Goal Setting for Chronic Pain Patients

Chronic pain is a life-changing diagnosis. People experiencing chronic pain may have difficulty with daily activities, such as shopping, cooking or cleaning, depending on the severity of their pain. In addition to daily activities, chronic pain patients may not be able to perform other tasks that they once could—including work, social activity, and recreation.

Why is goal setting important?

Restoring a sense of order in a chronic pain patient’s life is one of the main goals of pain management. Being able to set realistic goals can help with this, along with making practical changes in work, recreation and social activity.

Setting goals to return to once-enjoyed activities can be a helpful way to cope with chronic pain, as well as returning a sense of normalcy to a chronic pain patient’s life. It can also help decrease pain symptoms.

What are good goals for chronic pain patients?

Every patient has their own goals to manage their chronic pain. Here are a few common goals that chronic pain patients may have:

• Increasing exercise and recreational activity
• Increasing social activity
• Ability to perform daily tasks
• Returning to work
• Reducing stress

Even though every patient has their own goals, achievable goals are specific, realistic and functional.

Who can help with goal setting?

A behavioral health specialist can help create specific, realistic and functional goals that can help chronic pain patients reduce their symptoms and restore order in their lives.

To help combat chronic pain and to help patients understand how they can manage the emotional and mental symptoms of pain, they can see a mental health professional. A psychiatrist or other mental health professional can recommend behavioral health therapies and a treatment plan that is right for each individual patient.