A Pilot Study Investigating Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) and Mindfulness Interventions for Women Living with Persistent Pelvic Pain.

The intervention will consist of group-based psychological therapy sessions facilitated by a psychologist. The group program will involve attendance at eight weekly CBT and Mindfulness therapy sessions of 2 hours duration. Allocation will be open choice (group program, care as usual). The material covered in the CBT and mindfulness intervention will be based on the program developed by Van Niekerk, Matthewson, and Richardson (2018) for women living with endometriosis. The pre-existing program materials will be modified to focus on the broader range of persistent pelvic pain presentations (e.g., vaginismus, vulvodynia) and will be modified to reflect participant feedback from the clinical trial currently being conducted by Van Niekerk et al. (2018). The materials will focus on perception and acceptance of a diagnosis of persistent pelvic pain with special attention paid to the experience of pain and loss of personal, relational, sexual and occupational functioning. Interventions will aim to improve health-related quality of life and to decrease psychological distress. Intervention areas have been chosen based on their pertinence for inclusion in therapy based on the known symptoms associated with persistent pelvic pain including activity and fatigue; anxiety/stress; depression; relationships; vocational/occupational/social engagement; pain management; acceptance and mindfulness. Specific skills that will be addressed in the interventions include, but are not limited to, relaxation skills training, behavioural activation and experiments, cognitive restructuring, goal setting, pacing, habit reversal, stimulus control, assertive communication and self/body compassion. Adherence to CBT will be monitored through session checklists and session knowledge quiz completed at the end of each session.