Course description
When someone you love suffers from chronic pain, it can be very difficult to know how to support them as well as support yourself. Having the love and support of family can make all the difference for people in pain.
Dr. Holtzman draws on her extensive training and experience to share some of the most effective strategies for supporting the people you love, as well as some of the patterns of support that can be damaging to the relationship or to everyone's health.
You will learn:
- Strategies for supporting a loved one who has chronic pain.
- Things to avoid when attempting to support your loved one.
- The ways in which chronic pain can impact family members, for better or worse.
Dr. Susan Holtzman is an Associate Professor of Psychology at the University of British Columbia (Okanagan campus), and is a registered psychologist. Dr. Holtzman received her PhD in Clinical Psychology from the University of British Columbia. She completed a clinical internship at the University of Washington School of Medicine and a post-doctoral research fellowship at the University Health Network, University of Toronto. Dr. Holtzman’s research investigates the role of psychosocial factors in adjusting to chronic illness, with a focus on chronic pain. She is particularly interested in how social relationships can help or hinder people’s efforts to cope with their illness, and how chronic illness can impact the family. Dr. Holtzman’s research has been supported by grants from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council, and the National Institutes of Health.