Building Resilience to Chronic Pain and Distress Through State of the Art Psychosocial Treatments

Chronic pain remains a challenge for patients and health care. The importance of psychosocial interventions to improve functioning and quality of life is today well established. However, there are an overwhelming number of different psychosocial interventions. Also, the mechanisms and active components in successful treatment remain unclear. To promote a theoretically and empirically consistent treatment approach, this workshop will discuss and illustrate how state-of-the-art psychosocial treatments can be used to enhance resilience to pain and distress among individuals for whom chronic pain is a lifelong and interfering condition. The workshop will integrate theory and science with practical clinical applications of empirically supported interventions. Specifically, and using clinical illustrations and exercises, we will show how to help individuals increase their motivation to consider behavioral changes (Jensen); the scientific and theoretical background on ‘how’ exposure treatment works as well as the key treatment principles (Vlaeyen and Glombiewski); how acceptance and change can be integrated in an ACT-based treatment to improve behavioral flexibility and valued living, using standard as well as digital interventions (Wicksell); and how family members (e.g., partners, parents) can be engaged in exposure-based treatment (Simons).