The “Mindfulness for Chronic Pain and Opiate Dependence” webinar, presented by faculty expert, Dr. Ronald Siegel, will introduce a step-by-step, mind-body approach that integrates advances in rehabilitation medicine with psycho-dynamic, behavioral, and mindfulness-based techniques. This activity will supply practitioners with the tools to help patients interrupt the cognitive, affective, and behavioral components of chronic pain cycles, using mindfulness practices to increase symptom tolerance, reduce pain-related anxiety, and engage more fully in life activities, reducing their dependence on analgesic medications. This activity will explore how these same practices and principles can help interrupt the cycles that maintain opiate dependence. By the end of this activity, participants will gain a greater appreciation for mindfulness methods and their possible efficacy in addressing persistent, chronic pain in patients with comorbid opiate dependencies and similar substance use behavior patterns.

Physicians, nurse practitioners or other advanced practice nurses, psychologists, social workers, and healthcare teams.

Ronald D. Siegel, Psy.D., Center for Mindfulness and Compassion, Cambridge Health Alliance, Harvard Medical School

AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™, Nursing Contact Hours, CEUs for psychology, SW CE credit, and Interprofessional Continuing Education (IPCE) credit.

Interpersonal Skills and Communication
Medical Knowledge
Systems-based practice

Identify the core components of mindfulness practices and mechanisms of therapeutic action.
Describe cognitive, affective, and behavioral components of chronic pain cycles and how mindfulness practices can help interrupt them.
Examine how mindfulness practices can disrupt or address the common patterns of dependent behavior.

In order to receive maximum credit, learners must:

1. Review the materials provided.
2. Complete knowledge-based assessment questions to assess both prior knowledge and knowledge change following the activity
3. Complete an evaluation to assess satisfaction and plans for individual and/or team practice change.
4. Follow instructions at the end of the course regarding how to retrieve a certificate.*

*Credit will not be awarded unless all components of the program are completed. Partial credit will not be awarded.