Caring for those in Chronic Pain: An Interview with Laurel Kinney, CSW
Caring for those in Chronic Pain: An Interview with Laurel Kinney, CSW
-Dave McNamara
It is now September which means it’s National Pain Awareness Month. A coalition assembled in 2001 by the American Chronic Pain Association committed themselves to raise awareness of chronic pain through mass media, conferences, and other platforms. Their goal was to educate the public about chronic pain to reduce the traditional stigma attached to it, as well as support continued research for the treatment and management of chronic pain.
Today, we will be looking at chronic pain from the perspective of a caregiver. Her name is Laurel Kinney, and she is a Certified Social Worker (CSW). Kinney worked extensively with people in chronic pain. Though Kinney no longer serves as a CSW, hopefully relaying her experiences may give you a fuller understanding of a social worker’s role, and the challenges that come along with it.
Interview
Q: Thank you for agreeing to talk with me, Laurel! I understand you have a new career seemingly quite different than social work. But first, can you describe your background providing care for those in chronic pain?
L: Thanks for having me! I attended Reed College in Portland, OR, where I majored in psychology and later received my Master’s in Social Work from Columbia University in New York City. At Columbia I interned at Calvary Hospital in the Bronx [NY] and worked there after graduation. I was a social worker for both Calvary’s patients and their families. When life took me to Texas, I re-evaluated my social work career. I discovered personal styling was something I could combine my desire to connect with people on both a deeper level but in the lively and creative world style and fashion. I began learning styling in 2010 and went full-time with my personal styling business in 2013.
Q: Very interesting! I’m very curious to hear how you combine those two, but for the sake of Pain Awareness Month, we’ve agreed to focus today on your work at Calvary. It would be great to get your personal experience, ok? So to begin, what did you find the main psychological symptoms people dealing with chronic physical pain were experiencing?
L: Oh gosh, you really see every single human emotion imaginable. They experienced a lot of depression, a sense of isolation: a “drawing-inward” when less able to express their experience to others. Anger usually only manifested in those with more energy. Pain brought out whatever coping-related mechanisms that were most natural for the individual.
Q: Was the transition from your studies to the job difficult? Were you nervous? Did you feel well-prepared? Any surprises or unexpected issues that came up?
L: I was nervous almost every single day! I was working with people struggling with severe pain every single day of their lives. I felt the responsibility to respect and understand each unique experience. We learned in school no one has a perfect answer when it comes to helping people. So, just showing up and listening with empathy was the best thing to do.
Q: Is there a connection between the mind and our bodies when the body is in pain? Perhaps that’s an obvious question!
L: It’s impossible to escape your body when your mind is telling you something is wrong. I’ve personally had always struggled with anxiety and now a non-descript back injury the past year. It’s been very difficult to cope. Pain can really take over every thought. It becomes this part of you. You don’t like it, but you also can’t get away from it. Your life can become centered around only doing tasks that don’t hurt. It’s very frustrating; no solution feels like it solves the problem 100%. I hope I answered that OK!
Q: Absolutely. I’m sure many of our readers feel the same, so having you voice it is important. In your professional experience, did you feel certain approaches worked?
L: I had the most success in just being myself: being curious about each person’s experience and trying to listen without judgment. It feels good for a person to be validated. That’s what I tried to do. I *will* say what never works is saying, “I understand” when you really don’t, or can’t.
Q: That’s a great point. Where there any “tough” cases where you felt frustrated? How did you adjust?
L: Of course! I would constantly seek feedback from my coworkers: for both their own perspective and for support. I remember needing a lot of help overcoming some patients’ who thought I was “too young” to understand or help them.
Q: I’m sure those living with chronic pain requires a lot of healthcare - medical, physical, and psychological. But what about those in-between times, when no caregiver is there and the pain is great? Any advice?
L: Shift your environment, if you can. Go outside, change your view. Remain open to potential activities that can distract you from the pain. You never know what will help! Also, don’t feel guilty about disengaging or needing to zone out. Everyone needs a break from “work.” And pain can certainly be work.
I’m sure living with chronic pain is never “easy,” but it’s good to know there are caring people who want to be there for those who are suffering.
Kinney is now combining her training with a whole different world. Visit her “about” page on her website at http://laurelkinney.com/about to see her personal mission. I think you’ll find it’s not only about making people feel better about themselves on the outside but something much much more.
References
- Pain Awareness Month History. n.p.: American Chronic Pain Association, 2003. https://theacpa.org/uploads/Pain_Awareness_Month_History.pdf.
- Kinney, Laurel. ‘Personal Stylist Austin’, 2016. Accessed September 2, 2016. http://laurelkinney.com/.
