But I'm Not a Psychologist! Exploring Psychologically Informed Care Options for Chronic Pain
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- Non-member - $139
- Member - $109
- Retired - $109
- Trainee - $109
- Life Member - $109
- Life Honorary - $109
- Honorary - $109
Abstract:
Chronic pain is complex and effective treatment is a formidable challenge for both patients and clinicians. Promoting successful self-management and returning to valued life activities are often key goals of treatment, but facilitating this trajectory in patients with long-standing pain can be difficult. Indeed, pain is inherently a psychosocial experience, yet many clinicians feel under-equipped to integrate relevant (and necessary) psychological principles and behavioural components into their care.
In this course, you will hear from field-leaders whose research sits at the forefront of psychologically informed care. Targeting both clinicians and researchers, this course aims to provide the latest knowledge across a spectrum of psychologically informed interventions, paired with real-world strategies to embed these principles into clinical practice.
The overall goal is to upskill attendees in the use of psychologically informed care for chronic pain by improving the understanding and application of relevant psychological principles in communication and treatment.
Educational Objectives:
By the end of this course, participants will be able to:
- To understand the principles of cognitive functional therapy as a person-centred behavioral approach, explore its clinical application for people presenting with chronic low back pain, and the CFT training pathway available for clinicians.
- To understand the emerging theory of ‘mindsets’ in health, including novel mindset interventions and how they can be applied in clinical practice
- To appreciate the importance of patient validation and come away with new strategies that can be implemented in the clinical setting with people who have chronic pain.
- To enable participants to more adequately identify targets for treatment that enable more successful and vital living with the ongoing experience of chronic pain, including the direct application of interventions to augment willingness to experience chronic pain in the service of engagement in personally meaningful action, and present-focused awareness to enable such actions to occur.
Presentation 1
Speaker: JP Caneiro, BScPhysio, MSportPhysio, PhD, FACP – Specialist Physiotherapist; Adjunct Senior Clinical Research Fellow, School of Allied Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, Curtin University, Western Australia; co-Director, Evoolve Pain Care Academy, Western Australia
Presentation Title: Cognitive Functional Therapy Unpacked: Principles, Practice, and Training Pathway.
Abstract: Chronic disabling low back pain remains a major clinical challenge, with biomedical approaches often failing to address its multidimensional nature. Despite endorsement of biopsychosocial models, physiotherapists frequently report limited confidence in managing psychosocial contributors to pain. Cognitive Functional Therapy (CFT), a person-centred behavioural approach, has demonstrated superior and sustained outcomes in pain, disability, and self-efficacy compared to usual care, as evidenced by the RESTORE trial published in The Lancet. Supported by structured, competency-based training, CFT enables clinicians to develop the skills required for effective, individualized care. This presentation explores the principles, clinical application, and training pathway of CFT, alongside initiatives to improve global access to high-quality clinician education.
Presentation 2
Speaker: Lauren Heathcote, PhD, xxx – Reader in Health Psychology, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology, and Neuroscience, King’s College London, UK.
Presentation Title: Mindsets Matter: Leveraging Patient Beliefs to Improve Pain and Health
Abstract: Beliefs about the body, illness, and recovery are not just reflections of health; they actively shape it. Emerging research on mindsets – core beliefs or assumptions about domains like the body, illness, or pain – offers a powerful framework for understanding how these beliefs influence pain and health outcomes. In this talk, Lauren will introduce contemporary theory and evidence on mindsets, highlighting how patients’ beliefs about their bodies and illnesses can alter physiological, behavioural, and psychological processes relevant to pain. She will focus on specific mindsets that appear particularly influential in chronic pain and illness, including beliefs about bodily capacity, symptom meaning, and recovery potential. Finally, she will present novel, scalable mindset interventions that are demonstrating promising effects on pain, functioning, and wellbeing across clinical populations. The session will conclude with practical guidance for integrating mindset-informed approaches into clinical care to enhance patient outcomes.
Presentation 3
Speaker: Sarah Wallwork, PhD, B.Physio(Hons) – Senior Research Fellow, IIMPACT in Health, Robinson Research Institute, Adelaide University, Australia
Presentation Title: “I Hear You, I See You, I Believe You”: The power of patient validation
Abstract: People with chronic pain regularly report pain dismissal, disbelief, and invalidation from healthcare professionals, having a negative impact on their health and mental and emotional wellbeing. In this presentation, Sarah will talk about how clinicians, including those from non-psychological disciplines, can intentionally use validating communication to improve outcomes for their patients. She will draw on the biosocial theory of emotion regulation to discuss how validating communication can increase therapeutic rapport, treatment adherence, and overall health outcomes while invalidating communication can lead to mistrust, emotion dysregulation, and poor mental health. Specific strategies and examples will be provided.
Presentation 4
Speaker: Kevin Vowles, PhD - Professor of Clinical Psychology, School of Psychology, Queen’s University Belfast and Belfast Centre for Pain Rehabilitation, Belfast Health and Social Care Trust
Presentation Title: Willingness, Awareness, and Meaningful Action in Response to Chronic Pain.
Abstract: Chronic pain is a profound source of human suffering and disability. Robust evidence shows that when individuals with chronic pain let go of the struggle for pain control, cultivate openness and curiosity to present-moment experiences, and commit to values-driven actions, they experience less suffering and improved functioning – even while pain persists. These processes - acceptance/willingness, present-focused awareness, and values-based action - are the cornerstones of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), a well-established behavioral intervention for chronic pain. This presentation will outline the ACT model, including its intervention goals, therapeutic methods, and key clinical considerations. A central tenet of ACT is that a rich, meaningful, and fulfilling life is possible without relentless pursuit of pain reduction, relief, or management. This perspective offers both hope and liberation not only for those living with chronic pain, but also for treatment providers.
J.P. Caneiro
Specialist Physiotherapist & Adjunct Senior Clinical Researcher
Curtin University
Dr J.P. Caneiro is a Specialist Physiotherapist who combines clinical practice with his role as Adjunct Senior Clinical Researcher at Curtin University, and co-Director and Educator of Evoolve Pain care Academy, a social enterprise promoting equitable access to evidence-based musculoskeletal pain care and clinician training worldwide. Dr Caneiro is an integral part of the team that has developed a novel management approach for people disabling low back pain – called ‘Cognitive Functional Therapy’. This treatment has demonstrated efficacy in numerous clinical trials, including a recent landmark trial published in The Lancet in which Dr Caneiro was one of the lead trainers. With over 50 peer-reviewed publications and international conference presentations, he is an emerging leader on the field of chronic pain, particularly in the management of back pain and osteoarthritis. Dr Caneiro has taught on the Masters of Physiotherapy program at Curtin University, and he consults at bodylogic.physio where he reviews patients with complex musculoskeletal pain presentations. Dr Caneiro is dedicated to bridge the evidence-to-practice gap by mentoring clinicians to deliver high-quality, person-centred care.
Lauren Heathcote
Associate Professor)
Health Psychology at the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience at King’s College London
Dr Lauren Heathcote is a Reader (Associate Professor) in Health Psychology at the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience at King’s College London. She received her PhD in Experimental Psychology from the University of Oxford and completed a five-year Postdoctoral Fellowship in >span class="NormalTextRun SCXW179073375 BCX0">Pain Medicine division at Stanford University School of Medicine. She was the 2022 recipient of the prestigious Ulf Lindblom Young Investigator Prize for Clinical Science from the International Association for the Study of Pain as well as the 2022 Hiroomi Kawano New Investigator Award from the International Psycho-Oncology Society, both in recognition for her early and distinguished contributions to pain and psycho-oncology research.
>span class="NormalTextRun SCXW179073375 BCX0">identify mind-body mechanisms of physical and mental health and to harness these using innovative behavioural medicine approaches to improve the lives of young people and adults living with and beyond chronic illness.
Sarah Wallwork
Senior Research Fellow
IIMPACT in Health and at the Robinson Research Institute at Adelaide University
Dr. Sarah Wallwork is a Senior Research Fellow and physiotherapist within IIMPACT in Health and at the Robinson Research Institute at Adelaide University. She leads a program of research that targets childhood to reduce the prevalence and burden of chronic pain in young people and adults. Her work explores the ecology in which a child is situated, including interconnected social, cultural and societal contexts, and how that may shape a child’s resilience against chronic pain. She has been awarded >$4.3m in funding, has published >45 peer-reviewed articles, has been invited speaker to 26 national/international conferences/seminars, and has been recipient of multiple national and international competitive scholarships. In 2021, she was named Field Leader in The Australian Research Magazine’s top researchers from 250 fields of research.
Kevin Vowles, PhD
Professor
Clinical Psychology at Queen’s University Belfast
Kevin E. Vowles is a clinical psychologist and researcher specializing in the psychological and behavioral processes that influence adaptation to chronic pain. His work examines how acceptance, present-moment awareness, and values-based action can support individuals in engaging with meaningful activities, even in the context of persisting pain. As a Professor of Clinical Psychology at Queen’s University Belfast and clinician at the Belfast Centre for Pain Rehabilitation (UK NHS), Kevin has contributed to the development and evaluation of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) as an evidence-based intervention for chronic pain. This work, which has been cited by the UK’s National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) and is recognized for its empirical support by the American Psychological Association’s Division of Clinical Psychology, highlights a critical insight: having a full and meaningful life is not dependent on reducing pain. With over 150 peer-reviewed publications, Kevin’s research has informed clinical guidelines and academic discourse on chronic pain and its treatment goals. His work aims to bridge the gap between scientific rigor and clinical utility, supporting individuals in re-engaging with valued life activities with ongoing chronic pain. Alongside research, Kevin is involved in education, training, and community work collaborating with clinicians and researchers worldwide to integrate these principles into practice. His ultimate goal is to empower people to live fully, even when pain persists.
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