What Do Physical Therapists Think About Psychologically Informed Care?

Psychologically Informed Care: Why do Physical Therapists think? Although physical and mental health are governed by distinct mechanisms that can be conceptually separated, a bidirectional association exists that can strongly influence overall health. For this reason, chronic pain sufferers are at a higher risk of developing depression, anxiety, self-stigmatization, low self-esteem, and social isolation (1, […]

Breaking Through the Psychological Barriers of Chronic Pain Clients

As a physical therapist treating chronic pain through private practice, patients’ noncompliance has no doubt led to frustration at times. Not only does it interfere with your ability to truly help a patient reach her or his fullest potential, but it can interfere with your clinic’s bottom line. Statistics show that only about 35 percent […]

Chronic Pain: Treating the Body and Mind

Chronic pain isn’t just a condition we treat as physical therapists. For our patients, chronic pain is a personal struggle that bleeds into all aspects of their lives. Though it is often manifested as physical pain, the experience of dealing with chronic pain over the long term can create deeper, harder-to-access layers of mental and […]

Developing Acceptance and Openness in Pain Care

“This can’t be…” “Why me?” “Maybe they missed something…” All of us can relate to the feeling of being overwhelmed by persistent negative thoughts. Thoughts of hopelessness or helplessness make you feel trapped with no place to escape to. Physical or psychological pain, financial stress, problematic relationships, and past traumatic events are all a part […]

Combining Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) with Physical Therapy

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) is gaining traction in physical therapy and pain care as an evidence-based treatment. When appropriate, we as physical therapists are accustomed to encouraging patients to push beyond perceived barriers, whether they be physical or psychological … or both. As our profession evolves toward taking more of a leadership role in […]

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) for Chronic Pain

We are undergoing a revolution in our understanding of human pain and suffering. One of the most promising therapies designed to address human pain is Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (pronounced as “ACT” in one word). Stemming from traditional cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), ACT is an empirically based, third wave cognitive behavioral therapy that uses acceptance, […]