Dr. Carlson discusses the role of psychology in the management of orofacial pain conditions. Dr. Charles R. Carlson, Ph.D., ABPP, obtained his Ph.D. in clinical psychology from Vanderbilt University in 1983 and completed a clinical residency at the University of Mississippi Medical Center in 1984. Since 1988, he has been a member of the Department of Psychology at the University of Kentucky where he is the Robert H. and Anna B. Culton Professor of Psychology in collaboration with the Center for Research on Violence Against Women; he also holds a joint appointment as a professor in the College of Dentistry and is currently the Director of Behavioral Medicine and Research at the Orofacial Pain Center in the University’s College of Dentistry. Dr Carlson has been awarded the diplomate in clinical health psychology from the American Board of Professional Psychology. His research and clinical interests focus on self-regulation skills training for the management of pain in the head and neck regions. As an active scientist, he has published over 120 papers in journals including Pain, Journal of Oral & Facial Pain and Headache, Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, and Psychophysiology.