Cognitive therapy is a type of cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT). It’s also known as psychotherapy or a talking therapy. The NICE chronic pain guidelines recommend both CBT, and acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) as effective chronic pain treatments.
Pain clinics are likely to have a psychologist, therapist, or trained counsellor as part of their team to provide cognitive therapy for chronic pain.
With psychological therapies, you need to try them for a while to see if they’ll work for you. You might find some of the techniques you learn through ACT or CBT are helpful and an effective way to treat chronic pain long term.
