ABSTRACT
Assessment tools for the psychologist are as vital as the stethoscope and blood pressure cuff are to the physician. Patients’ scores on these tools provide a backdrop for understanding them and setting hypotheses to help them unlock maladaptive behaviors. Individuals with chronic pain are doing the best they can. When they seek treatment in a pain management program, they most likely have failed self-management efforts and are subjugating themselves to the rigors of a pain management program out of a sense of desperation. They do not know what else to do, and they fear that pain will continue to force them into a sub-optimal life in which relief is questionable and being able to function normally, out of reach.
