Consultant Lead Health Psychologist
Clinical Health Psychology
Management of chronic pain and reducing pain-related disability.
Evaluation of pain self -management interventions. Psychometric properties of measurement tools
I am a Consultant Health Psychologist and Chartered Scientist and my clinical work involves the assessment, treatment and evaluation of chronic pain patients so they may adapt more successfully and improve coping with their pain. I previously developed and ran an outpatient chronic pain management course at Chase Farm Hospital. I started working at the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital in 1999 and am now the Lead Health Psychologist. I lead programme development and innovation; an example being the annual development initiative in which I organise and facilitate a multi-disciplinary day of in-service review and improvements. I deliver individual and group therapy evidence based Cognitive Behavioural Therapy. I also organise and deliver training workshops for colleagues. I have delivered in-service training to uni-disciplinary groups at the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital, such as rehabilitation consultants and physiotherapists. I also deliver external consultancy including during the last three years to Transport for London, Northwick Park Hospital, Chase Farm Hospital and the Royal College of Nursing.
I am an experienced researcher involved in the design and undertaking service based research primarily focussed on evaluating intervention outcomes. I also offer research consultancy to colleagues. I have presented findings from my research at national conferences and contributed to television and radio programmes on chronic pain. I advise on a national level on delivering effective pain management. During the last two years I have become more involved in national chronic pain initiatives. After being voted as the psychology representative, I went on to become treasurer and subsequently, vice chair of the Pain Management Programme Special Interest Group of the British Pain Society. Part of my responsibility was to sit on the organising committee of the 2007 National Pain Management Programme Conference. I have recently organised a parallel session at the 2009 Annual Scientific meeting of the British Pain Society.