Living with persistent pain can affect how we think, feel, move, and participate in daily life. Over time, understandable responses such as worrying about pain, avoiding activity, pushing through symptoms, or becoming caught in a boom-and-bust cycle can unintentionally make pain feel more overwhelming and limit the activities that matter to us.
This four-part Group Medical Visit series introduces evidence-based cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) strategies for persistent pain. It combines a clear understanding of the many factors that influence pain with practical strategies to support recovery, improve function, and help participants return to meaningful daily activities.
CBT does not suggest that pain is imagined or “all in your head.” Instead, it recognizes that pain is a real experience influenced by interconnected factors, including the body and nervous system, thoughts, emotions, stress, behaviours, sleep, and life circumstances. By identifying patterns within this system, participants can find practical opportunities to respond differently, reduce pain-related distress, improve function, and support recovery.
Session dates and times:
Tuesdays, October 6, 13, 20, and 27
5:05 to 5:35 p.m.
What the Series Covers
Throughout the series, you will learn how to:
Understand persistent pain through a biopsychosocial lens
Recognize personal cycles involving pain, thoughts, emotions, and behaviours
Respond to pain-related worry, fear, catastrophizing, and self-criticism in more balanced and helpful ways
Reduce avoidance and gradually return to meaningful activities
Use pacing to move away from boom-and-bust patterns
Respond to difficult emotions and stress with greater awareness and self-compassion
Set realistic, meaningful goals and take manageable steps toward them
Create a personalized action plan for pain flares and challenging days
Each 30-minute visit builds on the previous one and includes evidence-based education, guided therapeutic exercises, reflection, goal setting, and opportunities to review progress. Participants will choose a meaningful goal and practise CBT-based strategies between visits, gradually developing a personalized plan to support their health, function, and recovery.
The focus is not on thinking positively or ignoring pain. It is about developing more flexible and helpful ways of responding so that pain can have less control over your choices, confidence, and daily life.
This series is led by Jennifer Lei (occupational therapist) & Dr. Noah Alexander.
Current patients can book here.