Promoting Recovery Following Traumatic Injury

The intervention trialled in this study is trauma focused cognitive behavioural therapy (TF-CBT). Participants in this group are offered this treatment 4-6 weeks post injury (early intervention condition). This intervention is delivered on a session basis (one to two sessions per week) for a period of 6-10 sessions. Each session has a duration of 90 minutes. The intervention in this study, TF-CBT, involves psychoeducation around psychological symptoms and trauma, anxiety management, exposure to feared thoughts and situations, cognitive therapy for identifying and challenging maladaptive thought processes around trauma, activity and positive event scheduling and relapse prevention. The administration of these modules in the therapy are tailored for the particular presentation of symptoms. For example, if the presentation is primarily comprised of depressive symptoms, an emphasis on activity and positive events is made. Likewise if the presentation comprises primarliy of PTSD symptoms, an emphasis on prolongued exposure is made.