Chronic Pain Program
Learn practical strategies for managing chronic pain, and associated low mood and anxiety with our clinically-proven online program.
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Chronic Pain at a Glance
The pain system involves all of our body’s systems and is a sensible and necessary system that functions to protect our bodies from a perceived threat. Sometimes the pain system can be ‘faulty’ and act in unusual ways. Chronic pain or persistent pain is pain that lasts longer than 3 months – beyond the healing period of tissue damage. This generally means that you experience pain despite having no new damage to the tissue. Pain does however impact on your ability to carry out your normal activities, whether these are at home or work, or in social or recreational settings. People with chronic pain will face different problems and barriers that prevent them from living their normal lifestyle, and stop them from achieving their goals.
Fortunately, you can learn to reduce the impact of chronic pain on your quality of life and many people who seek help get better. This program will teach you practical skills to tackle chronic pain and improve the way you feel.
About The Chronic Pain Program
This 8-lesson program takes a multidisciplinary approach to pain management and is based on an effective psychological treatment called Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (or CBT), which is designed to help you lessen the impact of pain on your wellbeing and quality of life.
It will teach you proven strategies for managing pain and show you how to work with your thoughts, emotions, and behaviours so you can make a positive change in how you feel.
The Chronic Pain Program was developed in conjunction with the multidisciplinary team at theSt Vincent’s Hospital Sydney Department of Pain Medicine. The program has undergone clinical trials under the title ‘Reboot Online.‘
This program may be for you if:
- You tend to experience ongoing pain which is affecting your mood and how you feel day to day
- The pain you feel tends to lead to a lot of tension, sadness, anger, or anxiety
- It feels hard for you to focus on things other than tending to your pain
- You seem to be stuck in the way you feel and would love to learn how to get out of this cycle
- You are ready and willing to learn new skills to change the way you feel
What You Will Learn
Throughout this program you will follow an illustrated story of ‘Martha’ as she learns movement strategies to better manage her pain, and tackles the unhelpful thoughts and behaviours that make her experience of pain worse. Each lesson focuses on teaching you a practical skill you can use to begin changing the impact pain has on your quality of life. Once you complete a lesson, you will have 5 days to practice your new skill before the next lesson becomes available.
Lesson 1
What Is Chronic Pain and What Is The Best Way To Manage It? – Learn about chronic pain, how it works, the brick-wall of chronic pain, and medications.
Lesson 2
Goal Setting and Moving Towards Acceptance – Learn about the the complexity of chronic pain, how to move towards acceptance SMART goals.
Lesson 3
Movement, Pacing and Daily Activity Scheduling – Learn about the relationship between pain and activity, and the components of an exercise program.
Lesson 4
Monitoring Your Thoughts and Recognising Unhelpful Thinking Patterns – Learn about the link between thoughts, feelings and behaviours, and how to recognise unhelpful thinking.
Lesson 5
Mood and Pain, Challenging Unhelpful Thoughts and Managing Arousal – Learn to challenge unhelpful thinking, how to put planning into practice, how to manage anger, and practice relaxation to manage anxiety.
Lesson 6
Stress Management and Getting Better Sleep – Learn about stress, how to use problem solving, and how to get better sleep.
Lesson 7
Communication and Relationships – Learn how to communicate better and about relationships.
Lesson 8
Managing Flare Ups – Learn about flare-ups and relapses, prevention plans, continuing your pain management and where to get more help with chronic pain.
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What's Included
Each of our programs has been designed to help you get the most out of self-guided learning and provides you with a range of materials to support you on your recovery journey.
Lessons
Story-based lessons that teach core coping skills
Extra Resources
Tools to help you overcome common challenges
Workbooks
Exercises designed to help you tackle your symptoms
Alerts & Reminders
Reminder e-mails and texts to help you stay on track
Action Plans
Step-by-step activities to help you put new skills into practice
Progress Tracking
Questionnaires to help you monitor your well-being
How to Get Started
To enrol in this program you will need to speak with your regular clinician (e.g., your GP, psychologist, or other health professional), and see if they can prescribe you this program and monitor you throughout your online treatment. You can download and take the Clinician Letter to your appointment.
Speak with your clinician about completing this treatment program for free
Get a Prescription
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Get free access with a prescription
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Your clinician can monitor how you are
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Extra 12 months of access once completed
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Available worldwide with a prescription
Please note: our programs have not been evaluated in populations who have been diagnosed as having schizophrenia or bipolar disorder; people who are dependent on drugs or alcohol; or take sedative medication (e.g., Valium, lorazepam) daily. More tailored, intensive, face-to-face support from a clinician may be more suitable for these populations and for people who are thinking about suicide. We recommend that such individuals seek clinician support and medical advice before enrolling into a self-guided online treatment program for their mental health.
Frequently Asked Questions
Over the years, we’ve helped many individuals improve their mental health through our clinical trials and online programs. If you have any questions about this program, check out the FAQs below or get in touch with us.
This program is intended for adults who have been experiencing chronic pain.
This program involves eight lessons to be completed in a 120 day access period. We recommend aiming to complete one lesson every week.
Upon completion of the program, you will be granted an extra 12 months access for practice purposes. Please note, there is a 5-day lockout period between lessons to encourage the revision of material.
This program is free to enrol into under the guidance of your clinician.
This program is only available for enrolment under clinician guidance. Before starting the program, we recommend that you discuss with your clinician how you can make contact if you have questions or concerns as you proceed though the lessons.
Having a clinician supervise your progress will provide you with an added layer of support.
You can access this program for free if your regular clinician is registered with THIS WAY UP and prescribes this program to you by e-mailing you a personalised registration link called a “Quickscript” using our secure online system.
Here’s how to discuss this option with your health professional:
Step 1.
Make an appointment with your clinician (e.g., your GP, Medical Specialist, Psychologist or other Allied Health Professional).
Step 2.
Download, print, and take the Clinician Letter to your appointment. This letter outlines some information about how your clinician can register with THIS WAY UP and prescribe our programs using our online system.
Step 3.
Ask your clinician if they are familiar with THIS WAY UP and tell them about the program you’d like to do.
If your clinician is new to THIS WAY UP, they may need some time to register and get to know our system, so you may not be able to get a program prescription right away.
If your clinician is able to prescribe and monitor you throughout the program, they will send you a ‘prescription’ e-mail called a “Quickscript” via our system with details on how to enrol.
Please note, it is up to individual clinicians to decide whether it is appropriate for them to prescribe and monitor you through one of our programs. Therefore, we cannot guarantee that your clinician will be able to assist you.
However, majority of our treatment programs are available as ‘self-help’ within Australia so if this option is suitable for you, you will be able to enrol and receive up to 12 months of access for AUD $59.
The best place to seek advice about treatment options for your specific symptoms and situation is from your GP.
The Science Behind This Program
This program is based on established clinical practice guidelines. It has also been evaluated in randomised controlled trials and in studies in real world settings, including:
Schultz et al. (2018) | Smith et al. (2019) | Lim et al. (2021) | Gardner et al. (2022)
Why choose this way up…
Online Programs That Work
THIS WAY UP has been developing and releasing scientifically-supported online mental health programs for over a decade. We ensure that our programs help individuals achieve real positive results by conducting clinical research and adhering to the best practice guidelines in treatment of mental health conditions.
Choose to learn from a trusted Australian team that cares about your mental health
For Clinicians
Did you know that you can use this evidence-based online program in treatment of Chronic Pain?
Internet-delivered CBT forms part of the stepped-care approach to treatment.
As a registered THIS WAY UP clinician you can prescribe The Chronic Pain program to your clients and stay informed of their progress.
