I've been working to help people with chronic pain management since 2001, initially as part of the Chronic Pain Management Service at Dorset County Hospital and have worked for the community service since its original launch in 2013. I'm a physiotherapist by profession and bring a wealth of experience to my role in order to help people understand more about the complexity of persistent pain, help them improve their relationship with their body and movement, improve their quality of life, develop coping strategies and work towards their goals.

I qualified as a clinical psychologist in 2013 and joined the pain service two years ago. I work across the West and North of the county helping people to adjust to living with persistent and finding ways to improve the quality of people’s lives. Helping people regain a sense of identity and purpose is extremely rewarding and I look forward to continuing to provide psychological interventions to people with persistent pain.

I’ve been sharing my passion and experience as a Mindfulness Practitioner within the Dorset Pain Management Service since 2013. Learning much from people living with pain as we go, I’ve seen how a Compassionate Mindfulness approach can transform our relationship to pain and associated suffering. 

Most people can benefit from this approach- which is not just about meditation, but also about how we can live with more awareness, kindness and choice in our everyday lives with pain.

I am trained to deliver the Breathworks Mindfulness courses, as well as the Mindful Self-Compassion course, and can work with you individually, or in a group. I have worked with patients across all localities, and with various pain conditions to build these resources and grow their resilience.

I’m also a registered Occupational Therapist (mental health), and I’m listed on the UK Network of Mindfulness Teachers Register, as meeting the national standards of training and good practice for Mindfulness Teachers.

I have been an Occupational Therapist for 30 years. I have worked mainly in community mental health and with people with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome/ME and, for the last 6 years, I have been working within the Dorset Pain Management Service . I am part of a multi-disciplinary team based in Littlemoor, Weymouth and work both individually with people and in groups. I really enjoy working alongside people to help them identify their values and strengths and move towards their goals, despite living with pain.

Hello my name is Sammy, and I am the Occupational Therapist working in the North of the County. I originally qualified as Social Worker, and spent 17 years working in a specialist field as a Probation Officer. I retrained as an Occupational Therapist, and since 2011 have been involved in supporting people with long term health conditions.

Having developed a chronic health condition myself, I have a genuine understanding of how it feels to have one’s life interrupted by illness, and having to manage it on a daily basis. I am a firm believer in self-management, and enjoy supporting people discover this in the context of their own lives.

I am delighted to be working in this service, and am passionate about empowering everyone to have purpose and meaning in their life, achieving the things that matter to them, and the best possible quality of life possible, irrespective of any health condition.  

I have been a qualified Nurse since 1991 and worked in a variety of settings in hospitals and community settings. I love working in pain management as it allows me to use my knowledge and skills to help patients to develop new and existing pathways in managing their pain and to help improve their functioning. My speciality is helping people understand more about how their medications help and/or hinder their progress and how these medications actually work in the body and brain. I look to work alongside patients in looking to make changes in their lifestyle.