Aviva Psychology Services
Therapy for Chronic Pain in Massachusetts
Helping adults with chronic pain to suffer less.
When pain doesn't stop, everything else is hard too.
If you’ve had persistent pain, you know firsthand that pain touches every aspect of your life and your sense of self. You may find yourself struggling with grief and sadness about losing activities you once enjoyed, withdrawing from your social life, and spending a lot of time in anticipatory worry about whether you can do things you once did without exacerbating your pain or “paying for it” later. You may notice that it is harder to feel positive emotions or shake off frustration or irritability. You may also be struggling with sleep, feeling exhausted, and chronic overwhelm.
Chronic pain is a biological, psychological, social, and emotional experience that affects every part of your life. If you are living with chronic pain you may notice that:
- You are feeling alone and believe that others can’t possibly understand your experience of pain
- Your default response to social invitations has changed from “yes” to “maybe” or “no” because you are expecting to be in too much pain to function or enjoy being with others
- You are struggling to find a balance between resting too much and pushing through the pain to get your goals accomplished, often leading to more pain flares
- You are exhausted, fatigued, and dragging
- It is harder to regulate your mood and concentrate
- You are struggling to navigate the healthcare system and advocate for yourself with your healthcare providers
- You may be wondering if life will ever get better if the pain doesn’t stop
Without support, chronic pain can have a devastating impact on your quality of life. At Aviva, we offer evidence-based, time limited treatments for chronic pain to support you in working smarter rather than harder to manage your pain. Therapy for chronic pain at Aviva emphasizes learning active coping skills and increasing your agency to make life worth living, even with pain. We offer Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Chronic Pain (CBT-CP) and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy for Chronic Pain (ACT-CP) which are evidence-based, time limited treatments that can significantly improve your quality of life and functioning with chronic pain.
What is chronic pain?
Chronic pain can have multiple origins or causes. By definition, chronic pain is a biological, psychological, social, and emotional experience of pain that lasts for more than 3 months. Whether your pain is caused by incomplete recovery from a previously acute injury (e.g., back injury) or a chronic condition such as fibromyalgia or rheumatoid arthritis, chronic pain comes with a constellation of symptoms that can lead to feelings of depression, anxiety, and grief as well as major changes in your day to day functioning, behaviors and thought patterns. Having chronic pain can feel like being trapped in a never ending cycle of exhaustion, isolation, and upset. Evidence-based therapy for chronic pain can help you change this cycle and improve your coping.
Common signs of the chronic pain cycle:
- High levels of pain without new acute injury, including regular pain flares
- Decreased physical activity and increased physical deconditioning
- Increased negative emotions such as anxiety, depression, irritability, hopelessness, and anger
- Withdrawal from social and physical activities and increased isolation
- Increased disability and distress from pain and reduced self esteem
Chronic pain can be characterized by consistently high levels of pain or intermittent pain, but it is pain that is experienced regularly and not fully ameliorated by available medical interventions. You can learn more about chronic pain from
Veterans Affairs.
Evidence-based therapy for chronic pain at Aviva
The chronic pain clinic at Aviva Psychology Services is comprised of a team of doctoral-level psychologists who are prepared to guide you through evidence-based and time-limited therapy for chronic pain to improve your coping and quality of life. We specifically draw from two sets of evidence-based therapies for chronic pain: Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Chronic Pain (CBT-CP) and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy for Chronic Pain (ACT-CP). However, depending on your particular needs, you may be offered a more customized chronic pain treatment. For instance, if your pain is related to chronic headaches or migraines, a more specific Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) for Headache protocol may be used. In general, the evidence based treatments we offer for chronic pain are typically between 8-12 sessions in duration and customized to meet your needs through a comprehensive intake. The intake focuses on your pain history and ongoing challenges, current pain coping skills and supports, and discussion of your care navigation needs related to your pain.
Evidence based therapy for chronic pain at Aviva is likely to include:
- Psychoeducation about chronic pain
- Collaborative goal-setting of specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, and time-limited (SMART) goals for care that are based on your values and needs
- Learning new skills and getting support with guided experimentation of ways to engage in activities you care about that boost your mood without exacerbating pain
- Relaxation or mindfulness training
- Addressing patterns of thinking that impact your experience of pain, mood, and behavior and learning new cognitive coping skills
- Support with skills for self advocacy and assertive, effective communication with healthcare providers
- Support with skill development in other specific areas in which your functioning is negatively impacted by pain. For example, your therapist may help you to learn new skills to improve your sleep quality or sexual functioning as relevant to your therapy goals and needs
Our clinicians with expertise in chronic pain treatment are available in person at our offices in Northampton and downtown Boston, or via telehealth.
Benefits of evidence-based therapy for chronic pain
Break the chronic pain cycle
Learn how to change the chronic pain cycle that is keeping you stuck in a place of non-recovery
Improve your coping skills
Develop active behavioral and cognitive coping skills that help you work smarter rather than harder to live more fully and improve your daily functioning
Increase your agency
Learn the skills you need to implement your pain management plan, advocate for yourself, and be in control of your life again
Imagine daily life without pain leading the way
The chronic pain clinic at Aviva Psychology Services is comprised of a team of doctoral-level psychologists who are prepared to guide you through evidence-based and time-limited therapy for chronic pain to improve your coping and quality of life. We specifically draw from two sets of evidence-based therapies for chronic pain: Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Chronic Pain (CBT-CP) and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy for Chronic Pain (ACT-CP). However, depending on your particular needs, you may be offered a more customized chronic pain treatment. For instance, if your pain is related to chronic headaches or migraines, a more specific Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) for Headache protocol may be used. In general, the evidence based treatments we offer for chronic pain are typically between 8-12 sessions in duration and customized to meet your needs through a comprehensive intake. The intake focuses on your pain history and ongoing challenges, current pain coping skills and supports, and discussion of your care navigation needs related to your pain.
You are already in pain and we’re here to help reduce your suffering
We offer evidence-based treatment for chronic pain to help you break the chronic pain cycle and reduce isolation.
How therapy for chronic pain works
Asking for help when you are in pain is hard. We make the process of connecting to therapy for chronic pain simple and supportive:
Request an Appointment
Once you complete the
form, we will reach out. If we have a fitting opening, we will schedule a complimentary 15-minute phone consultation to assess fit further together.
Assessment and Planning
The first 2–4 sessions assess your concerns, history, and goals. You and your therapist will discuss fit and establish a treatment plan together.
Ongoing Weekly Sessions
Sessions are held at the same time each week and typically last 55 minutes to work towards meeting your needs and treatment goals. Chronic pain treatment is typically time limited (8-12 sessions after assessment) and you will decide with your therapist how many sessions are needed to fully address your individual needs.
You deserve support to manage your chronic pain
Chronic pain is an inherently isolating condition that can make you feel as if no one understands or is able to help. If you’ve had prior experiences of medical invalidation, it may be hard to open up in therapy about your pain experience. Our chronic pain therapists at Aviva believe your pain is real, that you are the expert in it, and that we can help you to function better with it.
We believe that your pain is complex and deserves a comprehensive evaluation and treatment plan that addresses the medical/biological, social, emotional, and psychological aspects of pain. We are here to help you build on your personal strengths to develop a system of behaviors and ways of thinking to reduce the impact of pain on your quality of life and future outlook.
FAQs about perinatal therapy
What treatment approaches do you use for treating chronic pain?
We use evidence-based treatment approaches drawing from Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Chronic Pain (CBT-CP) and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy for Chronic Pain (ACT-CP) to help move you out of stuckness in the chronic pain cycle, support you to work smarter rather than harder to manage pain, and reduce the impact of ongoing pain on your daily life. If your pain is related to a specific pain condition for which there is a more customized evidence-based protocol (for instance if your chronic pain is related to headache or migraine), you may be offered a more specific protocol derived from Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), such as CBT for Headache. As part of the assessment and treatment planning process at Aviva, your therapist will collaborate with you on matching treatment to your needs and providing education about your options. You will establish a specific treatment plan together with an estimated duration of care for implementation of this plan.
How do I know if chronic pain therapy is right for me?
If you have been struggling with chronic pain for 3 months or more and pain is interfering with your daily life and negatively impacting your mood and functioning, chronic pain therapy can help. A free consultation can help us determine if chronic pain therapy at Aviva is the right fit for you.
How long does chronic pain treatment at Aviva take?
It depends on your specific needs. However, most people who see us at Aviva for chronic pain find they have made significant progress and are ready to stop treatment after 8-12 sessions of active treatment. If you are experiencing other concerns affecting your behavioral health, we’ll work together to create a plan that makes sense for you.
If I am taking prescribed pain medications will chronic pain therapy be helpful to me? Will it require me to change my medications or require that my therapist and other healthcare providers talk to coordinate my care?
Your current pain treatment regimen including pain management medications will be thoroughly reviewed during your intake process at Aviva. You can absolutely benefit from chronic pain therapy even if on pain medications and there is no pressure to change your medication plan while engaging in chronic pain therapy. We do not require that you sign a release of information for your therapist to be able to coordinate care with your primary care provider or pain specialists. However, this is an option if desired and can be helpful at times depending on your individual goals and needs and will be discussed with you as you develop your treatment plan.
Can I do therapy for chronic pain online at Aviva?
Absolutely. We offer both in-person sessions in downtown Boston and Northampton MA, and online therapy for clients across Massachusetts.
What are some examples of chronic pain conditions that can be treated with chronic pain therapy at Aviva?
At Aviva we treat all comers who identify as having a chronic pain condition. Our clinicians have experience working with individuals with a wide variety of pain conditions. A non-exhaustive list includes: Chronic lower back pain, neuropathic pain, complex regional pain syndrome, diffuse joint pain, rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis, fibromyalgia, lupus and autoimmune conditions causing pain, endometriosis/adenomyosis, fibroids, vulvodynia, pelvic pain and dysfunction, irritable bowel syndrome, cancer-related pain, post stroke pain, chronic migraine and headache among others.
What if you didn’t have to face this alone?
You don’t have to stay silent. You don’t have to figure this out alone. We are here to support you through this season of life and everything it stirs up.
