SIRPA’s Updated CPD Courses: Advancing Knowledge in Chronic Pain Recovery

In 2024, SIRPA Ltd undertook an exciting project to enhance and expand its courses for health and wellbeing professionals. This update not only made the courses more comprehensive but also incorporated insights from nearly 200 scientific studies. The result? A cutting-edge curriculum designed to help professionals apply the SIRPA approach to chronic pain recovery in a structured, effective way.

A Commitment to Lifelong Learning

As part of our commitment to ongoing professional development, we offered the updated courses as FREE CPD to those who had already completed SIRPA’s original training. This initiative encourages professionals to stay current with the latest research and refine their skills to better support their clients.

One such professional, Trisha Humphries, seized this opportunity. Having already completed the original courses, Trisha chose to undertake the updated training to deepen her knowledge and understanding. The experience not only helped her stay up to date but also strengthened her foundation for supporting her clients in chronic pain recovery.

Hear It from Trisha

“First of all, it’s wonderfully generous that the new SIRPA courses are available for free to anyone who has already undertaken the original ones, and for that matter a great incentive to undertake more CPD on this subject and further our understanding and knowledge.

The new courses don’t take you back over everything we already know, they expand and build on it. They are, by no means, a revised version of the original courses. The 2024 syllabus is considerably more comprehensive. The key topics, Pain and Stress, are covered in a lot more detail and include new, up-to-date references to clinical studies, terminology, insights and information to help us give the most appropriate care for our clients. It also includes 2 modules dedicated to supporting us with the SIRPA approach and integrating it into our practice together with examples from a variety of professions.

Having completed both courses (original and new) back-to-back, I can honestly say that the latest version taught me so much more. It built on what I’d learned through the original courses, and I feel considerably more competent in my ability to support and help those with chronic pain. I would highly recommend it.

What’s different about the 2024 courses?

• There is more content.
• It includes a lot more recent and relevant studies.
• It covers new topics, for example: helping athletes and professional burnout, existential concerns/givens, plus more about ACE’s and epigenetics.
• New fresh and in-depth focus on the subjects: Stress and Pain
• More guidance about safely assessing and supporting clients
• More guidance and resources to help us safely use a trauma-informed approach with our clients
• Detailed guides on how to work with the SIRPA approach
• New resources to share with clients
• Each module concludes with a brief, but simple, quiz to review the content
• It includes a free mentoring session with one of SIRPA’s Clinical Supervisors.

What’s similar to the original course?

• Lessons are bite size
• It’s a mix of videos and text.
• The same, easy to navigate ‘next lesson’ format
• Optional extra links to podcasts, blogs and books etc.
• Supporting downloads in multiple formats, now including transcripts of SIRPA videos”

Expanding Access with the SIRPA-Informed Pathway

The updated offer a clear pathway for practitioners to become certified SIRPA Practitioners by completing all three levels:

• Level 1: Foundations of Chronic Pain Recovery
• Level 2: Fundamentals of Chronic Pain Recovery
• Level 3: Practitioner Course

To make our resources accessible to a broader audience, we introduced an alternative route for health and wellbeing professionals who do not meet the criteria for the Practitioner Course. These individuals can still complete Levels 1 and 2 to become SIRPA-Informed, equipping them to educate clients about the mindbody approach and direct them to additional resources.

This inclusive structure ensures that more professionals can benefit from our training, fostering a wider understanding and application of neuroplastic and mindbody principles in health settings.

Supporting Learning with a Free Pre-Training Video

To provide an accessible introduction to these concepts, SIRPA founder Georgie Oldfield MCSP and experienced Practitioner Dr. Sarah Hadfield recorded a Pre-Training Video. This resource offers viewers a foundational understanding of mindbody and neuroplastic conditions, guidance on recognizing them, and practical tips for supporting clients with chronic pain and other persistent symptoms.