Ep. 5. with Barry Nierenberg, Ph.D. Chronic Pain and Rehabilitation Psychology

My next guest is Dr. Barry Nierenberg. He is a Presidents Distinguished Professor at Nova Southeastern University, a Board Certified Rehabilitation Psychologist and one of the Past Presidents of the American PsychologicalAssociation’s Division of Rehabilitation Psychology. He is the recipient of numerous prestigious awards, has published several papers and is a highly sought after presenter both nationally and internationally.

In this interview, we begin by defining rehabilitation psychology, and common challenges people face. We talk about hope, how it may be operationalized, and its importance for coping with life altering changes. Wesubsequently discuss resilience and well-being therapy in the context of rehabilitation psychology. The topic transitions to pain, how to properly define it, and how to optimally cope with chronic pain. He shares noveltreatments with very strong outcomes that do not require medications. We further touch on special topics before landing on meaning and spirituality.