Session | Focus | Skills | Objectives |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Causes of pain and the prevention of chronic problems | Problem solving | •To provide information about the causes of pain. |
Applied relaxation | •To provide information about the risk of chronic pain problems. | ||
Learning and pain | •To help participants in identifying relevant factors in one’s own pain problem. | ||
•To train problem-solving and relaxation skills. | |||
•To teach pain control techniques. | |||
2 | Managing your pain | Activities, maintain daily routines | •To provide information about the relationship between activity and musculoskeletal pain. |
Scheduling activities | •To help participants in understanding fear avoidance behavior. | ||
Relaxation training | •To teach participants to identify goals for a satisfying activity level. | ||
•To teach management skills: scheduling, pacing, graded increase. | |||
•To teach cognitive skills to minimize problems with activities. | |||
•To introduce stress and stress management. | |||
3 | Promoting good health, controlling stress at home and at work | Warning signals | •To provide information how pain problems may be prevented. |
Cognitive appraisal | •To provide information how to utilize thoughts and behaviors in preventive efforts. | ||
Beliefs | •To teach how to apply various skills (relaxation, activity management, beliefs, pauses etc.) as coping. | ||
•To help the participants to identify targets for developing coping strategies. | |||
•To teach applied relaxation as coping strategies. | |||
4 | Adapting for leisure and work | Communication skills | •To provide opportunities to receive reinforcement for correct ”coping” approximations from the group. |
Assertiveness | |||
Risk situations | •To provide information about how workplace and family may be influenced by the participant’s pain problem. | ||
Applying relaxation | |||
•To provide information and coping strategies concerning situations where the workplace and family may influence the participant’s pain perceptions. | |||
•To teach assertiveness in using the coping skills learnt. | |||
•To help participants to identify supportive behaviors from others. | |||
•To teach participants to prompt these behaviors to promote positive relationships with family and friends. | |||
•To teach how to apply rapid relaxation to risk situations. | |||
•To teach participants how to employ several coping techniques in social situations. | |||
•To begin to plan a personal coping program. | |||
5 | Controlling flare-ups | Plan for coping and flare-ups | •To provide information about flare-ups and maintenance. |
Coping skills review | •To teach how to use applied relaxation as coping. | ||
Applied relaxation | •To teach how to apply their skills to cope with flare-ups. | ||
Own program | •To develop a personalized coping program. | ||
•To develop a self-care strategy that may reduce the need for healthcare visits. | |||
6 | Maintaining and improving results | Risk analysis | •To reinforce appropriate coping behaviors. |
Plan for adherence | •To provide information about maintenance and adherence. | ||
Own program finalized | •To teach participants to do risk analysis and enhance adherence. | ||
•To teach participants about enhancing and fine-tuning their program. | |||
•To evaluate the course and participants’ progress. |