Feb 10, 2021
Treatment interventions based in psychology form the mainstay of pain management, particularly for children's pain. Yet, these may not receive the due priority and/or many not be easily accessible for patients and families. Use of psychological based treatments for pain may inadvertently create stigma around the nature of the child's pain diagnosis, for patients, families and even the healthcare professionals who may not be familiar with pain management. The end result being, inadequate pain care, mistrust, and frustration for all involved.
Dr. Rachael Coakley, PhD. of the Boston Children's Hospital shares the role of, challenges to and her innovative solution, the Comfort Ability Program, to address this gap.
Takeaways in This Episode
- The reasons for a gap in access to psychological based pain care interventions
- Stigma around psychological treatments and what might propagate it.
- Things healthcare professionals do and implement to change the perception around role of psychological treatments
- Use of metaphors for explanation of the pain conditions, and role of various treatments.
- The real hurdle in healthcare right now
- The message that healthcare professionals can and should be giving the pain patients and their families
- Why Dr. Coakley chose to pursue pediatric pain management and the formative experience that lead her career path.
- The tight rope that parents walk with their children's pain
- The driving force behind creation of the Comfort Ability program
- Elements of the Comfort Ability program, who it's for and how healthcare professionals can access and utilize it for their patients and families
- The mission and goal of the Comfort Ability program
- Dr Coakley's message for healthcare professionals
Links
Connect with Dr. Rachael Coakley on twitter
Contact the Comfortability Program
Join the Proactive Pain Solutions Academy
About the Guest Speaker
Dr. Rachael Coakley is pediatric pain psychologist in the Department of Anesthesia, Critical Care and Pain Medicine at Boston Children’s Hospital, where she serves as the Director of Clinical Innovation and Outreach in Pain Medicine and the Associate Director of Psychological Services. Additionally, she is Founder and Director of The Comfort Ability Program, an internationally disseminated program that teaches evidence-based pain management skills to adolescents with chronic pain and their parents. Dr. Coakley is an Assistant Professor of Psychology, Harvard Medical School and holds national and international leadership positions.
Dr. Coakley completed her undergraduate work at The University of Pennsylvania and her doctoral studies at Loyola University in Chicago. She completed fellowship at Boston Children’s Hospital and joined the Pain Treatment Service in 2006.
Dr. Coakley’s career focuses on translational research of evidence-based psychological intervention for pediatric pain management. For her work in program development and for enhancing access to clinical care for patients with chronic pain, she was honored with the 2016 David Weiner Award for Leadership and Innovation in Child Health and with the American Psychological Association’s 2020 Carolyn Schroeder Award for outstanding clinical practice.
Outside her work in program development, Dr. Coakley enjoys writing and lecturing to help educate parents and providers about chronic pain. Her 2016 book, "When Your Child Hurts: Effective Strategies to Increase Comfort, Reduce Stress and Break the Cycle of Chronic Pain"(Yale University Press), won a national book award for best parenting book (NAPPA). Her writing is also featured in her ongoing Psychology Today column, the Washington Post, and numerous other publications.