This course will first offer an overview of chronic pain from a biopsychosocial perspective to inform a thorough assessment of a patient who is experiencing chronic pain. There will be an overview of the psychosocial factors that have been shown to impact pain and related distress and disability. The components of an opioid risk assessment will then be covered.  Collaboration with doctors and prescribers on a patient’s risk level for opioid medication misuse is an important part of a mental health professional’s role in pain management settings.

The application of Motivational Interviewing for chronic pain patients will be presented. Remainder of the course will present three behavioral models for treating chronic pain: Operant Behavior Approach, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT).

Learning Objectives:

1. Understand the psychosocial factors that impact pain, distress, and disability to inform a biopsychosocial pain assessment. 

2. Perform opioid risk stratification to determine safety for medication use and advise prescribers on plans of care.

3. Understand the theory and application of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) for chronic pain.