• WHAT IS FEELING BETTER?

    Feeling Better is an interactive, online cognitive behaviour therapy programme specially designed to help children with chronic pain and their care-givers.

    The aim of the programme is to help children learn new ways to cope with pain so they can be more active and enjoy life.

    The Feeling Better programme consists of 9 free online sessions which take approximately 30 minutes to complete.

    Children can complete one session per week over 9 weeks.

    Feeling Better is designed for school age children and features a complementary section for parents or care-givers.

    Families complete the programme from the comfort of their own home, with guidance from an 'online coach'.

  • WHO IS FEELING BETTER FOR?

    CHILDREN AND THEIR PARENTS OR CARERS

    Feeling Better was developed for children who have experienced chronic or recurrent pain for a period of three months or more.

    Feeling Better can help with the effects of pain including:
    • difficulty being active and doing the things you enjoy
    • feelings of sadness or frustration because of pain
    • difficulty sleeping
    • difficulty taking part in school
    • other everyday challenges

    Feeling Better features a complementary section for parents or carers of children with chronic pain.

    Feeling Better offers support for parents who want to understand and manage their child’s pain in a way that promotes resourcefulness and a positive-coping attitude for the child with pain.

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  • CHRONIC PAIN

    Chronic pain is pain that lasts for 3 months or more.

    Chronic pain can be caused by accident, injury or you can be born with it.

    It cannot be as easily fixed and it can make doing things like taking part in school quite difficult.

    It is increasingly common in children and adolescents and it is predictive of long term complaints and distress.

    Chronic pain is an important healthcare problem in Ireland, Europe and across the world.

    Children tend to avoid their pain by withdrawing from activities and social situations out of fear of making pain worse.

    Over time this can result in increased feelings sadness, anxiety, and psychological distress.

    It is important that children and their parents or carers are helped to practice positive coping strategies.

  • THE BENEFITS OF ONLINE THERAPY

    A lot of people with chronic pain do not seek therapeutic help to cope with pain

    Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) has been shown to be an effective treatment for young people and adults who are trying to manage long term pain.

    However, many people with chronic pain do not know CBT can help or do not have access to a therapist who can help them learn how to manage pain effectively.

    Advances in technology offer a solution.

    Children and families trying to manage chronic pain can receive treatment more easily.

    In addition, young people tend to be confident users of information and communication technology, their learning environments have become more digital, now so too have their treatment options.


    Feeling Better may be one solution

    We have developed an online version of a manual-based cognitive behavioural therapy programme specially designed for children with chronic pain.

    We have designed a programme that is easy to use, from the comfort of your home, at your own pace and at a time that suits you.

  • GET STARTED

    Step 1

    Click the links to read the Parent Participant Information and Child Participant Information(5-12) or Child Participant information(13-18) .

    Step 2

    Agree to take part click on the link below.If you do not want to take part in the study you can exit immediately.

    Parent or Guardian: Click the link below. You will be directed to a questionnaire.

  • MEET THE TEAM

    FEELING BETTER was developed at the National University of Ireland Galway and is run by a team of researchers from the School of Psychology and Centre for Pain Research at National University of Ireland Galway, Ireland.

    Rachel is a PhD candidate in Applied Behaviour Analysis in the School of Psychology at the National University of Ireland, Galway. Rachel is modifying this online version of the Feeling Better programme to make it more suitable for children with Autism. Rachel’s research interest includes impact of pain and the communication of pain in children and adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder and Intellectual Disability.

    Dr. Helena Lydon is a Chartered Behavioural Psychologist. She has worked for many years as a Behaviour Therapist and Senior Behaviour Specialist with children and adults in Intellectual and Developmental Disability Services, and with private children’s residential care service providers, throughout Ireland. Her clinical experience is in the treatment of challenging behaviour and individuals presenting with a dual diagnosis across educational, residential and respite settings.

    Prof. Brian McGuire is HRB Research Leader in Population Health and Joint Director of the Centre for Pain Research ay NUI Galway. Brian’s research interests lie in clinical health psychology and behavioural medicine, especially pain management and psychological treatment in chronic health problems. Brian is also a practising Clinical Psychologist.Brian set up the manualised version of the Feeling Better for people who have intellectual disabilities and chronic pain. Brian also was the primary supervisor for Dr. Angeline Traynors PhD.

    Dr. Jonathan Egan is a Lecturer in the School of Psychology, Director of Clinical Practice and Deputy Director of the DPsychSc in Clinical Psychology at NUI Galway. Jonathan research interests lie in the psychological aspects of pain. Jonathan is also a practicing Clinical Psychologist.Jonathan was a co-supervisor for Angeline’s PhD research.

    Dr. Angeline Traynor developed this online version of the Feeling Better programme for school aged children with chronic pain as part of her PhD. Angeline is interested in the use of technology-based delivery of psychological treatment for chronic pain management.

  • CONTACT US

    Interested in the Feeling Better programme? Would you like more information?

    We would love to hear from you. You can email us at team@feelingbetter.info and we will get in contact with you very shortly.

  • PRIVACY POLICY

    Updated 29th October 2015

    This Privacy Policy refers to the website, www.feelingbetter.ie (the "Website"). The Website is operated by the Centre for Pain Research at the National University of Ireland, Galway, situated at University Road, Galway. This Privacy Policy sets out the basis on which any personal data we collect from you, or that you provide to us, will be processed by us.

    Please read the following carefully. Entering into this Website indicates that the user (either "user" or "you") has reviewed this Privacy Policy and has agreed to be bound by it as well as our Terms of Use. If you do not agree to these terms you must leave the Website immediately.

    What information do we collect?

    We fully respect your right to privacy in relation to your interactions with the Website and endeavour to guarantee to be transparent in our dealings with you as to what information we will collect and how we will use your information. Also, we only collect and use individual user details where we have legitimate research reasons, and where we have obtained your prior consent to do so. Information in relation to personal data collected by Irish entities is available on www.dataprotection.ie, the website of the Irish Data Protection Commissioner.

    How do we collect information from you?

    We may collect IP addresses from visitors to our Website (an IP address is a number that can uniquely identify a specific computer or other network device on the internet). This allows us to identify the location of users, to block disruptive use and to establish the number of visits from different countries. We analyse this data for trend and statistics reasons, such as which parts of our Website users are visiting and how long they spend there. This will help us determine which elements of the website were most acceptable to research participants.

    We do not collate information in aggregate format through cookies.

    If users wish to take part in this research they are requested to sign up. This will involve registering for the trial, completing a survey and receiving email correspondence from the research team only:Registering with the Website for nominated purpose of taking part in a research trial

    To register as a user of such services we need to collect information such as, at a minimum, an email address and a password. We ask the user to register so we can gain a clearer understanding of the user’s status and support needs and in order to personalise the information we give you. You can update your personal information held and change your stated interests and whether or not you wish to take part. Participation is voluntary. Users may leave the programme and exit the website at any time. We may ask different for feedback on the reason for leaving the programme or website. This is solely for the purpose of informing research and improving the programme. We may also ask you to complete surveys that we use for research purposes, you would have to complete this survey prior to taking part in the website-based programme. The purpose of this is to gain a clearer understanding of the user’s status and support needs.

    How do we use the information we collect?

    We collect different types of information about our users for the following reasons: • To provide you with information about our activities or online content. You should only receive e-mail feedback on participation on the website unless there is a systems issue which needs to be addressed e.g. maintenance being conducted. All anticipated correspondence will be made clear to you from the outset of the research programme. To invite you to participate in surveys about our research (participation is always voluntary and will only be requested at the pre-appointed time points you agree to during the registration process).

    We will not use your personal information in any other way other than for the purpose intended. You always have the option and opportunity to withhold or withdraw your consent for the use of your personal information and or participation in this research.

    Do we protect your personal information?

    We do our utmost to protect user privacy through the appropriate use of the security technology: we ensure that we have appropriate physical and technological security measures to protect your information; and we ensure that when we outsource any processes that the service provider has appropriate security measures.

    However, this Website contains hyperlinks to websites owned and operated by third parties. These third party websites have their own privacy policies, including cookies. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the privacy practices of such third party websites and your use of such websites is at your own risk.

    Who do we share data with?

    We do not disclose your personal information to any company, corporate entity or third party. Your information would be used for research purposes only.

    We reserve the right to access and disclose personal data to comply with applicable laws and lawful government requests, to operate our systems properly and to protect both ourselves and our users. We may also use service providers to help us run the Website or services available on the Website. Any third parties who access your data in the course of providing services on our behalf are subject to strict contractual restrictions to ensure that your data is protected, in compliance with data protection legislation.

    Where do we store your personal data?

    The data that we collect from you may be transferred to, and stored at, a destination outside the European Economic Area (EEA). It may also be processed by staff operating outside the EEA who work for us or for one of our suppliers. By submitting your personal data, you agree to this transfer, storing or processing. We will take all steps reasonably necessary to ensure that your data is treated securely and in accordance with this Privacy Policy.

    All information you provide to us is stored on our secure servers. Where we have given you (or where you have chosen) a password which enables you to access certain parts of our Website, you are responsible for keeping this password confidential. We ask you not to share a password with anyone.

    Unfortunately, the transmission of information via the internet is not completely secure. Although we will do our best to protect your personal data, we cannot guarantee the security of your data transmitted to our Website; any transmission is at your own risk. Once we have received your information, we will use strict procedures and security features to try to prevent unauthorised access.

    Forms submissions

    There are no online purchase options on the Website which would require you to give financial information (such as your credit card number), however in the course of completing a survey during the registration process you may be asked for demographic information (such as your education level or marital status etc.).

    Changes to the Privacy Policy

    This Privacy Policy may be updated from time to time, so you may wish to check it each time you submit personal information to the Website. The date of the most recent revisions will appear on this page. If you do not agree to these changes, please do not continue to use this Website to submit personal information. If material changes are made to the Privacy Policy, we will notify you by placing a prominent notice on the Website.

    Consent

    By accessing the therapeutic programme offered by us, you consent to the collection and use of this information by us as outlined in this Privacy Policy. By providing any personal information to us, you fully understand and clearly consent to such use and transfers as set out in this Privacy Policy.

    Legal information and how to contact us

    The Data Controller for the Website and services provided through the Website is Centre for Pain Research, National University of Ireland, Galway.

    If you would like to obtain a copy of the personal data we hold on you, or have any queries regarding the Authority's use of personal data please contact team@feelingbetter.ie.

    The content is solely the responsibility of the authors. The Feeling Better programme is maintained by researchers in the School of Psychology and Centre for Pain Research at the National University of Ireland Galway with funding from the Centre for Pain Research and the Hardiman Research Group. By using the Centre for Pain Research, Feeling Better website you agree that we can store and use your information for the purposes of this research.

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