Pain Management Psychotherapy

Chronic and persistent pain syndromes are as much behavioral and psychological problems as physical or medical problems. Mental health professionals involved in pain management must have a thorough knowledge of the latest pain management techniques in order to select the best methods and strategies for helping each patient cope with pain.

Pain Management Psychotherapy is the most up-to-date comprehensive guide available for the psychological treatment of chronic pain. It addresses the behavioral, emotional, sensory-physiological, cognitive, and interpersonal aspects of pain problems and provides accessible technical knowledge that enables practitioners to alleviate unnecessary pain and suffering. Based on sound research and theory and written by two leading practitioners, this book introduces a short-term therapy model for treating chronic pain that integrates clinical techniques drawn from cognitive therapy, hypnotherapy, behavior therapy, and desensitization therapies. This remarkably thorough volume:

• Supplies step-by-step treatment methods from initial consultation through termination of pain treatment
• Describes brief, solution-oriented pain treatment strategies that work in a managed care environment
• Features assessment and outcome measurement instruments, checklists, worksheets, and clinical scripts
• Demonstrates the latest therapeutic techniques, including eye movement desensitization and reprocessing, therapeutic imagery, relaxation training, and self-hypnosis
• Includes pain inventories, questionnaires, and other assessment tools

This book is an indispensable guide for psychologists, psychiatrists, social workers, and other mental health professionals who need fast, reliable methods for promoting pain relief. It is also an excellent text for undergraduate and graduate students in these and other disciplines, and a valuable reference for insurers, physicians, and managed care providers.

BRUCE N. EIMER, PhD, ABPP, a leading pain management therapist, clinical psychologist, and neuropsychologist, is in private practice in Philadelphia. Dr. Eimer is a Diplomate in Behavioral Psychology of the American Board of Professional Psychology, and a Diplomate of the American Academy of Pain Management. He is a member of the American Psychological Association, American Pain Society, International Association for the Study of Pain, and a Certified and Approved Consultant in Clinical Hypnosis of the American Society of Clinical Hypnosis. Dr. Eimer lectures frequently and gives seminars and workshops on pain management and other psychological topics.

"This is a practical and informative text that will be of great use to psychologists and psychiatrists who treat people with chronic pain. It is one of the most, specific, helpful, and user friendly...