Posttraumatic Stress Clinic

Am I eligible for the CPT-GSH?

To be eligible for the trial, we require you to:

• be over 18 years of age
• have been directly or indirectly exposed to a traumatic event at any age (e.g., assault, motor vehicle accident, child trauma etc)
• have been exposed four or more weeks prior to inclusion in the study
• have met the full PTSD or subthreshold PTSD or Complex 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 CPT-GSH 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 provisional 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 online Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT), which involves receiving one 60-minute session delivered online each week, for up to 18 weeks (if necessary).

The second group will initially receive an online, guided self-help CPT that involves twelve weekly sessions that take approximately 1hr to complete, done in your own time. The therapy has the same content of a standard CPT, but without extensive therapist input. Participants will require to read modules every week sent by the study team and complete worksheets by themselves.  A therapist will give you feedback and support via email for a maximum of 15 minutes weekly.  For participants in this group, if they do not make significant improvements during or immediately after guided self-help CPT, they will be offered the opportunity to receive the standard CPT.

After therapy you will participate in two more assessments (interview and completing questionnaires). These assessments will occur immediately after therapy and then at 3- 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 CPT-GSH trial important?

The aim of this study is to assess the effectiveness of a guided self-help intervention using Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT), which can be very helpful for many people with PTSD by reducing the severity of their PTSD reactions/symptoms. It is also helpful for what is now described as Complex PTSD. It is a therapy approach that helps clients to challenge and modify their distressing thoughts relating to the traumatic event. Although guided self-help approaches have been researched for PTSD and other problems such as anxiety and depression, the use of CPT in such trauma studies has not been extensively researched. Therefore, this study will fill this gap by using guided self-help (GSH) with CPT components in a stepped care way to provide appropriate care for those with PTSD.

Who is conducting the CPT-GSH trial?

The study is being conducted by Professor Reg Nixon and Ms Priyadharshany Sandanapitchai (provisional psychologist and PhD student) from Flinders University. It is funded in part by the College of Education, Psychology and Social Work at Flinders University.