1.5 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™
Chronic pain is a pervasive and complex condition, often accompanied by significant comorbidities such as distress, anxiety, risky substance use, and interpersonal difficulties. Despite advancements in medical and psychosocial treatments, chronic pain frequently resists traditional interventions aimed at reducing its intensity. This reality underscores the challenges of translating research into sustainable, real-world practice. Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) offers a paradigm shift by prioritizing behavioral flexibility and the facilitation of meaningful activity as the primary goals of treatment, rather than symptom reduction. This presentation will explore how ACT addresses the complexities of living with chronic pain by fostering willingness to experience discomfort, improved present-moment awareness, and commitment to values-based actions—even when pain and other aversive experiences persist. The talk will provide a brief overview of chronic pain, discuss key theoretical considerations for clinical practice, and offer a template for introducing the ACT model to patients. The state of the evidence will also be reviewed, with a focus on assessment and patient selection. Attendees will gain insights into the mechanisms of ACT, its clinical applications, and how it can be integrated into chronic pain treatment to promote long-term, values-driven behavioral change.
Learning Objectives:
- Articulate the relevance of the ACT model to chronic pain in terms of targeted treatment processes and treatment targets.
- Describe the state of the empirical evidence, both regarding established findings and future directions that would benefit from further work.
The Addiction Psychiatry Advanced Psychotherapy Curriculum on-demand sessions, developed by the American Academy of Addiction Psychiatry (AAAP) in collaboration with Oregon Health and Science University (OHSU) and NYU School of Medicine, are a great way to keep up to date with best practices in patient management on your own schedule.
Course directors for this program are Christopher Blazes, MD, Associate Professor of Psychiatry at OHSU, and David Stiffler, MD, Associate Professor of Psychiatry at NYU.
You can access recordings of past events and registration for live webinars here. We’ll also send out emails to remind you.