It has been four weeks since I started seeing 'Dr. Jay.' I was severely depressed, having lived with chronic pain since 2014. I had lost all hope of ever being able to do any of the normal activities I used to do. But I have to tell you: I have my life back! I have stopped taking several medications, including opioids, and literally cut my anxiety meds in half.”  -  Cynthia, patient, Longmont United Hospital

I'm Not A Physician. So Why Should You Work With Me?

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Jay E. Valusek, M.S., M.Ed.
WELL, FIRST, YOU SHOULDN'T work with me until you have gotten yourself thoroughly checked out by your health care provider. Make sure you don't have some rare but serious (and identifiable) medical condition that may be threatening your tissues. If you do, please deal with that.

If, however, you're still in pain long after you've seen all the specialists, had all the tests, taken all the drugs, and endured all the medical interventions, to no avail, it may be time to consider that the solution you're seeking may not be medical after all. It took me 20 years to reach this conclusion.

If the biopsychosocial model of pain is correct (see Home), the "solution" lies largely in how you're living, day by day: what you're doing with your body, your state of mind, and the quality of your connections with other people. You don't actually need a physician to work on things like that.
When it comes to chronic pain, what you do need is someone who knows the science and knows how to translate, simplify, and apply it broadly in eminently practical ways. I have master's degrees in both science and adult education. Prior to redirecting my career into health care, I made a living for years explaining complex scientific and technical ideas in plain English to non-specialists.

I'm also a professionally trained mindfulness instructor, certified positive psychology coach, and registered psychotherapist. Some of my early  work with chronic pain patients was featured in a 2008 interview by the National Pain Foundation.

I have designed and taught classes, workshops, and multi-week programs for people suffering from chronic health conditions since 2004. I have conducted small-scale research studies in novel approaches to mindfulness meditation and solution-focused pain management. Papers I have published on ResearchGate have been read by more than 600 scientists and clinicians worldwide.
How do I manage my own chronic pain? Through daily exposure to nature, movement and exercise, mindfulness and acceptance, undying hope, love, an irrepressible sense of humor, socially meaningful work, and relentless experimentation. I haven't used prescription pain medication since 2012.
Recently, I was employed for two years at Longmont United Hospital, building a strong reputation as a chronic pain self-management coach, educator and innovator. A dozen primary care providers from five local clinics referred patients to me for non-pharmacological pain management consultations, which I documented in their electronic medical records.

I taught the biopsychosocial model of pain and how to apply it to several hundred patients, as well as nearly a hundred physicians, nurses, nurse practitioners, and other medical professionals. I trained a few dozen senior peer counselors in my approach. And I was invited to give presentations, including one keynote, at conferences dedicated to behavioral health, manual therapy, and aging.

To fund my work with low-income patients, I won grants ranging from $2,000 from the Longmont Community Foundation to $20,000 from the Denver Foundation. My initiative, along with one of my first patients, Nan, was featured in the hospital's quarterly newsmagazine, and I was nominated one of the 100 "most interesting people" in the St. Vrain Valley.
When I came here five weeks ago, I felt like there was no hope. Now I feel as if I can whip any problem the world throws at me. Basically, Jay saved my life.”  -  Nan, patient, pilot study, Longmont United Hospital
In 2018, I had just been awarded a $46,250 grant from the Telligen Community Initiative to fund a major new clinical research study that I had designed for opioid users. Then, well, I lost my daughter to suicide. And my whole life went off the rails.

In the aftermath of Beth's suicide, I was forced to reevaluate everything from the ground up. I had to decide what to keep, what to let go, and what, if anything, would make my own life worth living. Due in part to the demands of grief, I resigned from the hospital, took an unpaid sabbatical to heal and to reflect, and decided to return to private practice. To honor my daughter's memory, and do the work that I was meant to do.
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Elizabeth Anne Valusek
Today, everything I do comes from a deep well of blood, sweat, and tears. Step by painful step, I have learned how to liberate myself from the stranglehold of chronic pain, how to integrate the tragedy of my daughter's death into a life-giving vision of the future, and how to kindle a new sense of meaning and purpose in my career as a health care professional. [Note: I am a member of the Suicide Prevention Coalition of Colorado (SPCC), the Open Path Psychotherapy Collective, and the Colorado Association of Psychotherapists (CAP).]

So, no, I'm not a doctor. But I can help, if you'll give me a chance.
Before I worked with Jay, when someone asked me to rate my pain on a scale from 1 to 10, I'd say 15. Now I say 3 to 5.”  -  Ariella, one of my former mindfulness students

Credentials

License & Certifications
  • Registered Psychotherapist, # NLC 107288, Colorado Department of Regulatory Agencies; authorized to practice psychotherapy in the state of Colorado; exp. August 31, 2021
  • Certified Positive Psychology Coach (CPPC), certified by Dr. Robert Biswas-Diener; trained in the psychology of character strengths by The VIA Institute; foundations of positive psychology by MentorCoach; and applications of positive psychology and professional coaching standards by Positive Acorn LLC
  • MBTI® Certified Practitioner, Myers-Briggs Type Indicator Steps I and II; trained by CPP Inc. and the Association for Psychological Type International; my personality type is INFP
Professional Training
  • On Pain, half-day training in the neuroscience of pain for health care professionals; by Lorimer Moseley, PhD, professor of clinical neurosciences, senior research fellow, University of South Australia, author of Explain Pain
  • Better Pain Management, 12-module online education program for primary care providers; created by the Faculty of Pain Medicine, Australia & New Zealand College of Anesthetists
  • Solution-Focused Brief Therapy (SFBT), completed 7 intensive 1-2 day courses for mental health professionals; trained by Teri Pichot, LCSW, the Denver Center for SFBT, and Heather Fiske, PhD, the Solution-Focused Brief Therapy Association
  • Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR), 2 levels of instructor training, including Practicum; trained by Dr. Jon Kabat-Zinn and senior staff, The Center for Mindfulness in Medicine, Health Care & Society, University of Massachusetts Medical School
  • Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) for Depression, 2-day course for mental health professionals; trained by Dr. Zindel Segal, University of Toronto Department of Psychiatry
  • Contemplative Group & Retreat Leadership, year-long program in teaching Western and Eastern meditative practices; trained by Dr. Gerald May and associates, The Shalem Institute
Graduate Education
  • M.Ed., Adult Education & Training, College of Health and Human Sciences, Colorado State University; completed two independent research studies, including one on the effects of informal meditation on mindfulness in daily life; took elective courses in mental health counseling theory and practice, the psychology of happiness, and career development 
  • Contemplative Psychotherapy, Naropa University; graduate coursework in Buddhist psychology, career transition, community, and human development
  • M.S., Earth Science, Colorado School of Mines; awarded a full tuition scholarship, with teaching and research assistantships funded by the National Science Foundation