Intervention and Rehabilitation Treatment
Interventions in rehabilitation psychology target adjustment, coping, adherence, pain, and participation. Know the evidence-based families: CBT for depression, anxiety, and pain catastrophizing; acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) emphasizing values and psychological flexibility, especially for chronic pain; motivational interviewing for adherence and behavior change; problem-solving and coping skills training; relaxation/biofeedback for pain and stress; and family/caregiver interventions. Understand self-management and goal-setting (SMART goals, collaborative goal planning) as core rehabilitation practices. Pain questions often hinge on the biopsychosocial gate-control and cognitive-behavioral framing rather than purely biomedical explanations. Adherence is best addressed by identifying barriers and building motivation, not by lecturing. Return-to-work and community reintegration are participation outcomes requiring coordinated vocational and environmental supports. Watch for traps: assuming confrontation of denial is helpful (usually counterproductive), assuming insight must precede behavior change (often not required), and applying acute-trauma protocols (e.g., critical incident stress debriefing) as universal prevention-evidence does not support mandatory debriefing.
Worked rule of thumb: For a patient with chronic pain and low activity, the best answer usually combines graded activity, cognitive restructuring or acceptance strategies, and collaborative goal-setting-not rest or opioid escalation.