Our Vision
Our vision is to provide free, quality, on-demand, and live resources to youth in chronic pain and their caregivers, increasing their quality of life and decreasing their pain. We aim to build a supportive community of youth and their caregivers navigating the difficulties of living with chronic pain across the USA, Canada, and beyond.
Our Mission
Our mission at Creative Healing for Youth in Pain is to cultivate a supportive online community for youth ages 13-24 and their caregivers while they navigate the challenges of chronic pain. CHYP strives to inspire and empower participants and guide them toward a journey of healing and hope by giving them the tools needed to overcome the obstacles of chronic pain, including creative non-clinical interventions, education, and peer support. CHYP aims to provide its participants with community and healing tools without the limitations imposed by geographic location or socioeconomic status.
Our Impact
CHYP is an online nonprofit that provides free educational resources, peer connections, and creative healing experiences to bridge the gap for common healthcare barriers such as cost, geographic location, and long wait times for doctor appointments.
From Vision to Action: Our Story
Our story begins with Dr. Lonnie Zeltzer, an Emerita Distinguished Professor at UCLA, renowned for her contributions to pediatric pain and palliative care. Her impactful career includes leadership of influential committees, recognition for significant contributions, and prolific research, authoring over 400 publications and four books.
Combining expertise, research acumen, and a commitment to community well-being, Dr. Zeltzer played a pivotal role in developing scientifically validated mind-body programs. While co-directing the Whole Child LA pediatric complex pain clinic with her husband, Dr. Paul Zeltzer, she recognized the need for programs beyond traditional medical resources, creating what we now know as CHYP.
In 2005, the Zeltzers established a new 501(c)3 charitable organization, Children’s Comfort Connection, to develop educational resources for patients, clinicians in multiple specialties treating pediatric patients with pain, and families of children with complex chronic pain. By 2019, with Dr. Zeltzer’s retirement from UCLA and time to devote to charitable endeavors, a fresh name change to Creative Healing for Youth in Pain (CHYP), and a more focused purpose, our mission became clear: to cultivate a supportive online community for youth ages 13-24 and their caregivers navigating the challenges of chronic pain. Using creative, non-clinical interventions, education, and peer support, we inspire and empower participants with the tools needed to overcome the obstacles of chronic pain, guiding them toward a journey of healing and hope.
Today, CHYP’s story continues with a fully online platform, free to all, bridging gaps in chronic pain care due to barriers like cost, geographic location, and long wait times for doctor’s appointments. We guide our community on healing journeys through groundbreaking programs rooted in science.