National Pain Week: Recognising the Frontline Role of Vocationally Trained Mental Health Practitioners in Supporting Australians Living with Chronic Pain
- Shane Warren
- Jul 20
- 2 min read
MEDIA RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
21 July 2025
As National Pain Week begins, the Vocational Mental Health Practitioners Association Australia (VMHPAA) stands in solidarity with the one in five Australians living with chronic pain, an invisible but life-altering condition that impacts not only physical wellbeing but also emotional, social, and psychological health.
National Pain Week (21–27 July) is a time to raise awareness, share lived experiences, and advocate for better access to effective, compassionate care. This year’s theme, “Let’s Talk About Pain,” invites all Australians to listen more deeply, respond with empathy, and expand their understanding of how pain is managed, especially in mental health settings.
“Pain isn’t just something that happens to the body, it lives in the nervous system, the psyche, the spirit,” said Shane Warren, Chair of VMHPAA and a practicing counsellor for over 33 years.“Vocationally trained practitioners - whether they’re counsellors, mental health support workers, or lived experience professionals - walk beside people with chronic pain every day, offering tools to manage the emotional toll of suffering and reclaim a sense of hope.”
While medical interventions often focus on physical symptoms, mental health practitioners play a critical role in addressing the complex emotional landscape that accompanies chronic pain, including anxiety, depression, trauma, isolation, and grief. Vocationally trained professionals are especially vital in regional and community-based settings, where access to specialist services may be limited.
These practitioners deliver trauma-informed, culturally safe, and person-centred care that helps individuals:
Reframe their experience of pain
Build resilience and coping strategies
Navigate medical systems and advocate for themselves
Reconnect with relationships, work, and meaning
“We must stop separating the mind from the body when it comes to health,” said Susan Sandy, VMHPAA Secretary and veteran relationship counsellor.“Vocationally trained mental health workers are often the bridge, supporting people to manage pain not just as patients, but as whole human beings.”
VMHPAA calls on policymakers and health system leaders to:
Recognise and integrate vocationally trained practitioners into multidisciplinary pain management strategies
Fund community-based mental health initiatives that support people living with chronic conditions
Prioritise holistic models of care that address the intersection of physical and emotional pain
Media Contact:
Shane Warren, Chair
Susan Sandy, Secretary
VMHPAA
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