PAIN PSYCHOLOGY

Psychological treatment plays an essential role in the management of pain. Chronic pain can have a significant impact on mental health, potentially reducing a person’s quality of life. The experience of long term pain can lead to feelings of exhaustion, disturbed sleep, psychological distress and impaired relationships. Learning skills that help you cope with the thoughts, feelings and behaviours that accompany pain can help reduce the impact of pain. Our attempts to avoid pain can result in us missing out on social, work-related and physical activities. Re-engaging in activities that are important to you will improve your ability to live positively with pain.

Your initial appointment with our psychologist will involve taking a detailed psychological and developmental history, enabling our psychologist to complete a thorough assessment of symptoms and factors affecting your mental health. Our psychologist will discuss your presenting problem and work collaboratively to develop a treatment plan specific to your needs. Psychoeducation will centre around diagnosis, treatment, and psychological approaches to treatment, for example, Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) and Acceptance & Commitment Therapy (ACT). Follow up appointments will involve continued psychoeducation and exploration of strategies and tools that can assist you in managing your pain. The goals of treatment are centred around making positive changes that enable you to cope with chronic pain.