⚡ Our online Support Group is a safe space for sharing and learning from our collective experiences of chronic pain and chronic illness.
Who Can Join? Eligibility & Requirements
To be eligible for our peer-support group, you must meet the following:
- Experience: Live with Persistent Chronic Physical Pain, a Chronic Condition, or Functional Neurological Disorder (FND).
- Location: Reside in or around the 📍 Kent & Medway area.
- Attendance: Be able to attend virtual groups regularly. (Currently held every Monday at 12:00 PM)
- Flexibility: Note that group meeting times and days are subject to change to best suit the needs of its members.
How can this group help me?
This rolling group offers a safe space for connection, taking time to work on personal pain goals and develop healthier coping strategies.
Members can share experiences, learn from others, and find a sense of community. This can reduce stress, anxiety, and isolation – known contributors to chronic ill health.
Apply for the Support Group
If you think long-term emotional support would be helpful as part of your pain portfolio, please complete the form below.
- The more information you provide, the more we can support you.
- Please don’t send junk or promotional emails.
Response time: 24 — 48 hours
Apply Now
More Group Information
What is the application process?
Once you have sent in your application:
- After a few sessions, we will review your time so far and see if you would like to continue long-term.
- The group coordinator Josh will contact you via email to arrange a telephone appointment.
- Once arranged, we will discuss how the group works, your suitability and answer any other questions you may have.
- From there, we will get you enrolled to start attending the weekly group virtually.
How long do I have to wait for a response?
We will respond to your application or email as soon as the group coordinator becomes available.
Please give us up to a week to respond.
The more information you provide at the start of your application can speed up the process later on.
How long can you support me?
This is a ‘rolling’ group, meaning the group runs weekly, throughout the year.
(As for now) The group is running indefinitely, meaning members can benefit from long-term peer-support.
Group sessions last between 1 – 2 hours, depending on individual preferences.
Who runs the group?
Josh hosts and coordinates the group. He is also Team Lead for Conversing Care.
“It’s positive to see group members take it upon themselves to champion whose who are doing well that week and support those who struggled through.
Group discussions can provide different perspective on our pain experience and hopefully, in time, can lead to healthier ways of managing one’s self-care.” – Josh
For more information…
For more information about the group or anything else, please email josh@conversingcare.org with the subject heading “Pain Group”.
What is a “Chronic Illness”?
A chronic illness or health condition is when symptoms persist longer than they should, even with medical treatment. If completely unmanaged, symptoms can have a significant impact on our lives, including disability and mobility issues which in turn cause other physical and mental health problems.
To better manage chronic illnesses can take a lot of time and personal resources but with patience and compassion, outcomes do improve over time. A good place to start is to make healthier lifestyle changes, pacing and improving relationships around you.
What is “Chronic Pain”?
Chronic Pain is when you experience physical pain and discomfort much longer than you would after healing from an injury. You can experience pain in a fixed part of your body, it shifts from one part of the body to another, or all over.
This is known as “over sensitisation” of the nervous system, where your processing of pain has been disturbed by multiple factors, like injury, environment or trauma.
When pain is unmanaged, it can be very hard to see a way out of it. However, there is overwhelming evidence to show that gentle and consistent movement of the body, lifestyle changes and pacing as well as good pain management treatment improves quality of life over time.