Pain support group will give Bradford students valuable experience
A self-management group for people suffering chronic pain is being set up thanks to a partnership with the University of Bradford and Pain Association Scotland.
The group is currently seeking people who suffer from chronic pain to help launch the service, which aims to provide patients with greater support and helping to improve their quality of life.
Dr Paul Sullivan, Head of the Department of Psychology, in the School of Social Sciences, said: “The idea behind it is that people with chronic pain can talk about their experiences, and discuss alternative coping techniques, such as pacing, so it’s about opening up the variety of ways of coping with pain.
The support group will also help to enhance student experience, by enabling direct observation by students, ultimately with the goal of improving service provision and the understanding of pain and how it affects people
The support group will also help to enhance student experience, by enabling direct observation by students, ultimately with the goal of improving service provision and the understanding of pain and how it affects people
Professor Amir Sharif, Dean of the Faculty of Management, Law and Social Sciences, said: “This will enhance the student experience and the learning opportunity for our undergraduate psychology students directly. The opportunity to observe and also to gain a deeper understanding of pain, a complex physiological and psychological phenomenon, will allow students to translate theory into practice through context and lived experience.”
Professor Sonia Cottom, Director of the Pain Association Scotland, said: “The collaboration between University of Bradford and Pain Association Scotland is a pioneering first and will give students a valuable opportunity to understand the self-management approach to health with a particular emphasis on chronic pain. This is a growing area of health care, especially relevant as health services move more towards person-centred, bio-psycho-social models.
“This is a very practical course component in which students will gain insights based on observing and participating in live group work with patients, the place where theory meets practice. Alongside the topics of self-management like stress, sleep, pacing, understanding pain, students will also see the bio-psycho-social model in ‘action’ and will observe rapport building and motivation issues.”
“This is a welcome first of its kind that will equip students with positive formative experiences that will inform study and may even inspire career choice and is something the university is proud to be involved with.”
Professor Zahir Irani, Deputy-Vice-Chancellor, said: "This is integral to the University’s Business and Community engagement agenda and provides vital learning experiences for students.”
If you are interested in participating in the group, contact info@painassociation.com and 0800 783 6059.