Living Positively with Chronic Pain
1st Tuesday of the month from 5:00 pm to 6:30 pm
Living Positively with Chronic Pain was created and facilitated by peers. Living Positively with Chronic Pain Peer support group meetings are open to individuals who are directly affected by chronic pain. Our objective is to listen with compassion, share our experiences and knowledge, support each other in coping with the challenges that living with chronic pain can bring, learn what helps others cope, and inspire each other to live as fully as possible. Go https://www.innow.org/events/ to register.
Shannon Minnick, Deputy Director says ‘For me, peer counseling is invaluable. I find it really helpful to hear from people who have gone through similar situations as me. At the same time, I feel a sort of catharsis when I share my stories. It feels good when I tell people what I’ve been through but it makes me feel better when others have gone through the same thing. Peer counseling makes me feel less lonely. Another thing I like about peer counseling is the knowledge I gain from other people’s experiences. Many times others give advice on how I could solve my problem. This is very important because they might’ve thought of something that would never occur to me otherwise. Peer counseling is really a wonderful resource.’
One of the ways that Independence Now provides peer counseling to our consumers is through support groups that we host. Support groups bring together people with similar experiences and situations. Each month you have the opportunity to attend various support group meetings that might be meaningful to you. These meetings give attendees a chance to share their personal experiences with disability, as well as resources that might be helpful. But the best thing about support groups is that when the meeting is over you don’t feel as alone, you realize there are others going through the same thing you are going through.
