Trauma Task Force

Consumers > CBT and Mental Health

Fellows of the Academy of Cognitive Therapy (ACT) from around the world were mobilized to action by the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks in New York City, Washington, D.C., and Pennsylvania. A Trauma Task Force was formed to disseminate information that would increase the likelihood people around the world receive the best help possible following trauma.

Research continually advances our understanding of human response to trauma. We have learned that people are resilient and most recover from trauma without any need for professional intervention. Cognitive therapy research helps us understand how to foster natural human resilience and also shows what treatment approaches are most effective for people who experience persistent trauma responses.

Here we provide information for both the public and mental health professionals regarding trauma and how to foster recovery from it. Press on the links below to learn more about help for adults, help for children, and a special update for mental health professionals on effective therapies for trauma.

Help for Adults

Help for Children

Trauma Info for Mental Health Professionals

The Trauma Task Force Report was written by:

The Trauma Task Force received helpful information for and feedback on this report from:

**Christine A. Padesky PhD (Chair)
Co-Founder
Center for Cognitive Therapy
Huntington Beach, California

*Dominic Candido PhD
Co-Director
Long Island Center for Cognitive Therapy
Oyster Bay, New York

*Arie Cohen PhD
Associate Professor
School of Education
Bar-ILan University
Ramat-Gan, Israel

*Vicki Gluhoski PhD
Private Practice
Montclair, New Jersey &
New York City, New York

*Lata K. McGinn PhD
Associate Professor
Director, CBT Program
Ferkauf Graduate School of Psychology
Yeshiva University
Bronx, New York

*Mark Sisti PhD
Co-Director
Long Island Center for Cognitive Therapy
Oyster Bay, New York

*Susan R. Westover PhD
Director
Center for Cognitive Therapy of Phoenix
Scottsdale, Arizona

** Distinguished Founding Fellow,
The Academy of Cognitive Therapy

* Founding Fellow,
The Academy of Cognitive Therapy

Professor Anke Ehlers
Centre for Anxiety Disorders and Trauma Maudsley Hospital
and Dept. of Psychology Institute of Psychiatry
London, England

(Dr. Ehlers is a leader in development of the cognitive therapy model for posttraumatic stress disorder)

*Kate Gillespie, MB, FRCPsych
Consultant Psychiatrist/Cognitive Therapist
Sperrin Lakeland Health and Social Care
Trust
Omagh, Northern Ireland

Michael Duffy, M.Phil.
Assistant Principal Social Worker
Cognitive Therapist
Sperrin Lakeland Health and Social Care
Trust
Omagh, Northern Ireland

(Dr. Gillespie and Mr. Duffy are leaders of the Omagh Trauma Centre which dealt with the aftermath of the bomb in their city in August 1998 in which 29 people and 2 unborn children lost their lives and more than 400 people were injured. They are involved in facilitating the development of the new Northern Ireland Centre for Trauma and Transformation. Further information on the new Centre is available at their web-site: www.NICTT.org)