Going to therapy takes some significant commitment of time and resources. You might be nervous about whether it will actually help, and whether it will all be worth it. 

Whether you’re just at the beginning or somewhere in the middle of your therapy journey, here some ideas to consider to get the most out of your time in therapy:

Despite chronic pain in childhood being relatively common, the experience can be isolating, lonely, and frustrating. It can feel like there are no answers, and you don’t know what to do.

How You Can Learn More about Pain and Pain in Childhood

Whether at the beginning or deep into the school year, parents may notice higher stress or anxiety in their children. You may wonder, does my child have school anxiety? If so, what can I do about it? It can feel frustrating if they don’t seem to want to talk about it or your efforts feel like they are going nowhere. You have so many questions. Keep reading to learn more about school anxiety, and some options to consider if you need some support. 

Parents can advocate or prompt the clinician in the appointment if they feel that opportunities are being missed.

Additionally, parents can help prepare their child, and provide some redirection of attention, by considering what choices they may make in the appointment.

Defining success in more than one way also fosters confidence, resilience, and persistence. If we only define success in one way, and then experience a set back, it can feel too demoralizing to continue to make any effort. On the other hand, if we define success in many ways, we always have opportunities to celebrate and grow our positive energy and effort.

Should You Pursue a 504 Plan or IEP?

You may be considering academic accommodations, adaptations, or services if your child is struggling in school.

If you believe that your child is struggling to stay in school, focus in class, or do their best work, due to a possible disability in one of the 13 categories, then it may be worth taking some next steps.

2. Learn about resources available to you on campus.

Research where the health clinic and counseling center are.

Learn about student health and disability accommodations at your school- you may be entitled to more than you think! However, each school requires different documentation to access these accommodations, so finding this out in advance is crucial to starting with everything that may help you from the beginning. Dr. Emily Foxen-Craft has helped document requests for accommodations and advocate for the needs of college students with pain, chronic illness, and mental health concerns to help them perform their best.

With today’s technology, you have access to more than what is directly on campus. You may even be able to keep up with your healthcare team from home. At Pediatric Pain and Behavioral Health, Dr. Foxen-Craft offers video sessions across 40 states (https://psypact.org/mpage/psypactmap).

Only considering the intensity of pain is definitely not enough for any unique individual. It falls far short of capturing the variability, widespreadedness, history, emotions, and impact on a person’s life.

So how can we actually measure pain and progress?

We all want to know, what will happen next?

With pediatric chronic pain, those answers can be difficult to come by. As a heterogenous category encompassing many diagnoses, it can be difficult for clinicians to help families make evidence-based predictions. Furthermore, research in children sadly usually lags behind knowledge of health outcomes in adults.

Still, children, parents, and families often want to know- what will happen to my pain?

…the American Academy of Pediatrics actually recommends a more personalized approach that also takes into account the whole family.

It can feel confusing- with so many changes occurring all at once, it can seem too complex to figure out what factors from lockdowns or the summer changes most affect youth mental health. But if we could disentangle these interrelationships, perhaps we can help our teens and ourselves feel better and develop more resilience during the summer, and any future major changes that may come there way.

Finals can be a stressful time for teens, and it can be a frustrating experience for parents. Learn more about what stress actually involves, and some practical steps to help your teen ace this year.

Which season is the worst for pediatric chronic pain and mental health? A review of recent research from a pediatric pain expert and practical tips that you can implement right now.

The “biopsyschosocial” model of pain, physical health, and mental health can help us better understand all aspects of health, and guide more comprehensive and effective treatment.

Bullying and pediatric chronic pain are both all too common. Sadly, children and teens with chronic pain often report more experiences with bullying. But what is affecting what, and what can parents do to help? Dr. Emily Foxen-Craft, pediatric pain psychologist, weighs in with a review of latebreaking research and actionable ideas.

A pediatric pain specialist recommends 5 things to tell your child’s doctor about their pain.

How common is pediatric chronic pain? Learn why pain in childhood can feel isolating, how many children and teens experience chronic pain, and what you can do about It.

Youth Sports in the COVID-era: Are the Kids Alright? A pediatric pain psychologist reviews the latest research and offers tips to parents.

Positive emotion enhancing interventions, such as savoring meditation, can actually reduce pain among those living with chronic pain.