Counseling and Pain Management: a Mind/Body Approach Patty Sanders University of Texas Southwest Medical Center
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Professionally Speaking Counseling and Pain Management: A Mind/Body Approach Patty Sanders University of Texas Southwest Medical Center "No one understands. I wish I had a dividual. Symptoms such as fatigue, As with any counseling relationship, cast or a brace so there would be muscle tension, and insomnia usually establishing rapport and setting rea something visible to show how bad I become major factors in treatment. sonable treatment goals and objec feel. " "Are you saying tbis pain is all in Feelings of anxiety, depression, and tives are a criteria for any successful my head? Let me tell you my back isolation are common. Withdrawing outcome. With people who have been hurts, not my head." I have counseled from others and having others with "through the medical mill," rapport and in the field of pain management for draw from the patient are some of the trust are understandably often most over six years, and I hear comments behavioral manifestations of chronic difficult of all. It is not easy for some like these more often than not. The pain. And spiritually, people can feel one to believe that a therapist or any feelings of isolation are evident, as well beaten down, as though they are one else can actually "know" they hurt as the frustration and anger. I work with swimming upstream against accepted and still want to treat them as a "head people who hurt, both with and without cultural norms and productivity expec case," but that is exactly what has to organic etiology, and who more times tations, losing faith in both themselves happen if we are to begin the process than not feel misunderstood by the host and any kind of a loving higher power. of accepting the pain as a fact but of medical specialists they've seen. I Behavioral Medicine treat the suffering as optional. work with people who hurt and feel let Treatment Interventions down by the "system" and their own ef While many physicians appropriately forts to "get better." address chronic pain symptoms with Use of psychotherapeutic interven medical procedures and pharmacolog tions, biofeedback training, relaxation Chronic Pain: The Symptoms ical approaches, as a mental health skills, and self-hypnosis are the tools and the Disorder professional I work with assisting peo of my trade, and they assist many of By many definitions, chronic pain is ple in understanding their disorder, in my clients in "managing" their pain any pain that is of more than three decreasing their feelings of anxiety, while they work to regain varying de months duration, often defined as "be depression, and isolation, and in in grees of control over their lives and nign" or "intractable" pain, which means creasing their coping skills in manag activities. that in and of itself it won't kill a person, ing "the pain" which has become the but it also will not "go away." Chronic focus of their lives. (Continued on page 13) pain differs from acute pain in that It is interesting and fulfilling work acute pain is manifested with an injury and allows me to address a full spec (touching a hot iron, appendicitis); the trum of "typical" counseling issues IN THIS ISSUE injury is treated with care, and in time, most mental health professionals face Counseling and Pain Management . 1 it heals and the pain subsides. With but with an added physical overlay CSI : New Seas to Sail ... ...... .. 2 chronic pain, there may or may not be that permeates our sessions just as it Why Do You Belong to CSI? . .. ..... 3 a trauma or an organic "cause," and permeates the environments of my Looking Back, Looking Ahead .. .. 4 clients. Counseling sessions may ad the pain itself becomes the disease CSI Leadership Workshop . ... .. .. 6 dress family dynamics, may be con which has multiple biological, psycho Searching for the Common Link . ... 7 joint sessions, may address maintain logical, and sociological consequences. Counselor as an Agent of Well ness . ... 8 ing jobs or returning to work, and may Some examples of this type are back Mood, Type A, and Aerobic Exercise . ... 9 focus on improving the quality of life and neck pain, headaches, neuropathy, Chairing the ACA Task Force and fibromyalgia. Chronic pain, over a and functioning of my clients. Coun on Restructuring .. ... .. .... 10 period of time, can overwhelm the per seling sessions address depression, The "Normal" Dissertation Process .. ... 11 son, and suffering is increased as a re anxiety, grief, loss and acceptance, Chapter Happenings . .. .. .. 12 sult of the stress experienced. There is assertiveness training, interpersonal Book Review . ... .... ... .. .. .. 14 often an increase in symptoms simply skills, and the cognitive schema that Faculty Advisor Highlight . .. .. 15 related to the ongoing experience, the may be exacerbating symptoms and CSI Awards Presented .. .. .. ..... 16 chronicity that wears away at the fabric defeating the best of intentions to im of the life and the coping skills of the in- prove. PAGE 2 CHI SIGMA IOTA SUMMER, 1997 1997-98 CSI LEADERSHIP CSI: New Seas to Sail DIRECTORY Mary Thomas Burke President: CSI President Mary Thomas Burke Dept. of Human Services UNC Charlotte Charlotte, NC 28223 President-elect: Bill Nemec solve to en list our colleagues beyond Malone College our shores to establish Chi Sigma Graduate School Iota chapters in their regions? 515 25th St., NW Canton, OH 44709-3897 A third challenge I would like to pro pose is th at of recruiting our profes Past-president: sional colleagues at our home port Pete Warren 2413 Hawthorne Rd. base. How many of us have invited Lynchburg, VA 24503 our local professional coll eagues to become an integral part of Chi Sigma Secretary: Valerie Schwiebert Iota? Well , now is the time to begin. P.O. Box 2394 Please invite at least one colleague Cullowhee, NC 28723 whom you know will meet the stan Treasurer: dards of Chi Sigma Iota and see the Scott Gillig possibilities for ou r organization. We Barry University are not an elite society; we are an Mary Thomas Burke Powers Bldg., Room 271 honor society of elite persons who 11300 N.E. 2nd Ave. Miami Shores, FL 33166-6695 strive for excellence, and we certainly It is exciting for me to be writing to receive more than we give. Executive Director: you at this challenging time in Ch i It is an honor for me to serve as Tom Sweeney CSI Headquarters Sigma Iota's history. Under the lead your president. I look forward to the 250 Ferguson Building ership of the very outstanding profes journey. University of North Carolina sionals who have served as our presi Greensboro, NC 27412 (910) 334-4035 dents, Chi Sigma Iota has distin guished itself as an honor society of Administrative Assistant: considerable vision and remarkable Kelley Rowland success. With our executive di rector, CSI Headquarters 250 Ferguson Building Tom Sweeney, at the helm, the Chi University of North Carolina Sigma Iota ship has sailed through Greensboro, NC 27412 low and high tides but has always (910) 334-4035 emerged riding the crest of the waves Interns: of success. T oilynn Carson I hope this trend will continue during 1910 E. Joe Ramsey Blvd., #216 Greenville, TX 75401-5963 my tenure as president. We have new seas to sail and new ports of call Catharine Chang along the way. I want to challenge us CSI on the 1712-A Walker Ave. Greensboro, NC 27403 to embark on a journey of getting in place ou r reg ional groups and setting Net COMMITTEE CHAIRPERSONS sail to different ports of call fo r the re Membership Committee gional meetings. Th is way we will be CSI Website Lois Wed! sure to build up a greater comraderi e http://www.uncg.edu/ced/csi among our colleagues across and By-Laws Committee CSI Listserv for chapter leaders Geoffrey Williams among our regions. cverhulst@ msn.com I further challenge us to sail to for Awards/Research Committee Don Locke eign ports and enlist those who are CSI Listserv for faculty advisors only waiting for an invitation from us. [email protected] .edu Long-Range Planning Committee How rich Chi Sigma Iota has made Judith Miranti my life ! I am sure many of you can Chapter Development Committee say the same. Why then don't were- Jane Myers SUMMER, 1997 CHI SIGMA IOTA PAGE3 Why Do You Belong to CSI? Thomas J. Sweeney CSI Executive Director out in the bad weather demonstrating when that is what is required. You do so because of the common beliefs, the common commitment, and the conviction that everyone's effort makes a difference. Covenant Organization ,. Chi Sigma Iota Leaders for these two types of or Newsletter I ganizations, i. e. , social contract and The CSI Newsletter is distributed covenant contract, as well as those three times a year to all CSI mem that fall somewhere in between them bers and is the main communication are likely to be just as different as the seiVice informing members of cur members who make them up . Charis rent events within the Society and ma, communication skills, vision, and within the counseling profession. Its other attributes of high-profile social content represents enthusiasm for Thomas J. Sweeney contract organizational leaders may academic and professional excel lence in counseling. I was fortunate recently to hear a be less important in the leaders in scholar in leadership talk about the covenant organizations. I believe that Deadlines: differences in organizations and their CSI is a good example of a covenant Issue Deadline purposes for being. Tom Sergiovanni, organization because of our mission Fall September 1 Spring November 1 professor and consultant from Trinity and the fact that leadership comes Summer April1 University in San Antonio, Texas, ex from the grassroots up rather than from the top down.