A TIGHT KNIT TRIO: TRAUMA, PAIN AND THE BRAIN
Presenters: Megan Doyle OT, Karen Gentilman LCSW and Les Szasz LCSW
Pain can present with a variety of faces: physical, emotional, ‘growing’, existential and on. However, often these presentations can be intertwined causally and not easily separated. This workshop will focus on the intertwining and the work in treatment to untangle the web of events that can contribute to patient pain and the process of detangling, understanding and treating the deeper origins of what hurts.
This workshop is scheduled for Saturday April 12, 2025 from 10:00 am to 12:00 pm and will be offered in a hybrid format, in person at BSU and on Zoom. The presentation is free for members, $30 for non-members.
Presenter Bios: Megan Doyle is an occupational therapist who has completed a Fellowship in Pain Science, with an emphasis on the biopsychosocial model of pain. It was during this coursework that she was first introduced to the neurophysiology of co-occurring trauma and pain, and now specializes in helping her clients with chronic pain conditions address the mind-body, brain-nervous system connection to facilitate improved physical, mental and emotional health for reduced pain impact.
Karen Gentilman is an LCSW with over 30 years of experience who has worked for 25 of those in neurorehab. She has training in trauma and neuroscience. She uses a variety of modalities including EMDR, PE, WET, brainspotting, CBT-nightmare and has a number of certifications in trauma (CCTP-2/Certified Clinical Trauma Professional-Level 2) and Certificate for Neuropsychotherapy (NPT-C).
They have both collaborated together for years in the treatment of patients with pain. The presenters will be introduced by Les Szasz, LCSW, who recently moved to Idaho and has his own practice Stillmeadow Counseling in town. He has been a member and Board member of the ISCSW for over two years. He first connected with Megan when he began to start seeing a lot of patients who had complaints about pain and needed more resources. He will discussthe relevance of the workshop to the generic social work practitioner.
Objectives:
Participants will be able to:
1. Describe the key components of the neuroscience of pain and how it interrelates to the neurophysiology of trauma, including the role of the autonomic nervous system.
2. Discuss the role of client trauma and influence on pain experience.
3. Name additional different factors that impact chronic pain
4. Describe approaches for the client with co-occurring trauma and pain.
5. Describe how attachment problems impact brain functioning and health/pain.
Contact Charlie Pohl 208-571-3242 or charlespohl@live.com if questions.