Living with chronic pain is very difficult. If a person also has a coexisting addiction, it makes it even harder. Many people who have chronic pain and addiction become very depressed and begin to feel hopeless. They have often lost their self-esteem and the support of significant others, who may be feeling burned out by trying to be overly helpful. Healthcare providers often become confused and frustrated when none of their treatment interventions seem to work.

One of the best parts of my professional work is getting to see people I’m working with go from hopeless and helpless to achieving peace and a better quality of life. For many the journey is not easy. I believe that it’s important for us to focus on what we want—instead of what we don’t want. One tool for achieving this shift is to switch from complaining and suffering to looking for what to be grateful for. I sometimes forget this and end up stressed out and then I have to remember to practice what I tea h.
Please check out my video below and then read the rest of this post.

Today I live with an “attitude of gratitude.” Each day I write 10 things I’m grateful for. At the end of the month I review my entire gratitude list for the month and pick my top 30 items. At the end of the year I review all the month’s top 30 items and pick the top 30 for the entire year. I have found it is impossible to be devastated by any uncomfortable emotion or experience if I can shift to gratitude.

I have worked with many pain patients over the years that I taught this process to. Those who wrote daily gratitude lists reported that it was almost impossible for them to be in gratitude and suffering at the same time—most of the time they chose gratitude. I would like to encourage those of you reading this blog commit to writing a daily gratitude lists for at least a couple of months and see what happens for you. I would love to hear about your experience.

I’m very excited to invite you to join me in Sacramento California on May 20-24, 2013 for the Gorski-CENAPS® Advanced Relapse Prevention Certification Training (a total of 44 Hours). I’m the Director of Training for the Gorski-CENAPS® Corporation and I’ve been working with Mr. Terence Gorski since 1991 when I became an Advanced Certified Relapse Prevention Specialist (ACRPS) and have trained over 20,000 healthcare providers for the Gorski-CENAPS® Corporation since 1996. Please watch my video below and then read the remainder of this post.

This Relapse Prevention Therapy (RPT) training was developed by Terence T. Gorski and Dr. Stephen F. Grinstead and is based upon our new Relapse Prevention Therapy Workbook; which will also be the main training manual for this event. The training is also based on Mr. Gorski’s 40 years plus of professional experience in addiction and relapse prevention my 29 years of clinical experience.

The RPT Training will rank among the most comprehensive and effective that you have ever experienced. It is an advanced clinical skills training designed for professional therapists who are good and want to get better. Participants will be challenged to take their current clinical skills and integrate them with new and powerful approaches for teaching clients to identify and manage high risk situations and core personality and life-style warning sign patterns that lead to relapse in the critical early stages of the recovery process.

The training is not easy, but most of our past students describe it as a major turning point in their professional and personal lives. You will work hard. You will go home tired, but it will be a good tired. You will leave this training better prepared to make a difference in the lives of your patients and their families. Relapse Prevention Planning is a trend that is crucial for the chemical dependency and behavioral health field. RPT helps clients who have failed to recover with other methods. It provides effective approaches to meeting many of the challenges posed by the new era of cost containment.

This training comes with an optional Competency Certification at an additional charge. You can receive this credential by completing the training and submitting an RPT Certification Portfolio Package within 120 days of the training for an additional fee.

Cost: $725.00

Location: 4200 North Freeway, Suit #3 Sacramento, CA 95834

To Register or for more information: Call Ellen at (916) 575-9961. Or sign up now by clicking on this link Addiction Free Pain Management® Calendar Page to pay by credit card on PayPal.

Healthcare professionals as well as mental health and addiction treatment providers are on the front line to accurately assess, intervene upon and develop appropriate treatment plans for the impaired patient with a chronic pain condition. This can become more difficult when prescription drug abuse/addiction is present. For years the numbers of people experiencing chronic pain and coexisting psychological disorders, especially addiction, have been increasing significantly. Please review my video below and then read the remainder of my post and then please register today.

In the Addiction Free Pain Management® (APM) 20 CE Hour Certification training, I will teach you the skills needed to successfully work with people with chronic pain and potential or actual addictive disorders. APM™ is a strategic clinical training process that addresses the challenges of addictive disorders and those associated with pain disorders. You will be trained to implement the three core components of APM™: (a) Core Clinical Components; (b) Medication Management Planning; and (c) Nonpharmacological Interventions. The above tasks will be accomplished using a combination of lectures, discussions, demonstrations, as well as dyad and small group exercises. You will walk away with an arsenal of skills that you can put to immediate use.
See what other healthcare providers say.

“Chronic pain patients and their issues are complicated and the margin for effort is huge. Dr. Grinstead’s Addiction-Free Pain Management® training is a must for any practitioner who will be treating chronic pain patients. It borders on malpractice to not get training at the level of quality Dr. Grinstead’s training provides.” Ricardo J. Whyte, MD, Medical Director Loma Linda University Behavioral Medicine Center, Loma Linda CA

“I thought I knew most of the pain management techniques available and thought this training would be a more effective way to organize them. Instead I learned new information that is vital to working with this population, yet the training was vey practical in terms of using it immediately. Also, Dr. Grinstead was dynamic, knowledgeable and interesting.” Mary Ann Kendro, R.N., MFT - Kaiser Permanente

Please join me to learn skills that are vital to working with these clients, to increase your understanding, empathy and compassion for this greatly underserved population, as well as to improve your marketability in the treatment industry. After the training you will be eligible to earn an optional Competency Certification by submitting an APM™ Certification Portfolio for an additional $95 portfolio review fee through the CENAPS® Corp. Details and directions will be covered at the end of the training.

Sign up now by clicking on this link Addiction Free Pain Management® Calendar Page