Our publicly funded programmes offer therapeutic psychological sessions to complement medical treatment for our patients. Musculoskeletal complaints and pain disorders are complex problems, and psychotherapeutic treatments can be used effectively alongside somatic treatment to alleviate symptoms and improve quality of life.
A wide spectrum of psychological treatments is available in our outpatient clinic, allowing us to choose the most appropriate therapy for the problems of the people who come to us. By appointment, we are able to see people with a GP referral. First, we carry out an initial assessment of your condition, during which a precise treatment proposal is formulated. At this point we will consider whether the programme we offer is suitable for the applicant or whether we can refer them to another form of care/place.
A consultation with a psychiatric specialist is mandatory before starting psychotherapeutic treatment under current health legislation. This does not, of course, imply any obligation to take any medication, but merely serves to assess the medical condition.
A brief description of our treatment options:
Cognitive behavioural therapy-based pain management programme
The 11 suitable complex pain management programmes are designed for patients with pain who are under spinal medical control and who want to actively improve their condition by consciously changing their lifestyle. Sessions include exploring the relationship between physical complaints and individual life, teaching relaxation and stress management skills, reframing negative thoughts about pain, promoting pain-free activity and improving sleep quality. Our programme is based on the activity of the participants, learning the skills taught in the sessions through persistent practice between sessions.
Cognitive behavioural therapy-based sleep management programme
The 4-6 suitable programme aims to treat chronic, non-organic sleep deprivation by identifying and changing individual habits that inhibit sleep and restful sleep. Throughout the treatment, the patient's own activity is given a prominent role, which is manifested primarily in keeping a sleep diary and incorporating the sleep improvement guidelines and sleep hygiene aspects learned during each session into daily life, as well as in identifying and changing negative thoughts and beliefs about sleep.
Mindfulness (MBCT)
This eight-week programme, which is suitable for both group and individual sessions, aims to improve the quality of life of people with chronic pain by changing their attitudes to pain. The programme combines two methods. The cognitive therapy elements aim to identify and transform negative thoughts about pain, while mindfulness meditation provides effective tools for active acceptance of pain and has a relaxing effect.
Biofeedback-based stress management
Biofeedback training is an instrumental treatment that uses sensors attached to a computer at specific points in the body to improve the ability to regulate bodily processes. During the training, the patient receives continuous feedback on his/her bodily processes (e.g. heart rate, respiratory dynamics, sympathetic arousal, muscle tension, etc.) and learns to control them by monitoring them. Among the biofeedback training modalities, heart rate variability training and muscle tension, breathing rhythm-based relaxation procedures are commonly used.
Autogenic training - relaxation therapy
Autogenic training (AT) is a relaxation technique that uses training-like exercises to induce a state of physical and mental relaxation. The method, which takes 12-15 weeks to master, works with inner concentration and passive attention to oneself to create a state of mental and physical relaxation. This method is effective for people with somatic illnesses and chronic pain. It also helps to reduce general anxiety, irritability and fatigue and increases physical tolerance and performance. It can be used to change the way we react to pain, increase stress tolerance, alleviate sleep disturbances and contribute to improving quality of life and well-being.
Intensive Short Term Dynamic Psychotherapy
Brief dynamic therapies are based on psychoanalytic theories, but they are typically time-limited (3-6 months) and focus on a well-defined problem. The aim of psychotherapeutic work is to uncover the feelings, emotions and thoughts that disturb people's everyday emotional and relational functioning in the form of recurring hidden patterns.
In the context of musculoskeletal disorders, chronic pain disorders, treatment should be considered in cases where: (1) there is no clear, prominent somatic-anatomical cause for the complaints, (2) there is a change in intensity of the complaints due to stress, anxiety or relationship conflicts.
