Psychological Support & Counseling

At PRIDE, we use a biopsychosocial approach to treatment, which views chronic pain and disability as a complex interaction among physical, psychological, and social factors. So, the most effective treatment of chronic pain includes both medical and psychological interventions. At PRIDE, we understand that chronic pain can disrupt many areas of your life. It can alter your personality, disrupt your sleep, impact your interpersonal relationships, and interfere with your ability to perform activities of daily living, including work duties. Many people with chronic pain develop negative emotions, including anxiety, anger, sadness, hopelessness, and depression.

Emotional distress directly influences pain by increasing muscle tension, increasing your brain’s perception of pain, and altering levels of neurotransmitters associated with pain. It may also have the indirect effect of causing you to limit or avoid activities, leading to physical deconditioning and loss of function, which may ultimately result in increased pain and disability. PRIDE counselors will help you get out of this cycle of emotional distress, tension, and pain and to better understand the relationship between emotions, behaviors, and physical symptoms. They will teach you effective cognitive and behavioral symptom management skills that will help you feel better, manage your pain better, and function better in your life.

The mental health professionals at PRIDE have over 60 years of experience treating patients with chronic pain and disability.