Photo of Celina Larson, Clinical Social Work/Therapist in 98004, WA
Celina Larson
Clinical Social Work/Therapist, LICSW, ACADC, LCSW
Verified Verified
Bellevue, WA 98004
I work with people to find a path to less stress, more enjoyment & pleasure in life. Working together we can develop & enhance the experiences of your life to feel more whole and fulfilling. Create a life more satisfying; transmute stress causing difficulty into energy for working towards your goals. Sometimes we are stuck in life situations that block creativity and success. Goals often include happiness, pain relief (physical, mental, spiritual, emotional), finding passion, achievement, self-awareness, productivity, insight, more socialization, healthy relationships (a new one), freedom, joy, meaning, and contentment with life.
I work with people to find a path to less stress, more enjoyment & pleasure in life. Working together we can develop & enhance the experiences of your life to feel more whole and fulfilling. Create a life more satisfying; transmute stress causing difficulty into energy for working towards your goals. Sometimes we are stuck in life situations that block creativity and success. Goals often include happiness, pain relief (physical, mental, spiritual, emotional), finding passion, achievement, self-awareness, productivity, insight, more socialization, healthy relationships (a new one), freedom, joy, meaning, and contentment with life.
(208) 295-0914 View (208) 295-0914
Photo of Rene D Czerwinski, Counselor in 98004, WA
Rene D Czerwinski
Counselor, LMHC, NCC, CHT
Verified Verified
Bellevue, WA 98004  (Online Only)
As a Licensed Mental Health Counselor with over 20 years of experience working with individuals, couples and families my goal is to help my clients have a safe environment to explore difficult emotions, negative beliefs and struggles they are having in life and offer them guidance in recognizing their own solutions.
As a Licensed Mental Health Counselor with over 20 years of experience working with individuals, couples and families my goal is to help my clients have a safe environment to explore difficult emotions, negative beliefs and struggles they are having in life and offer them guidance in recognizing their own solutions.
(425) 584-6226 View (425) 584-6226
Photo of LightHeart Psychological Associates, Psychologist in 98004, WA
LightHeart Psychological Associates
Psychologist, PsyD
Verified Verified
Bellevue, WA 98004
Securely request an appointment on our website: tinyurl.com/LHA-AppointmentRequest LightHeart provides therapy, medication management & assessment for children, adolescents & adults. We provide individual, family, and couples therapy. We work with all variety of concerns, including acute and chronic depression and anxiety, abuse & trauma, LGBTQ issues, conflicted relationships, & personality disorders. We also have experience working successfully with child behavioral problems.
Securely request an appointment on our website: tinyurl.com/LHA-AppointmentRequest LightHeart provides therapy, medication management & assessment for children, adolescents & adults. We provide individual, family, and couples therapy. We work with all variety of concerns, including acute and chronic depression and anxiety, abuse & trauma, LGBTQ issues, conflicted relationships, & personality disorders. We also have experience working successfully with child behavioral problems.
(206) 752-5362 View (206) 752-5362
Chronic Pain Therapists

How does chronic pain therapy work?

Engaging with a psychotherapist to help treat chronic pain does not mean that one’s pain is all in their head. Therapy for chronic-pain patients has been shown to benefit both the mind and the body, targeting physical symptoms and increasing daily functioning. In other words, for many, addressing their emotional health through therapy affects their physical health. A therapist can help a client challenge unhelpful thoughts about pain and develop new ways to respond to it, such as distraction or calming breathing techniques. Studies have found that therapy can be as effective as surgery for certain cases of chronic pain and many doctors recommend trying psychotherapy in advance of considering invasive surgery.

What are the most effective treatment options for chronic pain?

Stress, anxiety, depression, catastrophizing, ruminating, lack of activity, and social withdrawal all make chronic pain worse. Addressing these issues, research shows, can help people gain control over their pain symptoms. Therapeutic approaches such as cognitive behavioral therapy, biofeedback, and mindfulness-based stress reduction, along with greater pain-management education, have been found to help people reduce fear and disability.

Are there new treatments for chronic pain?

Many cases of chronic pain, particularly those involving back pain, remain medically unexplained. But there is evidence that changes in the brain or nervous system are caused by previous physical ailments such as tissue damage; in such cases, the brain may continue to send out pain signals despite the physical cause having healed. To aid patients under these circumstances, a recently developed treatment known as pain reprocessing therapy (PRT) is designed to help the brain “unlearn” this response. A PRT practitioner helps individuals to reduce the “threat value” of their ongoing pain signals until they can reappraise them as less threatening and fear-inducing. They also help an individual to develop new emotional regulation skills.

How long does therapy for chronic pain take?

There is no set timeline for recovery from chronic pain, especially as there may be a range of physical and psychological causes for any individual’s discomfort, but most patients should expect to see a therapist for a number of weeks or months, typically spanning at least 12 sessions. Studies of pain reprocessing therapy found that many individuals’ experience of pain lessened in eight sessions over four weeks.