‘Chronic’ merely refers to how long your pain
has persisted, not how long it will last'
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I am an Occupational therapist supporting adults living with persistent pain to become successful self-managers of their condition. I offer you a compassionate, wholistic and practical approach to the daily challenges of living with pain. I have a special interest in chronic primary pain conditions, like Fibromyalgia, and have completed post-graduate studies in interdisciplinary pain management.
About Me
I'm Helen Roome.
I'm an Occupational therapist.
I love being an Occupational Therapist! I chose OT because of its whole-person-centred focus and creative and practical approach to helping people with a variety of challenges.
I graduated as an OT from the University of the Witwatersrand in 1996 and worked for many years in the public and private health sectors in South Africa. Although I have almost 30 years of experience in working with adults with a wide range of both physical and psychological challenges, I developed a special interest in chronic pain a number of years ago that led to completing a Post-Graduate Diploma in Interdisciplinary Pain Management through UCT.
My OT practice now focuses on offering therapy and support to adults (18+ years old) needing to manage the daily challenges of their chronic pain.
I work with individuals experiencing:
- Fibromyalgia/chronic widespread pain
- Chronic Low Back Pain
- Chronic primary pain
- Chronic Pelvic Pain
- Chronic headaches
- Painful arthritic conditions (like Osteoarthritis, Rheumatoid arthritis and Lupus/SLE)
I am currently registered with the Health professions Council of South Africa (HPCSA) and the Occupational Therapy Association of South Africa (OTASA). I am chairperson of the OT Pain Management Group (OTPMG) of South Africa; a member of the council of PainSA (the SA chapter of the International Association for the Study of Pain); and a past member of the Allied subcommittee of the South African Society for Sleep and Health (SASSH).
Amongst other things during my OT career, I gained experience as a lecturer of the Community Development Studies module at UKZN and completed a diploma in Practical Labour Law through UNISA Business School.
During a career hiatus, when I worked as a Pastor of a local church, I also completed a Masters’ degree in practical theology (Tabor College, Australia). I cultivate my curiosity and consider myself a life-long learner – so my learning will never stop!
I enjoy sharing transformative ideas and frequently present to the public and other practitioners on pain, supporting pain self-management and mental health topics through webinars, workshops, conferences, radio and podcasts.
I also really try to practice what I preach! So, in my down-time you will find me with family and friends, in the garden, on a hiking trail, buried in a book or holding a paint brush!