Empowered Relief®

A Free Virtual Pain Management Workshop

Living with persistent pain can impact your daily activities, emotions, sleep, and overall well-being. Empowered Relief® is a free, evidence-based pain management class designed to teach practical skills that can help individuals better understand and manage their pain.

Developed by Beth Darnall, PhD at Stanford University, Empowered Relief® is a single-session, two-hour intervention delivered by certified instructors.

Upcoming Sessions

Upcoming Session

Date: Tuesday, September 15, 2026 | Time: 6:45 p.m. – 9:00 p.m. EDT 

Format: Live virtual session via Microsoft Teams | Cost: Free

Register

Speakers

Roman Jovey (M.D.) – NeuPath Centre for Pain & Spine

Dr. Jovey was a family physician who has been treating chronic non-cancer pain in an outpatient practice setting for over 30 years. He has presented educational workshops on chronic pain management in Canada and internationally. He was the Medical Director of NeuPath Centre for Pain and Spine, the largest outpatient chronic pain management organization in Canada, from 2009-2023. He was a past president of the Canadian Pain Society and was a staff physician at the Michael G. DeGroote Pain Clinic at Hamilton Health Sciences Centre from 2017-2021. He is a provincial pain consultant for the Ontario eConsult Program and a medico-legal expert for the Canadian Medical Protective Association. He has been a provincial Coroner in Ontario since 2017.

Christine Mcintosh (Dietician) – NeuPath Centre for Pain & Spine

Christine McIntosh is a nutrition expert, educator, and writer. Christine earned her undergraduate degree in Nutrition and Food from Ryerson University, a Master of Science in Human Nutrition at the University of Alabama, and a doctorate in Education Sustainability at Nipissing University. She is licensed to practice as a Dietician in Canada, USA, and Australia. Her professional experience covers the spectrum of dietetics and nutrition across all health domains, nutrition project development, and research in patient-centered care. Dr. McIntosh has been working with complex clinical cases for decades, mainly in the realm of mental health and chronic conditions and pain. As a clinician and writer, she leads with messages on how to live well in a complicated food world.

Stay Informed About Future Workshops

Empowered Relief® sessions are offered throughout the year. If registration for the current session has closed, join our notification list to be informed when the next session becomes available.

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What is Empowered Relief?

Empowered Relief® provides individuals with evidence-based skills to help manage the challenges associated with pain. During this interactive two-hour session, participants learn strategies related to pain education, relaxation, and self-management.

Participants create a personalized plan they can continue using after the session, including practical tools and resources to support their pain management journey.

The program is educational and complements your existing medical care. It is not group therapy, and participants are not expected to share personal health information.

Who Can Benefit?

Empowered Relief® may be helpful for individuals experiencing:

  • Chronic pain
  • Persistent musculoskeletal pain
  • Back or neck pain
  • Joint pain
  • Headaches or migraines
  • Pain following injury or surgery
  • Other acute or ongoing pain conditions

The class is designed for individuals who want to learn additional skills and strategies to complement their existing healthcare plan.

What You’ll Learn

During the session you’ll learn:

  • How pain works and factors that influence the pain experience
  • Evidence-based strategies for managing pain-related challenges
  • Skills to support relaxation and reduce stress responses
  • Practical tools to incorporate into daily life
  • How to create an individualized plan for ongoing pain management

Participants leave with a personalized roadmap and resources they can continue using after the class.

Why Attend?

Empowered Relief® offers:

  • A convenient one-session format
  • Evidence-based pain education and self-management strategies
  • A supportive learning environment
  • Practical tools that can be used alongside medical treatment

Research supporting Empowered Relief® has demonstrated benefits across multiple areas related to pain management, including pain-related distress, pain interference, mood, anxiety, fatigue, and sleep disturbance.

FAQ

For Healthcare Providers

Empowered Relief® may be a valuable resource for patients looking to develop additional skills to manage persistent pain. Consider sharing this free educational opportunity with appropriate patients.

Can’t Attend This Session?

Empowered Relief® sessions are offered throughout the year. If registration for the current session has closed, join our notification list to be informed when the next session becomes available.

Notify Me
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