About The Course
Understanding chronic pain mechanisms offers clinicians a clear framework for interpreting how biological, psychological, and neural factors sustain persistent pain. Dr Khaldoon Alsaee explains the processes underlying central sensitization in chronic pain and how these insights inform psychiatric assessment and management. Through an evidence-based, clinically relevant approach, participants learn to translate complex neuroscience into practical strategies that improve diagnosis, communication, and outcomes for people living with chronic pain.
Who Is This Course For?
This course is suitable for:
- Psychiatrists
- General Practitioners (GPs)
- Mental Health Nurse Practitioners (MHNPs)
- Psychologists
- Mental health professionals
- Clinicians working in or expanding into psychiatry and mental health care
Accreditation Information:
- Psychiatry Accreditation: This course is available for self-accreditation with the RANZCP and other relevant psychiatric and mental health organisations.
- GP Accreditation: The course is RACGP and ACRRM accredited for general practitioners.
What You'll Learn
By completing this course, you will be able to:
- Explain the neurobiological and psychosocial mechanisms underlying chronic pain, including sensitisation and cortical reorganisation.
- Differentiate between nociceptive, neuropathic, and nociplastic pain using clinical and behavioural indicators.
- Identify the role of affective and cognitive modulation in sustaining or alleviating chronic pain symptoms.
- Apply evidence-based communication and psychoeducation strategies to validate patient experiences and enhance engagement in recovery.
- Integrate pharmacological and psychological management strategies consistent with the biopsychosocial model into general practice.
Course Programme
5 Units | 16 Modules | 2.5 hours total length
- Pain Medicine as a Specialty
- Epidemiology and Impact of Chronic Pain
- Professional Pathways and Pain Organizations
- The IASP Definition and its Evolution
- Mechanistic Classifications - Nociceptive, Neuropathic, Nociplastic
- Key Pain Terminology - Allodynia, Hyperalgesia, and Related Concepts
- Pathways from Periphery to Cortex
- Neuronal Order Systems (First, Second, Third Order Neurons)
- Nociceptors and Fiber Types
- Brain Mapping and Somatosensory Representation
- Peripheral and Central Sensitisation
- Cortical Reorganisation and Neuroplasticity
- Sympathetic Coupling and Pain Amplification
- Emotional and Cognitive Dimensions of Pain
- Depression, Anxiety, and Descending Modulation
- Psychoeducation, Validation, and Integrated Care
Course Description
Understanding Chronic Pain Mechanisms: A Psychiatric Perspective
Chronic pain is one of the most challenging conditions faced in clinical practice, intricately linking the biological, psychological, and social dimensions of human experience. In this on-demand course, Dr Khaldoon Alsaee bridges psychiatry and pain medicine to provide clinicians with a clear and practical framework for understanding chronic pain mechanisms.
Through a detailed exploration of pain pathways, sensitisation processes, and the emotional and cognitive modulation of pain, Dr Alsaee demonstrates how an integrated, neuroscience-informed approach can transform patient outcomes. Structured to bridge foundational science and applied psychiatric insights, this on-demand course helps clinicians understand why pain endures beyond tissue injury and how to manage both symptoms and patient engagement effectively.
Unit 1: Foundations of Pain Medicine
Dr Alsaee introduces pain medicine as a multidisciplinary specialty and positions Understanding Chronic Pain Mechanisms within psychiatry’s broader contribution to chronic pain management. Clinicians explore epidemiological trends, the socioeconomic burden of pain, and the vital role of psychiatrists and GPs in improving outcomes through a biopsychosocial approach.
Units 2 and 3: Defining and Mapping Pain
These modules explore essential definitions from the IASP, outline nociplastic and neuropathic pain, and clarify the distinctions between pain and nociception. Learners also examine neuronal order systems and pathways from the periphery to the cortex, linking sensory transmission with clinical phenomena such as central sensitization in chronic pain. This framework enables clinicians to connect neurobiological processes with the lived experience of patients and apply this understanding to assessment and communication in practice.
Unit 4: Mechanisms of Pain Sensitisation
Dr Alsaee details peripheral, central, and cortical sensitisation, explaining how neuroplastic change contributes to chronicity. Participants explore descending modulation, sympathetic coupling, and the feedback loops that amplify pain perception and emotional distress.
Unit 5: The Psychiatric Dimension of Pain
The final module examines the interaction between emotion, cognition, and chronic pain. Clinicians learn to integrate psychoeducation, validation, and biopsychosocial treatment approaches to improve function and quality of life.
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, participants will be able to:
- Explain the neurobiological and psychosocial mechanisms underlying chronic pain, including sensitisation and cortical reorganisation.
- Differentiate between nociceptive, neuropathic, and nociplastic pain using clinical and behavioural indicators.
- Identify the role of affective and cognitive modulation in sustaining or alleviating chronic pain symptoms.
- Apply evidence-based communication and psychoeducation strategies to validate patient experiences and enhance engagement in recovery.
- Integrate pharmacological and psychological management strategies consistent with the biopsychosocial model into general practice.
Advance your clinical understanding of pain neurobiology and its psychiatric dimensions in this comprehensive, on-demand learning experience with Dr Khaldoon Alsaee.
Participants receive a completion certificate and 2.5 CPD hours upon completion. (EA 1.5, RP 1)
While our Academy members enjoy exclusive access to a range of courses and webinars (including this course) with their annual membership, we’re pleased to offer you the opportunity to purchase it individually!
Please click on the respective links to take advantage of this offer, or scroll down to the pricing section.
Understanding the Basic Science of Chronic Pain: For Psychiatrists
Understanding the Basic Science of Chronic Pain: For General Practitioners
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Explore the science behind chronic pain with Dr Khaldoon Alsaee. Understand how central sensitization shapes pain perception and apply neuroscience-informed strategies to enhance assessment, communication, and treatment in clinical practice.
Course Information
- 2.5 hours
- 2.5 CPD
Inclusions
- Video Lecture
- Infographics
- Self-assessment
- Course Completion Certificate
Material Downloads
- certificate
Instructors
Dr Khaldoon Alsaee Guest Speaker - Psychiatrist and Specialist Pain Medicine Physician
Dr Khaldoon Alsaee is a Specialist Psychiatrist and Pain Medicine Physician, practising exclusively in private practice. He also serves as an Independent Medical Examiner at Cortical Medicolegal, specialising in compensation claims and personal injuries related to psychiatric and chronic pain conditions. Dr Alsaee provides comprehensive, impartial assessments and reports utilising the AMA 5 Guides and the Psychiatric Impairment Rating Scale, individually or in combined evaluations.
He holds dual qualifications in Psychiatry through the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists (RANZCP) and in Pain Medicine through the Faculty of Pain Medicine, Australian and New Zealand College of Anaesthetists (FPM ANZCA).
Dr Alsaee consults across the Sunshine Coast, Brisbane, and Townsville, as well as via Telehealth. He is an Examiner at the Faculty of Pain Medicine and is actively involved in the education and training of healthcare professionals in the fields of psychiatry and pain medicine.
Dr. Sanil Rege Host - MBBS, MRCPsych, FRANZCP
With extensive teaching experience through psychiatry education initiatives, Sanil is recognised as a motivational training facilitator and educator who promotes insightful collaboration and discussion
As the Academic Lead of Psych Scene and Chief Editor of Psych Scene Hub, he aspires to make a difference in mental health by empowering Healthcare Professionals to advance their skills and career through the provision of specialised education and training
Sanil is also founder of Vita Healthcare, a private clinic in Mount Eliza specialising in adult mental healthcare, with over 20 years of clinical experience and 13 years of private practice experience treating disorders across the spectrum. He currently works in the community, across in-patient, consultation-liaison and addiction psychiatry spaces.
