Persistent pain · Back · Headache · Nerve pain

Living well with chronic pain.

Persistent pain wears on sleep, mood and everything you want to do. Psychology will not pretend it away; it helps you turn the volume down and take back your days, alongside your medical care.

Request appointment How therapy helps

Sound familiar?

Pain that has become part of the furniture.

Around one in five Australians lives with persistent pain. When it lingers past the point of healing, it starts to shape your whole life.

The pain has stuck around well past the usual healing time.
Flare-ups derail your plans and leave you second-guessing every activity.
Sleep is broken, and the tiredness makes the pain feel worse.
You avoid movement in case it hurts, and your world keeps shrinking.
Your mood has dropped, or you feel more irritable and on edge.
You have felt dismissed, or told it is "all in your head".
Work, relationships and the things you enjoy have all taken a hit.
You are exhausted by the daily work of managing it.

Your pain is real. When pain persists, the nervous system can become more sensitive and turn the volume up, and stress, sleep and mood all feed into how much you feel. That is why a whole-person approach works so well: biological, psychological and social together, hand in hand with your GP, physiotherapist and pain team.

How therapy helps

Turning down the volume.

Pain psychology is practical. Your psychologist draws on evidence-based approaches for persistent pain, and explains the reasoning as you go.

CBT

Cognitive behaviour therapy eases the fear, frustration and catastrophic thoughts that quietly crank pain up.

ACT

Acceptance and commitment therapy helps you spend less energy fighting pain and more on the life and activities that matter.

Pain-management skills

Pacing, graded activity, flare planning and better sleep make up the practical toolkit.

Mindfulness & relaxation

Calming an over-sensitised nervous system.

The aim is a bigger life, not just a smaller pain score. That means more of what you value, on more days. We review your goals together and work in step with your medical team.

What to expect

Your first weeks, step by step.

No lectures, no pressure. Here is how the early sessions usually unfold.

1
Mostly a conversation
Your psychologist asks about your pain, your history and what you would most like to get back to. Together you sketch a plan.
Session one
2
Understanding your pain
You map your flares, your pacing, your sleep and the thoughts that turn pain up. Then you start practising specific skills between sessions.
Sessions two to four
3
Reviewing together
Progress is measured in function and quality of life, checked against your goals.
Ongoing

A consulting room with a sofa, sage cushions, an armchair and tall windows.

Long-term health conditions

Living well with a health condition.

Conditions such as diabetes, heart disease, cancer, and autoimmune or neurological conditions can affect mood, sleep, work and relationships. Psychology can help you cope with the changes and look after your wellbeing alongside your medical care.

Adjusting to a diagnosis and the changes it brings
Managing worry, low mood and fatigue
Keeping up with treatment and lifestyle changes
Talking with doctors, family and work about what you need

Fees & funding

Know your costs before you start.

We confirm your fee and any rebate in writing before your first session. If a funding body covers you, we bill them directly wherever possible.

See fees

Medicare: rebates on up to 10 sessions a year with a Mental Health Treatment Plan from your GP.
NDIS, DVA, Workers Comp & CTP: usually no out-of-pocket cost when approved.
Private health: claim through your extras cover, with no referral needed.

Your clinicians

Meet our clinicians.

See all clinicians

Bülent Ada

Principal Psychologist & Director

Anxiety · Trauma

Sijal Ansari

Clinical Psychologist

Trauma · PTSD

Shahim Ahmad

Clinical Psychologist

Stress · Anxiety

Irfan Yigit

Senior Consultant Psychologist

Anxiety · Depression

From our journal

JournalWhat is ACT? Acceptance and commitment therapy explained (and who it helps)

JournalMindfulness: What it is, what the evidence says and how to practise

Fact sheet: Chronic pain (free PDF)
All free guides and worksheets

More ways we can help.

Free tools

Check in with yourself.

Free, private tools to try before or alongside sessions. They are not a diagnosis.

Free · 5 to 10 min

Take the Mind Health Check

Short questionnaires, scored privately in your browser. We have ticked the ones most related to this page, and you can change them.

Start the check

Or take the K10 (distress) on its own

Fact sheet: Chronic pain

A plain-language guide with practical steps. Free to download.

Download the PDF

Try this week

Pace your day: break tasks into smaller parts, with rests in between.
Notice what helps on better days, and write it down.
Practise slow breathing or relaxation when pain flares.

Need help now? Our urgent help page has who to call, day and night.

Common questions

Things people ask before booking.

Do I need a referral to start?

No. You can book directly at any time. A GP referral and Mental Health Treatment Plan is only needed if you would like Medicare rebates on your sessions.

Does seeing a psychologist mean my pain is not real?

Not at all. Chronic pain is real. Over time the nervous system can become more sensitive and amplify pain signals, and stress, sleep and mood all feed into how much pain you feel. Psychology works with that whole picture. It does not mean the pain is imagined.

Will therapy get rid of my pain?

The main goal is to improve your day-to-day function and quality of life, and to loosen pain's grip on your life. Many people also notice their pain becomes more manageable. We work alongside your GP, physiotherapist and any pain specialists.

Is what I share confidential?

Yes. What you discuss stays confidential, with narrow legal exceptions such as a risk of serious harm, which your psychologist explains up front.

Can this work over telehealth?

Yes. You can switch between in-person and online at any time.

Can I get Medicare rebates for pain psychology?

Medicare rebates apply when your GP prepares a Mental Health Treatment Plan, which they do when it's clinically appropriate for you. With a plan, rebates cover part of a set number of sessions each calendar year. You can also start privately and add a plan later. We confirm your fee and any rebate in writing before your first session. How Medicare works

How many sessions will I need?

It depends on your goals. Many people start with a focused block of sessions to build pain-management skills, then space sessions out as those skills take hold. You and your psychologist review progress together, and you can pause or stop at any time.

Will you work with my doctor or physio?

Yes, with your consent. Pain is best managed as a team, and we're happy to keep your GP, pain specialist or physiotherapist informed so everyone is working towards the same goals.

Two adults talking in a warm consultation room

Support for persistent pain

Pain does not have to run your days.

Tell us what is going on and we will match you with a psychologist who works with chronic pain, usually after a free triage. We will work in step with your GP and physio, with your consent.

Get pain support Call 1300 084 200

ConfidentialReply within one business dayMedicare rebates may apply