Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Chronic Pain Among Veterans: Therapist Manual
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs · 2014 · 124 pages · For psychologists, counselors, and social workers treating chronic pain
Read it at the official source
Free to download, print, and use. The link goes to the publisher, so you always get the current edition.
If the publisher link moves: archived copy
The VA's national training manual for delivering cognitive behavioral therapy to adults with chronic pain, built around a structured session-by-session protocol covering pain education, relaxation training, activity pacing, cognitive restructuring, and sleep. It includes three running case examples, assessment guidance, and all therapist and patient worksheets in the appendices.
The VA disseminated it system-wide through a national training program whose evaluation found gains in both therapist skills and veteran outcomes, and the manual notes it is a resource for therapists inside and outside the VHA.
Run it with these materials
Relaxation scripts and activity scheduling worksheets cover the manual's pacing and relaxation sessions, with the breathing timer for in-session practice.
This manual is a publication of U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Therapy Resource is not affiliated with, or endorsed by, its publisher. The summary above is our own; always follow the manual itself and your clinical judgment. If you are in crisis, contact 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline or call 911.