09 Mar Being aware of mental health and persistent pain
Supporting you to support others…
We have developed online training for healthcare professionals and volunteers working with people with long term pain, this training will support you to support their mental health needs. We offer three distinct online modules
Course description
This course has been developed by Keele University and Midlands Partnership
NHS Foundation Trust in partnership with The Health Foundation. The course
will enable you to develop the skills needed to support the mental health
needs of people with painful long-term conditions (e.g. osteoarthritis, low
back pain). The following learning points are covered:
• Developing awareness of mental health and persistent pain
• Recognising mental health problems in people with persistent pain
• Communication skills
• Supporting behavior change in others
• Protecting your own mental health and wellbeing
The content is informed by evidence, includes a range of different learning
materials and has been designed to support a mix of learning styles. The
course is appropriate for a broad range of people such as Healthcare
professionals, NHS support staff, and volunteers from inside and outside the
NHS who work regularly with people with painful long-term conditions.
We’d love you to give feedback
Please fill in the short training feedback form by clicking here…
To access the original sources of information used in the training materials, please see our helpful list of references:
1. Treede, R.D., Rief, W., Barke, A. et al. (2019). Chronic pain as a symptom of a disease: the IASP classification of chronic pain for the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-11). Pain 160(1). 19-27. doi: 10.1097/j.pain.0000000000001384
2. NHS (2018). Medically Unexplained Symptoms. NHS Website: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/medically-unexplained-symptoms/
3. Royal College of Psychiatrists (2015). Medically Unexplained Symptoms. RCPsych Website.
https://www.rcpsych.ac.uk/mental-health/problems-disorders/medically-unexplainedsymptoms
4. Van Hecke, Torrance, N, and Smith, BH. (2013). Chronic pain epidemiology – where do lifestyle factors fit in? British Journal of Pain. 7(4): 209-217. doi:10.1177/2049463713493264
