Iris is a Pain Coach with a postgraduate in Pain and Pain Management from Otago University (PGCertHealSc) and has been working in the field of persistent pain management for the past four years.
Iris - “Chronic pain management needs a very individual approach because no two people have ever had the same journey, everyone’s pain is different and everyone’s way to move forward will be their own. Pain is a sign that our body wants to protect us. Chronic Pain is a complex issue that often involves our system becoming over-protective. I help clients figure out why their pain does not go away and what steps they can take towards recovery or towards living a full life despite suffering from a chronic pain condition. This involves learning about pain and why we hurt, taking the fear out of pain so they can start to enjoy movement and returning to doing the things they enjoy most.”
Iris’ approach draws on Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and the Fit for Purpose Model as a basis to adapt the central nervous system. In a sense our bodies learn pain. We cannot un-learn it but we can learn new ways that in time overwrite the tried and tested.
Iris is continuing to pursue postgraduate study and is currently collecting data for her thesis: Pain Coaching in Primary Care. In addition to postgraduate studies, Iris has been fortunate to attend several courses with the Neuroorthopaedic Institute (NOI Group), including: Explain Pain, Pain Masterclasses and Pain Applications.
Outside of working with clients one to one, Iris is involved in organising and teaching arthritis classes in her local community, where she combines movement and pain education into one setting.
She is a member of the New Zealand Pain Society and part of the organising committee for the NZPS conference in 2025.
