Mental Health and Behavioral Medicine Interventions in Opioid Sparing Chronic Pain Treatment

Webcasts

Mental Health and Behavioral Medicine Interventions in Opioid Sparing Chronic Pain Treatment
Faculty: Akhil Anand, MD; Robert Bales, MD; Pavan Tankha, DO; Amy Zack, MD

Release date: October 30, 2025
Expiration date: October 31, 2026
Estimated Time: 2 hours

Type:  Webcast
Technical Requirements: None
Specialty: Family medicine, Internal Medicine, Psychology/Psychiatry

Series Learning Objectives

• Describe the fundamental concepts of pain management, including definitions and mechanisms of pain, with consideration of mental health factors 
• Recognize how to assess patients in pain, identify risk factors for substance use disorders, and recognize co-occurring mental health conditions and who could benefit from behavioral health services 
• Compare and contrast the range of therapeutic options for managing pain, including nonpharmacologic approaches, pharmacologic (non-opioid and opioid analgesics) therapies, and behavioral health interventions
• Integrate opioid analgesics and behavioral health strategies into a comprehensive pain treatment plan individualized to the needs of the patient, evaluating for functional and psychological improvement 
• Assess how to safely and effectively manage patients on opioid analgesics in acute and chronic pain settings, including initiating therapy, titrating, and discontinuing use of opioid analgesics, with a focus on discontinuation of opioids incorporating mental health screening and behavioral interventions throughout treatment 
• Identify counseling strategies for patients and caregivers about the safe use of opioid analgesics, including proper storage and disposal, while addressing potential mental health impacts and behavioral medicine approaches 
• Identify approaches to counsel patients and caregivers about the use of naloxone for opioid overdose, considering the psychological aspects of overdose prevention and response 
• Assess when referral to a pain specialist or mental health professional is appropriate within a multidisciplinary approach to pain management 
• Summarize the fundamental elements of addiction medicine (ie, diagnosis, prevention, evaluation, treatment, and recovery of patients with opioid use disorder) and its intersection with mental health and behavioral health
• Recall how to identify and manage patients with opioid use disorder (OUD), incorporating behavioral health approaches and addressing co-occurring mental health disorders
• Identify current information about safe opioid practices and current federal and state regulations, national guidelines, professional organization and medical specialty guidelines on treating pain and prescribing opioids 
• Describe the use of naloxone and the importance of its availability for use by patients and caregivers in the community and home

Target Audience

The education is directed to family and internal medicine physicians, physician assistants and nurse practitioners who are registered with the DEA and who are eligible to prescribe all opioid analgesics, as well as non-prescribers who manage patients receiving opioid analgesic therapy, nonpharmacologic therapies, and nonopioid medication therapies for pain.

This CME activity was produced by the Cleveland Clinic and The France Foundation.