Group Therapy for Pain: The Current Literature and Clinician Resources

Objective: Pain-related concerns are common among adults, and they tend to reduce quality of life and interfere with regular functioning. Conventional pharmacological approaches are used most frequently to treat pain but carry adverse side effects and risk of addiction. The purpose of this article is to highlight the history of group therapy for pain, discuss current practice guidelines, outline available clinician resources, and review meta-analytical findings regarding group therapy's general efficacy for pain. Method: A literature review was conducted, which included a recent meta-analysis on groups for pain along with an in-depth search for clinician resources for well-established approaches and those that are deemed promising. Results and Conclusions: Based on the state of the current literature, there is evidence to support group psychotherapy as a viable and effective treatment option for pain. Clinician resources are provided for approaches such as group cognitive-behavioral therapy, group acceptance and commitment therapy, self-management groups, and mindfulness-based stress reduction. Information on two promising treatments, group hypnotherapy and group music therapy, is also included. Additionally, a clinical illustration is provided, along with considerations for equity, diversity, and inclusion, accompanied by suggestions to improve generalizability. Highlights and Implications * Despite a lack of mention or endorsement in practice guidelines for treating pain, recent meta-analytic findings suggest that group psychotherapy is a viable and effective treatment option for addressing pain-related complaints. * Four therapeutic orientations (group cognitive behavioral therapy, group acceptance and commitment therapy, self-management group therapy, and mindfulness-based stress reduction) are considered to have sufficient evidence to support their use in treatment, and two additional approaches (group hypnotherapy and group music therapy) are deemed promising but need additional research. * Clinicians can reference this article for relevant material regarding the various group approaches mentioned, and a clinical illustration of a group session is provided. * While the current understanding of group therapy's efficacy for treating pain comes from research conducted worldwide, generalizability and factors related to equity, diversity, and inclusion are unclear. Researchers are encouraged to implement standardized methods for collecting sufficient demo