BHV-01 - ACTing Out: The Role of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy in Moving Your Patient From Suffering to Living a Full Life

This session will describe a 6-week outpatient interdisciplinary intervention for patients with recalcitrant chronic pain at a pain management center. Interventions included pain psychology using acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), a medical lecture, and physical therapy with graded aerobic exercise and individual therapeutic exercises. Often, patients present with a pain control focus when they seek medical care at pain management centers. Evidence demonstrates that patients can shift from pain control activity avoidance to values-based living. We will discuss techniques specific to ACT that help patients make profound changes and increase psychological flexibility to allow them to live their lives. The speakers will cover program development and intervention; the roles of the pain psychologist and physical therapist; outcomes on pain, disability, and chronic pain acceptance; and PROMIS-health measures from the 6-week ACT+PT (Back in ACTion) program with data from 60 completed subjects as well as patient satisfaction from the treatment intervention.