About this workshop:
Due to high rates of trauma exposure in South Africa, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a common presenting problem that mental health practitioners must be equipped to address. However, many South African practitioners have had limited training or experience in evidence-based trauma treatments and may also have concerns about whether such approaches are relevant to the local context and can be applied safely and effectively. This workshop will review the core components of trauma-focused Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), one of the leading evidence-based treatment approaches for PTSD. The presenters will share their experiences of implementing trauma-focused CBT with South African adults and adolescents in clinical research studies, with an emphasis on the benefits and challenges of using prolonged exposure techniques to address distressing traumatic memories.
PsySSA Workshop Series 2023: Workshop 8: Reflections on using Trauma-focused CBT to treat PTSD in South African adults and adolescents
Meet our Presenters
Debbie Kaminer (PhD) is a clinical psychologist and Associate Professor in the Department of Psychology at the University of Cape Town. She has conducted research on the prevalence and impact of trauma amongst South African youth and adults for over twenty years. She completed training in Narrative Exposure Therapy (NET) and Trauma-focused Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (TF-CBT) and was a principal investigator on two clinical trials evaluating the effectiveness of these interventions in the South African context.
Duane D. Booysen (PhD) is a senior lecturer in the Psychology Department at Rhodes University and a practicing clinical psychologist. His primary research interests include investigating the effectiveness, feasibility, and acceptability of prolonged exposure (PE) therapy for PTSD in low resourced settings. He has completed training in PE for PTSD and has three active implementation and intervention studies on PE for PTSD in the Eastern and Western Cape of South Africa.