When Trauma Intrudes into Sleep: Current Treatment for Traumatic Nightmares in People who have Experienced Torture and Refugee Trauma
This essential Clinical Master Class will give you a good understanding of the varied nature of posttraumatic nightmares including those that involve an accurate replay of trauma and those that are considered by the dreamer to be symbolic of the trauma experience, as well as findings in relation to the sleep factors that may underpin the experience of posttraumatic nightmares.
From Professor Andrea Phelps, a psychologist from the University of Melbourne, you will learn about the current treatments for posttraumatic nightmares. She will provide a detailed description of Imagery Rehearsal Therapy which is the first line psychological treatment for posttraumatic nightmares. She will also present the results of treatment studies that support the effectiveness of Imagery Rehearsal Therapy.
Katherine Theodor, a STARTTS Psychologist, will demonstrate, via a real-life refugee case study, how nightmare-related traumatic content can be safely and ethically processed to result in the reduction in intensity and frequency of nightmares using an integrated trauma treatment approach.
You will be able to engage with Professor Andrea Phelps and Katherine Theodor via a live Q&A panel discussion facilitated by STARTTS’ CEO and Clinical Psychologist, Jorge Aroche. You will come away with a better understanding of how you can treat your clients for persistent posttraumatic nightmares.
Professor Andrea Phelps
Professor Andrea Phelps is a Psychologists and the Deputy Director of Pheonix Australia at the University of Melbourne. She has strategic oversight of the Centre’s activities across research, service development and training; strategic planning and setting future directions; and leadership of flagship cross-portfolio projects including the development of the Australia National Health and Medical Research Council Guidelines for the Prevention and Treatment of Acute Stress Disorder, Posttraumatic Stress Disorder and Complex PTSD. Andrea’s main areas of research are moral injury and posttraumatic nightmares. Her research into posttraumatic nightmares has involved collaboration with national and international colleagues investigating the nature and treatment of these nightmares. She has developed a training manual and supervised clinical trials of Imagery Rehearsal Therapy in Australia and the United States.
Katherine Theodor
Katherine Theodor is a Psychologist who has worked as a Counsellor/Projector at STARTTS since 2014. She provides clinical assessment and treatment to people who have experienced torture and refugee trauma, drawing from a range of modalities including EMDR, Schema Therapy and Somatic Therapy. Katherine is an AHPRA Board Approved Supervisor and provides clinical consultation to STARTTS’ counsellors and student counsellors. She is currently completing a Master of Clinical Psychology and her research project focuses on stabilising and resourcing clients with Complex-PTSD for EMDR processing, using integrated approaches informed by polyvagal theory and somatic psychotherapy. Katherine is a full member of the EMDRA Association of Australia and is an EMDRAA Accredited Practitioner.
Jorge Aroche
Jorge Aroche is a clinical psychologist and STARTTS’ Chief Executive Officer. Jorge was born in Uruguay and has worked with migrants and refugee survivors of torture and organized violence since before 1989, when he joined STARTTS. He has led the organization since March 1997, through some of the most challenging times for refugee services in Australia, helping STARTTS grow from a dozen staff to more than 200, assuming a truly state-wide role and becoming a world leader in this field in the process, while continuing to learn from its clients, its culturally diverse staff and the latest scientific advances. Jorge has also held a number of honorary positions in international humanitarian organizations, Australia government advisory bodies and NGO boards. He was the President of the International Rehabilitation Council for Torture Victims (IRCT) from 2016 until November 2020.
Who should attend?
This free live webinar is open to anyone working with and/or treating people experiencing traumatic nightmares. PDFs of the slides and a certificate of completion will be emailed to you the day after the event. Register here.
CPD points – 1.5 CPD hours
This webinar adheres to the continuing professional development standards of most professional bodies. Please check the CPD policy of your professional body.
Clinical Master Classes are recorded
This event will be recorded. The recordings and slides of many of STARTTS’ previous Clinical Master Classes can be viewed for free via the Free Recorded Webinars page. The slides can be downloaded and you can issue yourself with a certificate of completion after viewing the recordings.
Contact us
stts-training@health.nsw.gov.au
(02) 9646 6700 Ask for the Training Administration Officer