In cooperation with the Icelandic Association of CBT

The workshop is a part of the specialized program in cognitive behavioral therapy. Taught in English.

Teacher: Nick Grey is a Consultant Clinical Psychologist at Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust (SPFT) and University of Sussex. He has worked clinically across primary, secondary and tertiary care. He is a member of the Wellcome Trust Anxiety Disorders Group led by David Clark and Anke Ehlers. He is a Fellow of the British Association of Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapies, and is an accredited CBT practitioner, supervisor and trainer.

Who should enroll: Clinical Psychologists, Psychiatrists and other mental health professionals.

This workshop presents the Ehlers and Clark (2000) cognitive model for PTSD and the effective treatment that is derived from it.

The treatment focuses in three key areas: addressing the nature of the trauma memory; tackling negative appraisals and meanings; and developing more helpful coping strategies, overcoming avoidance.

The memory-focused techniques are not limited to ‘reliving’, but also includes the use of written narratives, timelines/lifelines, imagery rescripting, stimulus discrimination (‘deactivating’ triggers), and site visits. This work is integrated with focusing on the meanings people have taken from traumatic experiences, to ‘update’ the memories.  The workshop will consider which tool may be best used in which circumstances, including remote delivery. These tools are important across the range of presentations including Complex PTSD, and for all populations with PTSD including children and young people.

Some of the specific cognitive approaches to working with post-trauma emotional and cognitive themes are highlighted. These include overgeneralized threat, permanent change, and meanings associated with the emotions of shame, guilt and anger.

The workshop will include active methods including observing videos of therapy sessions, small group discussion and roleplay.