Richmond Stace

Richmond Stace is a Pain Coach and Physiotherapist at Harbor who specialises in chronic and persistent pain.

His work includes complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS), a condition causing severe, long-lasting pain, usually in a limb after an injury, and functional neurological disorder (FND), where the brain and nervous system have trouble sending and receiving signals. He also has a particular interest in the challenges women face when living with chronic pain.

About 20 years ago, he developed Pain Coaching, a practical approach that helps people understand their pain and make lasting changes in everyday life.

He trained first as a nurse before moving into sport rehabilitation and then physiotherapy, and has worked in the NHS and private practice, in sport and humanitarian work, and in corporate settings.

Professional Background & Qualifications

Richmond qualified in adult nursing at the University of Brighton before completing degrees in sport rehabilitation and sport science at St Mary’s University College and physiotherapy at King’s College London. He later completed an MSc in Pain Science and Society at King’s.

He is registered with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) as a physiotherapist and is a member of the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy (CSP).

He is also a member of the Physiotherapy Pain Association and the Organisation of Chartered Physiotherapists in Private Practice.

His further training includes motivational interviewing, positive psychology, compassion-focused therapy, mindful communication, breathwork, cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), pain education, acupuncture and women’s health.

Professional Experience

Alongside his clinical work, Richmond is an Honorary Clinical Lecturer at Queen Mary University of London, a trustee of the charities CRPS UK and FND Action, and a panel member of the Institute of Registered Case Managers.

Most of his clients live with persistent pain or complex conditions that affect their mobility, confidence, relationships and work. He also works in medicolegal rehabilitation, designing personalised rehabilitation programmes.

His recent training in women’s health and menopause also supports his work with women living with chronic pain.

Approach to Care

Richmond starts by helping people understand their pain, because that understanding can make it less frightening and easier to manage.

He also uses motivational interviewing, a conversational approach that helps people find their own reasons to change, alongside compassion-focused therapy.

Instead of following a fixed programme, he builds rehabilitation around each person, with gradual steps towards the activities and goals that matter to them.