Individuals living with chronic pain often present with myriad complaints and a decrease in quality of life driven, in many cases, by a lack of adaptive coping skills. Frequently, patients apply conventional wisdom, opting to reduce their activity levels and “resting” as a response to their pain and, in doing so, further reduce their functional capacity and involvement in daily life. …CBT for Chronic Pain (CBT-CP) can help patients to break free from the chronic pain cycle. Evidence suggests that this intervention improves patients’ functioning and quality of life.

The cognitive model is a widely accepted and well published framework for understanding the crucial role that internal thoughts and attitudes play in the daily experience of emotion and behavior. More specifically, the model proposes that over the course of our lifetime, we all develop patterns of thought that influence our understanding of the world around us and the meaning we place on events in our lives. . . Among these dysfunctional patterns is catastrophizing–the tendency to draw erroneous and often irrational conclusions from a situation.

It is not uncommon for adolescents with severe headaches to be absent from school for long periods of time. Each child is unique, with multiple variables that include: frequency and severity of headaches, response to medication, psychological make-up, history of abuse, resilience and functioning, catastrophizing, stresses and response to stress, family and friends support system, and school support. In addition, family dynamics plays a role. The parents’ psychological condition is also an important factor.