Treating chronic-pain patients in psychotherapy

This article provides an overview of the breadth of issues a therapist may face in treating a person with chronic pain. Questions such as the relative contributions of biological and psychosocial influences on the patient's reported condition must be addressed. In addition, the counselor often must help the patient deal with psychopathology that occurs in reaction to the pain, which is likely to be contributing to it. Other financial, medical, and legal circumstances also may impinge on the therapeutic framework to limit or influence the course of treatment. Two examples of treatment lessons are offered, and a case example illustrates the lengthy and multidimensional course some treatments can take.