Registrar Resources
Contents
A compilation of useful resources for clinicians new to working with trauma, particularly those rotating through the Austin’s Psychological Trauma Recovery Service or Phoenix Australia’s psychiatry clinic.
Clinician-facing resources
- Phoenix Australia’s PTSD guidelines are the nationally endorsed NHMRC-funded guidelines for Australia, and also inform several international guidelines. They provide an accessible overview of currently accepted best practice.
- For a broader, detailed understanding about the state of the science in understanding and treating PTSD, I recommend this comprehensive 2024 review[1]
- Nightmare rescripting / imagery rehearsal training can be a useful 6-session intervention to implement in the unit. Phoenix Australia produce a short manual here.
- Guidelines for the Diagnosis and Treatment of PTSD in emergency service workers produced by Black Dog Institute, Phoenix Australia, University of Melbourne and St John of God.
- Open Arms’ military and veteran culture resources for clinicians can be very useful for working effectively with this population though, as always, consumers will be your best guide.
- It is worth at least looking through the CAPS-5,a structured clinical interview for PTSD commonly used in treatment research. It can give you some verbatim pointers on taking a trauma clinical history, and also gives you a sense of perspective in interpreting research studies (a more intuitive grasp of what, for example, a 5-point drop really means in practice).
- The International Society of Traumatic Stress Studies also produces some clinical resources and run an annual conference.
- The UK Trauma Council also has some great resources for both clinicians and consumers / carers of younger children.
For carers and consumers
- For consumer-facing information on medications, I prefere to use Choice and Medications, which are evidence based and very practical.
- In a disaster setting, Phoenix Australia’s disaster mental health hub has a lot of resources for both clinicians and consumers/carers. Many of the information sheets are applicable to other drivers of PTSD and available in multiple languages.
- Online education platforms like Coursera or Future Learn offer cheap or low-cost courses on a range of topics for those wanting to explore their readiness to return to formal education or re-training.
Apps
I and/or close colleagues have had good experiences with the following apps and digital services. I haven’t tested them all personally.
| App | Overview |
|---|---|
| PTSD Coach | Developed by the (US) Department of Veterans’ Affairs (VA), it includes a lot of educational materials plus some skills and symptom tracking functions. |
| CPT Coach | Another VA app, this is a companion app to Cognitive Processing Therapy and includes digital versions of CPT worksheets and assignments. |
| PE Coach | As above, for Prolonged Exposure. |
| Ahead | An app focused on developing emotion recognition and management skills. Can be particularly helpful for those struggling with problem anger. |
| Reframe | An app to support behavioural change around alcohol. |
| I am Sober | A sobriety tracking app to support and reward behavioural change. Some consumers have noted using it for other challenges like self-harm. |
| Beyond Now | An app to support suicide safety planning. |
| Smiling mind | Free app with a focus on relaxation skills |
| Insight timer | Free meditation / mindfulness app |
| How We Feel | A wellbeing journal with a nice UI that can be particularly helpful for those with alexithymia (difficulty identifying emotions) |
| Goblin.tools | A set of mostly AI-based tools for the neurodiverse (but helpful for others too!). Free on the website, with paid apps. |
| Finch | Bills itself as a ‘self care companion’, geared towards younger cohorts but very highly rated. |
| Betwixt | A fantasy-based therapeutic adventure game to support self-exploration. |
| Mello | Another evidence-based app for younger people developed by Orygen Digital. |
| Slowly | Not a mental health app per se but aims to recreate ‘pen pals’ for a digital age and can be a gentle start to help people reconnect with others. |
And finally, for Android users Minimalist Phone can be helpful for reducing screen time - particularly with the app delay and timer functions enabled.
Digital services
| Service | Overview |
|---|---|
| More Good Days | Digital chronic pain management (disclosure: I am an advisor with equity) |
| SANE Australia | SANE run a range of digital programs including the largest mental health forums in Australia (disclosure: I am an advisor) |
| This Way Up | Online self-directed courses for a range of challenges, including insomnia. They’re free with a referral. |
Books and their companions
| Service | Overview |
|---|---|
| Invisible Obvious by Tim Peck | Written by a police detective (and colleague) about his journey through and beyond mental ill health. |
| Line in the Sand by Dean Yates | Another memoir by an Australian reported who developed PTSD. He also wrote this essay about his experiences, including time in Ward 17. |
| Atomic Habits by James Clear | A best seller on behavioural change in small increments. |
Other useful links
- For those interested in dietary interventions, I suggest checking out Deakin University’s Food and Mood Centre, who conducted one of the first clinical trials of a dietary intervention for depression. Known as the SMILES trial[2], it showed improvements in both dietary quality and mood. The ‘supplementary materials’ from that research paper has a lot of accessible information to support implementing the changes in your own life.
- Current research (and non-research) projects I’m involved in are here, several of which are open for enrollment and have a therapeutic focus.
References
- L. Burback, S. Brémault-Phillips, M. Nijdam, A. McFarlane, and E. Vermetten,
Treatment of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder: A State-of-the-art Review,
Current Neuropharmacology, vol. 22, no. 4, pp. 557–635, 2024. doi:10.2174/1570159X21666230428091433 - R. Opie, A. O’Neil, F. Jacka, J. Pizzinga, and C. Itsiopoulos,
A modified Mediterranean dietary intervention for adults with major depression: Dietary protocol and feasibility data from the SMILES trial,
Nutritional Neuroscience, vol. 21, no. 7, pp. 487–501, 2018. doi:10.1080/1028415X.2017.1312841