Clinical Essentials of Pain Management

Clinical Essentials of Pain Management lays out an empirically documented program for treating patients experiencing acute and chronic pain, two of the most common symptoms in modern society. Going beyond traditional biomedical remedies, Robert Gatchel offers a comprehensive viewpoint that takes into consideration not only biological, but also psychological and social variables. This volume gives mental health practitioners guidance on how to assess and treat pain patients, including discussions of frequently used measurement tools, instruments for matching patients with the best treatment, the interaction of mental states and the experience of pain, and details about cognitive-behavior interventions. The author illustrates the assessment-treatment process in a number of evocative case examples and provides chapter appendices that feature everything from pain questionnaires to relaxation exercises that may be administered to clients.