Chronic Pain worksheets
9 evidence-based resources for Chronic Pain. Preview any worksheet, then assign it to a client as an interactive digital worksheet.
Written by Tarun Vermani, Trainee Clinical Psychologist Last reviewed
These worksheets are grounded in Vlaeyen and Linton's fear-avoidance model (2000): pain appraised as a sign of damage produces pain-related fear and hypervigilance, fear produces avoidance and guarding, and avoidance produces deconditioning, disability and low mood — which return more pain to interpret. The Chronic Pain Formulation sets that cycle within a biopsychosocial picture, and the Pain Monitoring Diary establishes the baseline it works from.
Intervention runs along the model. The Pain Catastrophising Worksheet addresses the appraisal, and the model's own matched intervention is graded exposure to feared movements (Vlaeyen et al., 2001). The Boom-Bust Cycle Worksheet makes the over-activity and collapse pattern visible, and the Graded Activity Schedule takes the complementary operant route, rebuilding function from a time-based baseline rather than a pain-contingent one. Validate the pain throughout, distinguish hurt from harm explicitly, and treat this as an adjunct to medical and physiotherapy care rather than a replacement for it; where the pain is chronic primary pain, NICE NG193 is the applicable guidance. The model is an interactive, referenced diagram.
Interactive formulation
Interactive formulation for this presentation
Explore the published model as a referenced, interactive diagram — free, no sign-up needed.
All Chronic Pain worksheets
Showing 9 of 9 resources
Chronic Pain
Chronic Pain Formulation
A biopsychosocial formulation for chronic pain — mapping biological, psychological, and social maintaining factors.
Chronic Pain
Pain Monitoring Diary
Track pain levels alongside activity, mood, and coping strategies to identify patterns.
Chronic Pain
Boom-Bust Cycle Worksheet
Identify and break the boom-bust pattern — doing too much on good days and crashing on bad days.
Chronic Pain
Graded Activity Schedule
Plan a gradual, time-based increase in activity from a sustainable baseline — not guided by pain, but by a pre-set schedule.
Chronic Pain
Pain Flare-Up Management Plan
Create a plan for managing pain flare-ups — covering prevention, early action, and what to do at each level of severity.
Chronic Pain
Pain Catastrophising Worksheet
Identify and challenge catastrophic thoughts about pain — helplessness, magnification, and rumination.
Chronic Pain
Pain Acceptance Worksheet
Explore the difference between struggling against pain and accepting its presence while engaging in valued activities — a key shift in chronic pain management.
Chronic Pain
Understanding Persistent Pain
A plain-language, validating explainer on persistent pain: why pain can be real and severe without ongoing damage, how the nervous system turns up the volume, and what helps.
Chronic Pain
Understanding Long-Term Fatigue
A validating, plain-language explainer on persistent fatigue - what it is, the boom-and-bust cycle, why it can persist, and how gentle, person-led pacing can help build steadier energy. The fatigue is real.
Can’t find the worksheet you need?
Tell us what’s missing — we review every request, and many become new tools in the library.
Request a worksheetFrequently asked questions
Which model do these chronic pain worksheets follow?
Vlaeyen and Linton's fear-avoidance model (2000). Pain appraised catastrophically as a sign of damage produces fear and hypervigilance; fear produces avoidance and guarding; and avoidance produces deconditioning, disability and low mood, which in turn amplify pain. The model also describes the alternative path, where a less threatening appraisal supports staying active.
Is this a substitute for medical treatment of pain?
No — it is an adjunct. Appropriate medical assessment should have taken place and red flags been excluded before activity is encouraged, and the work goes best alongside physiotherapy and the wider pain team. NICE NG193 covers assessment of all chronic pain, and management of chronic primary pain, in over-16s.
How is graded activity different from simply doing more?
It is time-contingent rather than pain-contingent: the client works to an agreed quota built up from a sustainable baseline, instead of stopping when pain rises or pushing on while a good day lasts. That is what interrupts the boom-and-bust pattern, and it is why the baseline diary comes first.
Browse other areas
Explore CBT worksheets for other presenting problems.
Ready to assign these to your clients?
Create a free account and send any worksheet as a link. Your client completes it on any device — you review their responses before the next session.
No credit card required. 10 free worksheets every month.