like you and learn from each other.

How does it work?

Two leaders who live with pain themselves deliver the workshops online. They have been 'in your shoes' and know exactly how you feel. The setup is very informal and there is no study involved. There will be a small group of people in the call, all of whom live with persistent pain.

The workshops run for 1.5 hours a week over 2 weeks and are FREE.  You will receive an invitation by email to take part over Microsoft Teams and we will contact you beforehand to talk you through everything and what to do.

I don't have a computer or the internet and I'm not comfortable with IT…

Don't worry - even if you only have a landline phone - we will post all the course materials out to you and we can add you to the call ourselves - you won't have to do anything and can still hear and take part in the discussions.

Why should I do it?

Living with persistent pain can feel like an endless stream of appointments with GPs, specialists, physio, OT and other Health Professionals. In reality, someone living with chronic pain spends, on average, just 12 hours a year with Health Care Professionals. This means you are left to manage the other 364 days by yourself.

Research shows that people who take part in a self-management programme experience less pain, depression, fatigue and anxiety than before.

Within a year, you could be making fewer visits to your doctor and using your new found self-management skills to take back your life.

I'd like to take part in a face to face programme - if I register for an online one will I still be able to go to a face to face when they are running again in the future?

Yes - absolutely - you can attend both the online programmes and the face to face ones.

How do I book a place?

Just call Yvonne on 028 9078 2940 or email y.knipe@versusarthritis.org for more information or to register.