#skillsnotpills
About Us
We support those disabled with chronic pain within Plymouth and surrounding areas, as well as Exeter. We run pain cafes to connect people, provide peer support and give people skills to self manage their chronic pain condition. We are aiming to facilitate pain cafes in all large towns/cities across Devon.
Each session runs for 2 hours and involves small groups of up to 15 people who are supported by two pain coaches. The coaches have lived experience and manage their own chronic pain. They facilitate the sessions by providing expertise and resources to help you with everyday life. We encourage exercise as part of lifestyle improvement and we can give you lots of advice around key areas such as sleep management.
Chronic Pain Coaching are part of a Plymouth NHS pilot programme aiming to deprescribe people from opioid medication and the Directors themselves now manage their pain levels without medication.
“you (Julie) have been instrumental in helping me to find the confidence to build a new life around my illness.” Plymouth City Centre member
“If I didn’t come to this (cafe) I wouldn’t leave the house”
FAQ
Do I need to be referred by my GP?
All Plymouth GPs should be aware of us and can give you details about our services but there is no need for complicated referrals.
All tickets are available on Eventbrite but if these are sold out please contact us. Alternatively please attend the cafe as we are available to take walk-in spaces on the day. You can self refer or please ask your Social Prescriber to refer you to us via the Joy app.
What pain management principles do you follow?
We use the same principles as the local pain management programme as a basis for discussion but we are also guided by participant experiences. The principles are based on improving mental and physical wellbeing and teach you valuable skills for you to apply to your life. These are acceptance, compassion focused therapy, pacing, mindfulness, managing flare-ups, sleep, communication, managing moods, medicine and nutrition.
We also review current literature and research to bring the best experience possible.
How much does it cost?
The cafe is free for participants. We are kindly supported by the National Lottery Community Fund. However, to make the cafes sustainable we would appreciate a donation towards costs, although there is absolutely no obligation.
Who do you work with and (if a practitioner) how do I join you?
We are currently working with NHS Health Innovations SouthWest, Plymouth University research department, University Hospitals NHS Trust Pain Management Team, local GPs and Social Prescribers to bring you up-to-date information on pain management. We also work with a number of holistic practitioners and other community groups to bring you the best experience possible.
We are part of the newly formed Devon Pain Collaborative. We are looking at ways to improve people's experiences in pain management across Devon and hoping to make system wide changes. We would love for people to be seen quicker and have more options for managing chronic pain. Please contact us for further details if you are a practitioner with an interest in changing pain pathways within Devon and wish to join us.
We have also formed a Devon Pain Cafe Community of Practice which meets monthly and helps to share research and best practice for all those running pain cafes. Please see tab above for further details.
How can I run my own pain cafe?
There is a handy start up guide here:
We are available for Consultancy work to help you with specific queries around implementation or developing a Community solution, including grant bid fund writing. Please contact us to discuss.
Contact us
Plymouth
Email:
Julie: julie@thepaincoach.co.uk
Sean: sdejennings51@googlemail.com
