The Posttraumatic Stress Clinic offers treatment for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and complex PTSD following a range of traumatic events. This includes childhood trauma, exposure to family violence, interpersonal assault including physical assault, sexual assault and/or domestic violence, and single-incident events (eg, motor vehicle and workplace accidents). We also see people who have been exposed to trauma through their occupation (eg, police, ambulance, firefighters, veterans and active service duty personnel).
What we do
We offer evidence-based therapies for posttraumatic stress (typically cognitive-behavioural, eg Cognitive Processing Therapy). In accordance with best practice, we conduct a comprehensive assessment to ensure the therapy we offer is appropriate to address an individual’s specific post-trauma needs and monitor progress throughout therapy with brief questionnaires. The therapies are offered in the context of research trials where we investigate how to make existing therapies more effective. For further information about trauma-focussed therapies and trauma treatment, visit these sites: Phoenix Australia, UK Guidelines, USA National PTSD website).
We are currently recruiting for two trials below. Therapy is provided free of charge.
Our current treatment trials
Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT) for Military Members, Veterans and First Responders trial
This project investigates how to enhance the effectiveness of an already established therapy, CPT. CPT was designed to help people recover after experiencing a traumatic event and has been widely used with veterans and military personnel, and now with first responders, eg police, fire service, and ambulance officers.
Am I eligible for the CPT for Military Members, Veterans and First Responders trial?
To be eligible for the trial, we require you to:
- be 18 years of age or older
- have worked or are working in an emergency services setting or are a veteran or active duty military personnel
- have experienced or witnessed a trauma four or more weeks ago
- able to attend appointments at Flinders University (if you live outside of Adelaide or interstate, see our Stepped trial that offers online therapy).
If you are uncertain about being eligible for the trial, please contact us for further information.
What does the CPT for Military Members, Veterans and First Responders Trial involve?
If you choose to take part in the study, you will initially undergo a phone screening to determine your eligibility to participate. Following confirmation of your eligibility, you will be interviewed by a registered or advanced trainee psychologist and you will also be asked to complete questionnaires about your life experiences and symptoms.
The research study used an open trial design, meaning that all participants will be receiving up to 25 individual therapy sessions of flexible CPT with a trained therapist. CPT involves looking at how your beliefs about the trauma may affect your recovery. The therapy helps you develop different ways of thinking to help you recover from your symptoms. You will be interviewed again immediately after therapy finishes and you will complete some questionnaires; this will be repeated three months following treatment.
No costs are associated with participating in this trial, nor will you be paid.
What are the benefits?
Although we cannot predict whether you will benefit from the treatment offered to you in this study, people who have received similar therapies in the past have reported to have gained at least some benefit. It is hoped that the information gathered in this research will help increase understanding of the best ways to offer treatment to individuals who have been traumatised.
Why is this trial important?
Although we know that CPT in its standard form works very well for a number of trauma survivors, including those who have experienced occupational trauma, we know that it does not help everyone as well as we would like. The aim of this project is to see whether we can make CPT more effective in treating PTSD by allowing greater tailoring of therapy for the needs of the client, that is, personalising the treatment better. If successful, this has direct benefits for PTSD sufferers and will provide guidance in the future for how we might modify other interventions for PTSD to increase their effectiveness.
Who is conducting this project?
The study is being conducted by Professor Reg Nixon from Flinders University and is funded by the Road Home Research Foundation.
Stepped trial
This project investigates an online stepped care approach designed to help people recover after experiencing traumatic events. The stepped care approach can involve two stages of help, in which a person receiving therapy is matched to the level of therapy that most suits their current need. This will be compared to a comparison group who will receive a standard PTSD therapy.
Am I eligible for the Stepped trial?
To be eligible for the Stepped trial, we require you to:
- be over 18 years of age
- have been directly or indirectly exposed to a traumatic event at any age (eg assault, motor vehicle accident, child trauma etc)
- have been exposed four or more weeks prior to inclusion in the study
- have met the threshold for PTSD (symptoms include but are not limited to: distressing and unwanted memories, avoiding thoughts, feelings and reminders of the trauma, having strong negative thoughts such as self-blame, and feeling alert, unsafe or having problems with sleep, anger or concentration)
- have access to the internet (therapy is delivered online via web-based camera)
If you are uncertain about being eligible for the trial, please contact us for further information.
What does the Stepped trial involve?
If you choose to take part in the study, you will initially undergo a phone screening to determine your eligibility to participate. Following confirmation of your eligibility, you will be interviewed by a registered or advanced trainee psychologist and you will also be asked to complete questionnaires about your life experiences and symptoms.
The research study uses a randomised design, meaning that participants will be allocated to one of two treatment groups by chance, like flipping a coin. One group will receive Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT), which involves receiving one 60-minute session delivered online each week, for up to 18 weeks (if necessary).
The other group will receive the stepped care approach. Therapy involves working through eight weekly topics online each week that teach you skills to help recover from PTSD. You will also have weekly contact with a therapist who will help you get the most out of these topics. This contact is usually 15min each week. If you and your therapist think it is necessary, this can be followed by up to 18 individual therapy sessions of CPT (60min each) delivered online to address any remaining PTSD issues.
After therapy you will participate in three more assessments (interview and completing questionnaires). These assessments will occur immediately after therapy and then at 3- and 6-months after therapy to monitor your progress.
No costs are associated with participating in this trial, nor will you be paid.
What are the benefits?
Although we cannot predict whether you will benefit from the treatment offered to you in this trial, people who have received similar therapies in the past have reported to have gained at least some benefit. It is hoped that the information gathered in this research will help increase understanding of the best ways to offer treatment to individuals who have been traumatised.
Why is the Stepped trial important?
This project is about improving the reach and access of evidence-based treatments. From a public health point of view, the online delivery of stepped care can improve the lives of significantly more PTSD sufferers than offered by current traditional delivery methods. Therefore, the aim of this project is to test the feasibility and effectiveness of a stepped care approach to treating PTSD in adults, using online and telehealth technology.
Who is conducting the Stepped trial?
The study is being conducted by Professor Reg Nixon from Flinders University. It is funded in part by the College of Education, Psychology and Social Work at Flinders University and the Breakthrough Mental Health Research Foundation.
Other current studies
The Effect of Awareness on Negative Thoughts
This study aims to investigate whether increasing awareness of unwanted trauma related thoughts (intrusions) can benefit PTSD treatment outcomes. This research is being conducted because the current assessment of intrusions relies solely on self-reporting and an increased awareness could contribute to these thoughts being assessed more frequently.
Am I eligible for this study?
To be eligible for the Stepped trial, we require you to:
- be over 18 years of age
- have been directly or indirectly exposed to a traumatic event more than 3 months ago (e.g., assault, motor vehicle accident, child trauma etc)
- be a native English speaker
- be willing to complete questions around your negative experience
If you are uncertain about being eligible for the trial, please contact us for further information.
What does the Effect of Awareness on Negative Thoughts study involve?
This study looks to investigate the effect of cognitively demanding tasks on the occurrence of trauma-related thoughts. Participants will be asked to think about a traumatic event (e.g. motor vehicle accident, industrial accidents, interpersonal assault etc.)
experienced directly or indirectly (witnessed). Participants will also be asked to complete a series of relevant questionnaires, take part in a reading task, and complete a short interview. Participants should NOT participate in this study if they feel uncomfortable thinking of their traumatic event. If you are interested in participating, please email Yu-Tung Sun at jennifer.sun@flinders.edu.au.
How long will it take?
The face-to-face experiment will take an hour to complete. A reimbursement of $20 AUD will be given as an appreciation for you time and effort in our project.
Who is conducting this project?
This study is conducted by Jennifer (Yu-Tung) Sun under the supervision of Professor Reg Nixon. This research is funded by the College of Education, Psychology and Social Work at Flinders University.
Daily Diary Trauma Study
This project aims to investigate how different people think, feel, and behave following potentially traumatic experiences. The online diary briefly captures peoples’ days to improve our understanding of small changes in posttraumatic thought processes.
Am I eligible for this study?
To be eligible for the Daily Diary Trauma Study, we require you to:
- be over 18 years of age
- currently live in Australia
- have been directly or indirectly exposed to a traumatic event (e.g., assault, motor vehicle accident, sudden death etc)
- have reasonable fluency in English
- have access to a smartphone
- be willing to complete questions around your negative experience
If you are uncertain about being eligible for the trial, please contact us for further information.
What does the Daily Diary Trauma Study involve?
- An initial meeting (30-45 minutes in person or online via Zoom) to discuss details of the study and complete the first survey
- Four short surveys (2 minutes each) per day for 10-days, these are sent to you via text at 9am, 1pm, 5pm, and 9pm
- Final online survey (15 minutes)
Participants will receive a $35.00 Coles-Myer gift card in recognition of their time and contribution to research.
If you believe that thinking about a negative or traumatic past event will be overly distressing for you, we recommend that you do not participate in this study.
Why is the Daily Diary Trauma Study important?
Most Australian adults will experience at least one traumatic event in their lifetime. This project is about improving our understanding of peoples’ reactions and perceptions following traumatic experiences and how this may impact the development of PTSD. The findings of this study can be used to improve current PTSD treatments and preventative strategies.
Who is conducting this project?
This study is conducted by Alexandra Canty under the supervision of Professor Reg Nixon. This research is funded by the College of Education, Psychology and Social Work at Flinders University.
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