Complex Pain & Emotional Recovery
Supporting Children with Chronic Pain
and Complex Conditions
Chronic conditions like juvenile arthritis, hyper-mobility, EDS, eczema, burns, CRPS, and asthma and more can create unique challenges for children. Beyond the physical limitations, these conditions can impact a child’s social life, self-esteem, and emotional well-being.As someone living with chronic pain and a parent supporting a child with chronic pain, I bring both personal and professional experience to these sessions. My approach focuses on:Education: Helping children understand their condition and manage their limitations.Emotional Resilience: Supporting children as they process sadness, frustration, and other emotions.Joy and Strengths: Identifying activities that bring happiness and create opportunities for thriving. And bringing into focus what they can do rather than what they cannot do.A safe, non-judgemental space to release frustrations and communicate what is going on in their world.Mind-Body Connection: Teaching techniques to expand their window of tolerance and balance activity levels to avoid flares.I work closely with parents and children to find this balance, gradually helping children develop independence while empowering parents to take on a supportive role.
Medical Trauma and Emotional Recovery
A Holistic Approach
When children undergo medical procedures or live with chronic health conditions, their recovery is often assessed in terms of physical health. Once discharged from the hospital, or on weekend leave the focus shifts to home care, leaving the emotional and psychological impact of their experiences under-addressed. Yet these experiences can profoundly affect children, manifesting as anxiety, clinginess, depression, phobias, sleep issues, stomach aches, headaches, difficulties at school, or challenging behaviours. These signs are often seen in isolation, but they may have a root cause in the medical trauma the child has experienced.
Emotional Recovery for Children
Today, much of the recovery process happens at home, with parents and caregivers shouldering the responsibility for administering treatments and managing recovery routines. This shift can unintentionally strain the bond of trust between child and caregiver. While parents do their best, children may feel conflicted emotions about the medical interventions required for their health.Children need a safe and nurturing environment to process their experiences. This includes spaces where they can express emotions such as anger, sadness, or fear without worrying about upsetting their caregivers. Processing doesn't always require words; children often find solace in creative outlets like art, journaling, movement (somatic therapies), and therapeutic play. These approaches allow children to work through their emotions and trauma without being forced to relive the experience or struggle to articulate feelings they may not yet fully understand.
Simple Changes, Big Impact
Small adjustments at home can make a big difference in emotional and physical recovery. For instance, removing constant reminders of their condition from a child’s immediate environment can help them focus on being themselves rather than their illness. These changes create a more seamless integration of emotional and physical recovery, recognising that both are interconnected.For children currently undergoing treatments, we offer sensory-based spaces and activities that let them express themselves freely and can be modified for their specific needs. Therapeutic play can help them regain a sense of control, allowing them to say "no," express anger, or simply "be" without the constraints often imposed in medical settings.
Parental Support: Caring for the Caregivers
When your child is unwell, or has additional needs compared to what a typical child may have the emotional toll on you as a parent or caregiver is profound. Whether your child is a toddler or a young adult, seeing them in pain or distress is heartbreaking. Your role as a caregiver can leave you feeling overwhelmed, exhausted, and unsure of how to navigate the complexities of medical and emotional care as well as how to navigate the needs of the other children in the house.I offer support for parents through:Talk Therapy: A space to share your fears, frustrations, and experiences without judgment.Walk & Talk Therapy:Walk-and-Talk Therapy is a refreshing and dynamic approach to counselling that combines the benefits of movement and fresh air with the therapeutic process. Instead of sitting in a traditional office setting, sessions take place outdoors, where we walk side by side, creating a more relaxed and natural environment for conversation.Stress Management: Practical tools to manage your fight-or-flight response, which often needs to be suppressed during medical emergencies or with the ongoing stress associated with a caregiving role.Practical Strategies: Techniques to find moments of peace and resilience amid the chaos.This journey is challenging, and no two experiences are alike. But having someone who understands can make all the difference in finding strength and balance along the way.Together, We Can Navigate Recovery Recovery from medical trauma and chronic conditions is a journey for both children and their families. Through creative expression, therapeutic play, and emotional support, I aim to help children reclaim their joy and sense of self. For parents, I provide a compassionate space to find balance and strength as you support your child. You don’t have to navigate this path alone. Let’s work together to help your child—and your family—heal and thrive.