Introduction session

Most people referred to the Chronic Pain Self Management Team (CPSMT) will first be invited to attend our Introduction Session.

Practical information

The Introduction session is a two and a half hour meeting / presentation.   The session is held in a group. We invite approximately 30 people to attend each session.  Everyone in the session is experiencing pain so we so everything we can to help people feel comfortable, this includes

• Starting and finishing on time
• Encouraging people to move around and stretch during the session
• Making sure we take a break in the middle of the session
• Providing a written summary (Introduction session booklet) of the session so you don’t have to take notes

Please note that if you need help from someone to understand information or if you need an interpreter, the Introduction session is not the right clinic for you.  Please contact the team and we will arrange to book you into a different clinic

What do we cover?

In the Introduction session we aim to –

• Provide you with information to help you understand chronic pain better
• Describe how chronic pain can impact on all areas of life
• Give you some ideas about skills that help people to cope as well as possible with chronic pain
• Describe the services that we provide
• Give you information on how to access our services

We know there is no “one size fit all” approach when it comes to managing pain.  What will be useful for you depends on many different things including your current activity levels, what kind of activities you want to get back to and how confident you are about making changes to your lifestyle. This is why we talk about looking at your individual “jigsaw” and the different jigsaw pieces that you need to make progress with how you cope with pain day to day.  The topics or “jigsaw pieces” that we cover in the session include

• What is chronic pain?
• Why is medical treatment limited in chronic pain?
• How can chronic pain affect people?
• What are chronic pain self management strategies and what can you do to begin to help yourself?
  • Focus on values and quality of life
  • Moving towards your goals – Pacing, planning and problem solving activities
  • Movement
  • Medication management
  • Sleep and Nutrition
  • Stress Management
  • Emotional wellbeing
  • Communication

As well as giving an overview of these topics, we will tell you how you get get more information about these issues.

During the session, you will have opportunity to meet members of the Chronic Pain Self Management Team and ask questions about the service we provide.

What if I think I need more help?

Some of the ideas that we cover in the Introduction session may be new to you and you may think that you need further help to see how they might work for you. Or you may have been trying some of these ideas but still feel that you are stuck. If you think that you need help to understand and use ideas such as the ones described above then working with the Chronic Pain Self Management Team might be beneficial for you.

At the end of the Introduction session, if you would like to discuss accessing further support from the CPSMT  you will need to arrange an individual assessment appointment.  You can book this after the introduction session or you can phone us within 17 days of attending this session. Our telephone number is 020 8266 6545. You can leave a message on our answering machine if no one is available at the time you call.  Alternatively, you can send an email to CPSMT@stgeorges.nhs.uk

If you do not call us to book an assessment appointment within 17 days of attending this session, we will assume that you do not wish to attend any of our services at this time.  We will discharge you but you are welcome to ask your GP to be re-referred to us in the future.  

Below is a decision tree that describes what happens after you attend the Introduction session.

More information about the Assessment Clinic and the Pain Management Programme can be found by clicking on the link here or at the left of the page.

What we can’t do in the Introduction session 

• We can’t see you individually
• We can’t answer questions about your symptoms or situation as we have not assessed you.  If you go on to book an assessment appointment with us, then we will be able to understand more about you and we will be able to make recommendations
• We won’t offer medical treatment or refer you for investigations  – this will have been done as needed before your referral to us.