About Pain Deck

Pain Education Made Simple, Clear & Effective.

About The Pain Deck

Like many clinicians, I was taught that “pain education is important” – but not how to do it when you’ve got 30–45 minutes, a complex history, and a full clinic list.

Over the years, working primarily in pelvic health, helping people with chronic pelvic pain, I found myself reaching for the same metaphors and explanations, over and over again.

I also knew the evidence: pain neuroscience education is most effective when it’s:

  • Personalised

  • Repeated over time

  • Linked to meaningful action

  • Delivered in a way that feels safe and collaborative

The Pain Deck grew out of that gap between theory and reality. It’s the tool I wanted on my desk: structured enough to keep me on track, flexible enough to fit different people, and simple enough to use on a busy Tuesday afternoon.

Who is The Pain Deck for?

The Pain Deck is designed for clinicians who work with people living with persistent or recurrent pain, including:

  • Physiotherapists and physical therapists

  • OTs and rehab professionals

  • Pain clinicians and specialist nurses

  • Anyone else working with people with persistent or recurrent pain

You don’t need to be a “pain specialist” to use it. You just need to care about the quality of your conversations.

What you’ll get

  • A deck of durable cards organised by theme, ready to use in clinic. 20 are starter cards, 3 are decision cards and 10 are strategy cards.

  • An 82 page evidence-informed clinician guide with potential session structures, example dialogues and suggested activities.

    Keen to find out more?

    The Pain Deck is now available

Each card gives you:

  • A single focused concept

  • A metaphor, explanation or prompt

  • Questions to open up two-way discussion

  • Ideas for linking education to action

    The cards aren’t a formal outcome measure — they don’t replace screening tools or questionnaires.
    Instead, they act as a simple, structured way to explore the thoughts, worries, and patterns that shape each patient’s experience of pain.

    Then the strategy cards help you turn those themes into a treatment plan: whether that’s reframing pain concepts, building movement confidence, improving regulation, supporting sleep, or addressing unhelpful coping strategies.

Themes include:

  • Nervous system sensitivity

  • Threat, safety and context

  • Beliefs, expectations and fear

  • Flare-ups, pacing and load

  • Movement, avoidance and behaviour change

  • Sleep, stress and recovery