Pre-Conference Workshops
Date: Tuesday 13 April 2027
The APS’s Pre-Conference Workshop Day provides delegates with a flexible approach when it comes to choosing what they attend. All workshops are offered as half days, giving delegates the opportunity to personalise their own learning.
Customise your conference experience by attending the Acute Pain Workshop in the morning, before heading over to the Psychology in Pain Management afternoon session.
APS Members who attend the conference are rewarded with more competitive workshop registration fees, so start planning your week in Gold Coast today by becoming an APS Member. You will be joining us at the only conference in Australia offering multidisciplinary insights into the complex nature of pain management from a variety of medical, nursing and allied health perspectives.
Full Day Workshop
Paediatric Pain Pre-Conference Education Day
Transforming Paediatric Pain: From Clinical Care to Creative Innovation
Date: Tuesday 13 April 2027
Time: 8:30am - 5:30pm
This interactive pre-conference workshop brings together international and Australian experts to explore contemporary, practical and innovative approaches to paediatric pain. Across four sessions, participants will consider biopsychosocial approaches to acute pain and distress, supporting children with persistent pain to participate in school and everyday life, creative arts-based approaches to understanding and communicating lived experience, and the emerging role of immersive technologies in paediatric pain care and research.
Please note: This is a preliminary program and is subject to change as speakers, session content and timings are finalised.
08:30–08:45 | Welcome and Introduction
08:45–10:15 | Session 1: Biopsychosocial Approaches to Acute Pain in Children
Contemporary approaches to preventing and managing acute pain and distress, integrating psychological, developmental and clinical strategies across the peri-procedural journey.
11:00–12:30 | Session 2: Pain in Schools — Supporting Participation and Return to Function
Exploring how healthcare teams, families and schools can work together to support children and young people with persistent pain to remain engaged with, or return to, education.
13:30–15:00 | Session 3: Arts-Based Research in Paediatric Pain
An interactive introduction to drawing, Photovoice and research poetry as creative approaches to exploring lived experience and translating paediatric pain research.
15:30–17:30 | Session 4: From Idea to Impact — Immersive Technology in Paediatric Pain
Exploring how clinicians, researchers and technology developers can collaborate to translate ideas for XR, VR and other immersive technologies into practical solutions for paediatric pain.
Morning Workshops
Acute Pain (AM)
Basic Pain Research
Purpose Beyond Pain
Date: Tuesday 13 April 2027
Time: 8:30am - 12:30pm
This workshop explores the value of occupational therapy in persistent pain management through a biopsychosocial lens. Participants will explore the central place of the social context of pain, the role of goals and values in care planning, and trauma-informed principles that promote safety and collaboration.
The session highlights evidence-informed approaches, including single-session interventions, to support meaningful engagement and function despite ongoing pain. For 2027, there will be a lifespan perspective, considering the role of persistent pain in childhood and adolescence with implications for paediatric and adult practice.
Relevant for both occupational therapists and other health professionals, attendees will gain practical strategies to enhance engagement, address psychosocial influences on pain, and understand the role of meaningful occupation as a therapeutic tool.
08:30–08:45 | Welcome and introduction to the workshop
Huong Nguyen
08:45–09:25 | Mapping Models: Occupation as a biopsychosocial pain-management intervention; Chronic pain case study through an occupational lens
Katrina Liddiard, Edith Cowan University, WA & Jacintha Bell, Lifeworks Occupational Therapy, WA
09:25–09:35 | Movement break
Jacintha Bell
09:35–10:15 | Aligning Intent: Connecting for purpose: Integrating social context into pain management
Cate Sinclair, Vital Connections Allied Health & Jacintha Bell, Lifeworks Occupational Therapy, WA
10:15–10:30 | Q&A / Panel Discussion
11:00–11:45 | Inside One Powerful Session: Single-session care in action: Single session conversations with the person in front of you
Huong Nguyen, Sunshine Coast Persistent Pain Management Service, QLD & Angela Hodge-Polak, Sunshine Coast Persistent Pain Management Service, QLD
11:45–12:15 | Grounded in safety: From threat to participation: Practical sensory strategies for pain, trauma & neurodiversity
Angela Hodge-Polak, Sunshine Coast Persistent Pain Management Service, QLD & Donna Joosten, Sunshine Coast Persistent Pain Management Service, QLD
12:15–12:25 | Q&A / Panel Discussion
12:25–12:30 | Conclusion, wrap up & thanks
Katrina Liddiard
Psychology in Pain Management
Afternoon Workshops
Acute Pain (PM)
Pelvic Pain - NEW!
Pharmacology in Pain Management
Date: Tuesday 13 April 2027
Time: 1:30pm - 5:00pm
This interactive workshop is designed for health professionals involved in perioperative and chronic pain management. Led by experts in anaesthesiology, pharmacy, and clinical pharmacology, the session will explore evidence-based use of novel analgesics, atypical opioids, NSAIDs, and optimising pain management at transition of care. Participants will engage in case-based discussions and panel Q&As to deepen understanding of pharmacologic strategies and identify future priorities for improving medication use. The workshop aims to equip attendees with practical insights to reduce medication-related harms and enhance patient outcomes through tailored, multidisciplinary approaches.
13:30–13:40 | Welcome and Introduction
A/Prof Jonathan Penm, The University of Sydney, NSW
13:40–14:10 | Novel analgesia: A clinician's guide to suzetrigine, anti-CGRP therapies, GLP-1s and the emerging analgesic pipeline
Dr Ash Saebi, Prince of Wales Hospital, UNSW Medicine, NSW
14:10–14:40 | Atypical opioids: Rethinking Tramadol, Tapentadol and Buprenorphine
Jeremy Szmerling, Eastern Health, Vic
14:40–15:00 | Table group discussion
15:30–15:50 | Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs revisited: Missed opportunities
Dr Ben Moran, Gosford Hospital, NSW
15:50–16:10 | Pain management at transitions of care
Benita Suckling, Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital, Qld
16:10–16:50 | Table group discussion
16:50–17:00 | Conclusion, Wrap up & Thanks
Dr Katelyn Jauregui, The University of Sydney, NSW
Physiotherapy in Pain Management
Tuesday Pre-Conference Workshop Fees
| Earlybird (until 29.01.27) | Standard (until 05.04.27) | Late (From 06.04.27) | |
|---|---|---|---|
One x Half Day Workshop | |||
| Member (Pre-Conference Workshop AND Conference Registration) | AU$185.00 | AU$205.00 | AU$230 |
| Member (Pre-Conference Workshop ONLY) | AU$240.00 | AU$265.00 | AU$290 |
| Non-Member | AU$340.00 | AU$350.00 | AU$375 |
Two x Half Day Workshops OR One x Full Day Workshop | |||
| Member (Pre-Conference Workshop AND Conference Registration) | AU$240.00 | AU$265.00 | AU$290.00 |
| Member (Pre-Conference Workshop ONLY) | AU$300.00 | AU$320.00 | AU$345.00 |
| Non-Member | AU$460.00 | AU$490.00 | AU$520.00 |