Kathryn Richardson

MOT, OTR/L, TPS

Pain Science

Bio

Kathy is an occupational therapist with over 18 years of experience treating pediatrics and adults with persistent pain. She has been working with EIM since 2021 and currently serves as Faculty Experience Advisor for Pain Sciences (TPS, FPS), Integrative Behavioral Health, Lifestyle Medicine, and Hand Certification programs at EIM. In addition to her role as FX advisor, she is also working to expand and shape content areas to support the inclusion of OT practitioners and other rehabilitation providers.  

Kathy earned her Masters of Occupational Therapy degree from Louisiana State University in 2005. In addition, she completed the Therapeutic Pain Specialist certification and has earned her Fellowship of Pain Sciences through EIM. Kathy has advanced training in pain neuroscience education (PNE), postural/body mechanics, work simplification/energy conservation, graded motor imagery/discrimination, functional desensitization, and environmental/ergonomic assessment.  

While working at the Center for Pain Management at the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago in 2013, she and her colleagues updated the clinical guidelines for the treatment of Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS) to incorporate more current treatment strategies, including graded motor imagery/mirror therapy. As a clinical researcher for Northwestern University’s Sensory Motor Performance Program, Kathy conducted research using robotic assistive devices to improve functional use of the hand following stroke. In her current position as the lead clinician at FOCUS Outreach, a nonprofit agency in Eagle River, Alaska, Kathy continues to advocate for multidisciplinary/interdisciplinary pain management programs targeting functional restoration for persons with persistent pain.