Pain Service - How can Psychologists help with Chronic Pain?

Why have you been referred to see a psychologist?

Following your recent appointment at the Pain Centre, you have been referred to the psychology team. At the Pain Centre we know that your pain is real and we understand that it can be distressing to live with.

Living with chronic pain can affect many areas of your life. The effects of pain are different for each person. An assessment with a psychologist aims to help us understand how your pain affects you and how we may be able to help.

Psychology input often addresses the following issues:

Sleep problems

Chronic pain can make it difficult to get a good night’s sleep. You may find that pain makes it difficult to fall asleep or that it wakes you during the night. This can cause you to feel tired the next day and make it harder to carry out day-to-day activities.
Psychologists can help with techniques that can improve sleep patterns.

Memory and concentration difficulties

Chronic pain can affect your ability to concentrate and to remember information. This means that you may have less mental energy to concentrate on and remember the things you want to do, which can affect how well you function.

Psychologists can help people with chronic pain to develop strategies to help with concentration and memory problems.

Difficulties within social life

Chronic pain can create problems developing and maintaining friendships and participating in social activities. You may find that if you have not been involved in social or leisure activities for a long time, you have lost confidence in your ability to do this. We can help people to gradually feel more confident and develop skills to manage their pain more effectively so that they can improve their social and leisure activities.

Difficulties with relationships

Chronic pain and the changes it causes can affect your relationships with friends, family, and your partner. Family and friends can find it difficult to understand persistent pain and may not know how best to help. Pain can cause people to be irritable with those close to them and can create difficulty with sexual relationships. Psychologists at the Pain Centre are experienced in helping people to address the impact of pain on relationships with other people, and to gain effective support from those around them. They can also help people to overcome difficulties with intimacy and sexual relationships.

Problems with work

Pain can affect your working life. You may experience problems at work or be frustrated because you are struggling to work in the same way that you did before you had pain. Some people have found that they have to give up work due to their pain and may wish they could return to some form of employment. We can help people to develop strategies to cope at work and to develop the confidence to gradually return to or look for paid or voluntary employment.

Self-confidence

Chronic pain can cause loss of confidence and self-esteem, which can lead to anxiety. Pain can also affect your sense of identity – changing your sense of who you are, or just not feeling like your old self. Psychologists at the Pain Centre are experienced in helping people to improve their confidence and self-esteem and helping them to develop a positive self-identity.

Mood

Chronic pain can affect your mood and you may find that you can feel more depressed, sad, stressed, anxious, self-conscious, irritable, frustrated and/or angry. This is understandable given the effects of pain on day to day life. Mood problems can be disruptive, and can worsen the problems that pain causes.

Psychologists at The Pain Centre can help people to improve their mood by:

1. Understanding the emotional consequences of pain and looking at ways to improve mood; and
2. Look at ways to cope with/manage life changes that are caused by pain

What will happen at my first psychology appointment?

Your appointment will last up to an hour and a half and is an opportunity for you to tell us about how your pain is affecting your life.

You and the psychologist will then discuss how the Pain Centre might be able to help you. The appointment is also a chance for you to ask any questions.

A plan will be agreed with you, and if the psychologist writes a letter, you will receive a copy.

Common worries about seeing a psychologist

People can think that they have been referred to a psychologist because their pain is imaginary or ‘all in their head’. This is not the case. It is not possible to imagine or create pain. We know that chronic pain is very real and is stressful to live with because of its impact on your quality of life. We often work alongside other pain team clinicians to reduce the impact of living with chronic pain on your psychological wellbeing.

People can also worry that psychologists might ask them about personal subjects or topics that they do not wish to talk about. When you meet with the psychologist you don’t have to tell them anything that you don’t want to. However, we would also encourage you to be as open as you feel able. This is because the more information we have, the easier it is to decide the best way forward to meet your needs.

What happens next?

The psychologists who work in the Pain Centre will read the referral letter written by the clinician you saw at your first visit at the Pain Centre. If they think they may be able to help you, you will be sent an appointment letter in the post to meet with a psychologist. Alternatively, the psychologist will write to you explaining why they think an assessment may not be helpful at that time. If you are offered an appointment, please let us know if you are unable to attend.

We are also unable to repeatedly re-book missed appointments. Of course, if you do not wish to meet a psychologist that is okay too.  If there are other plans for your care at the Pain Centre they will not be affected.

If you have any questions please contact:
Email: painreception@nca.nhs.uk or Telephone: 0161 206 4002