As a person with lifelong lived experience with many types of chronic pain, I have dedicated my advocacy practice to serving those with chronic pain, both with primary diagnoses of chronic pain (where chronic pain itself is the disease), secondary diagnoses of chronic pain (where chronic pain is due to another underlying disease), and cases where these lines become blurred, as well as individuals whose chronic pain is still unexplained or undiagnosed. This often involves helping clients with complex cases, because chronic pain can be caused by numerous diseases, syndromes, and forms of trauma to the body, and frequently spans across multiple different body systems.

I strive to improve clients' quality of life by taking a look at the big picture: considering all aspects of their lives, including their lived experience, physical limitations, difficulty with tasks of daily living, social support, mental health struggles, and of course, medical problems. Improvement of quality of life might include exploring coping strategies for managing pain, problem solving creative solutions to help with tasks of daily living, connecting clients with support services or support groups, and of course help coordinating, managing, and navigating clients' medical care.

This care coordination and medical navigation includes:
- Communication with various providers, including organization of appointments
- Records and medication reviews, which when combined with getting to know my clients' stories from their perspectives, allows me to create a comprehensive yet concise health summary document to take into providers and hospitals that allows for higher quality care
- Research of providers, including second opinions
- Research and education on the different types of pain, and the structural and functional changes that occur in bodies exposed to chronic pain. Research and education on existing diagnoses and treatments, as well as help getting accurate diagnoses when pain is inadequately diagnosed or undiagnosed completely
- Help finding alternative or unexplored treatments, which, when combined with the research and education mentioned above, enables clients to make informed decisions related to their healthcare, including decisions related to providers, testing, treatment, and surgery
- Preparation for and attending provider visits. Preparation includes discussions with clients prior to visits to determine and prioritize important information clients' wish to convey, questions they would like to address, and strategies for the best ways to convey that information in the limited time frame of appointments, which I facilitate by taking and providing notes to clients based on these discussions prior to appointments. This ensures client voices are heard and understood. During provider visits, I listen carefully both to what is said and what is unsaid, and apply my clinical knowledge and personal experience to assess when it is appropriate for me to speak up (though, due to preparation prior to appointments, clients' are empowered and capable of communicating on their own behalf the majority of time). I also take notes during provider visits in order to provide after-visit summaries to clients to document what was discussed, including differential diagnoses mentioned, testing recommendations, treatment recommendations, procedure or surgical recommendations, and steps to be considered in the future.
- Preparing for surgery to ensure the best outcomes and experience in the hospital, including adhering to pre-surgical protocols and educating clients on their rights and how to self-advocate in a hospital setting
- Hospital/inpatient visits and emergency visits to oversee the care being provided, ensure safety precautions are being implemented, conference with nursing and other staff regarding client care, and ensure safe and proper discharge.