Talk looks to give Islanders skills to cope with emotional pain

For many people dealing with mental health can be daunting — with this in mind, P.E.I. psychologist Ken Pierce wants to give Islanders tips on skills they can use to manage emotional pain.

Pierce will be presenting a talk called, Break through the Pain in Just Three Steps as a part of a series being put on this month by the psychological association of P.E.I.

"Everybody is in pain, in some form — either physical pain or emotional pain. And it must be managed and it can be managed," Pierce said.

'Life skills'

The talk, Pierce said, is meant to impart some life skills for audiences to take and incorporate into their own lives.

"Really it's about knowing that pain management is a life skill that everybody needs to have," he said.

The steps are intended to help Islanders manage their emotional pain and evolve from it in healthy ways, Pierce said.  

"These are just fundamental principles in many ways that are used by people and I offer a very science-based approach," he said.

Long-term grief and loss

One of the issues Pierce will touch upon during his lecture is the concept of long-term grief and loss, and how Islanders can begin to let go of it by identifying how they have become "smarter and stronger" from the experience.

"Pain just means you are alive and you're being challenged by nature to grow and evolve," Pierce said.

Pierce will be giving his presentation Wednesday evening at 7 p.m. at the Confederation Centre Public Library.

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