Australasian Society for Traumatic Stress Studies - ASTSS

25/07/2026

Very excited to share some research in the Medical Journal of Australia headed by Simon Rosenbaum and the NExuS consortium. We're very proud of our former and current executives and members involved!

"Reorienting Allied Health Into Community-Based Care for People Experiencing Trauma and Social Disadvantage"

Trauma and social disadvantage are strongly associated with higher rates of chronic disease, partly driven by modifiable risk factors such as physical inactivity and poor diet. Despite strong evidence supporting exercise and dietary interventions for both physical and mental health, access to allied...

04/07/2026

Attention all and professionals - next week the Australasian Society for Traumatic Stress Studies is holding a fantastic webinar with Mary Goslett, Yuin Budawang women!

It's free for members, $45 for regular tickets, and $30 for students.

Register here - https://events.humanitix.com/relational-selfhood-trauma-and-the-limits-of-individualised-psychology-colonial-harm-to-aboriginal-and-torres-strait-islander-ways-of-being

29/06/2026

We at ASTSS have been trying to collate all the Australasian trauma research published in the past 5 years, but we need your help to find more!

If you've published (or know of) a study, review, white paper, proposal, presentation, or anything in the field of traumatic stress (or adjacent), then please submit it to this very simple form!

We're looking to collate all of the research related to or adjacent to traumatic stress in the Australasian Region. If you have something to suggest that you've written or read, please submit it here!

27/06/2026

Today is PTSD Awareness Day.

The science of traumatic stress has transformed. What we understand about the brain, the body, and the lasting impact of traumatic experience has shifted enormously, and that shift has changed lives. Treatments have evolved. The evidence base has deepened. And the conversation has moved into places it simply didn't exist before: to workplaces, schools, policy rooms, and public life.
Awareness is rising.

Lived experience is increasingly recognised not just as something to be treated, but as a source of knowledge in its own right. People with direct experience of traumatic stress are contributing to research, to governance, and to the shape of the field itself. It represents a fundamental change in who gets to define the experience, and who gets to help design the response.

None of this happened by accident. It happened because researchers keep asking hard questions. Because people with lived and diverse experiences keep showing up and ensuring they are heard. Because clinicians keep looking for better answers. Because communities like this one keep doing the work, long after awareness days have passed.

So today, alongside everything that still needs to change, we celebrate what this community has built. And we recommit to building more.

Credit to Flourish Australia for the beautiful image!

20/06/2026

We want to congratulate two of our former management committee members, Justin Kenardy AO and Paul Valent, for their recent honours!

Dr Paul Valent was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia. Paul is one of our founding members and a lifetime member of ASTSS. Professionally, he has a significant career in , being a psychotherapist, author, and community leader whose career has focused on , mental health, and Holocaust survivor support.

Emeritus Professor Justin Kenardy AO FAPS was an Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) in the General Division for distinguished service to clinical psychology, to the understanding of stress, to governance roles, and to tertiary education.

19/06/2026

A new, interdisciplinary guide created by our colleagues at Phoenix Australia for lawyers in Family Law!

https://www.phoenixaustralia.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/stress-trauma-and-posttraumatic-stress-disorder-in-family-law.pdf.pdf

15/06/2026

Exciting news! We're holding a kōrero (talk) on trauma and maternal care, featuring a special guest, Midwife Rebekah Matsas from Ōtautahi (Christchurch)!

As always, tickets are free for members and we offer a reduced price for

https://events.humanitix.com/what-maternity-care-can-teach-us-about-trauma-informed-practice

27/05/2026

We're really excited to be co-hosting a free online panel with the Consortium for Research in Eating Disorders (CoRe-ED). Join us on Wednesday, 5 August 2026, at 11 am-12 pm online via Zoom.

Our cojoint webinar is titled "The Intersection of Eating Disorders and Trauma"

To learn more and register, visit this link:

This free online webinar will explore the intersection of eating disorders and trauma from research, clinical and lived experience perspectives

15/05/2026

Our Allied Health Special Interest Group (AHSIG) is holding their next meeting at 12pm on May 28th!

They will hear from Dr Ryan L. McGrath from La Trobe University, with their presentation "From Research to Action: Mobilising the Physiotherapy Workforce to Prevent Su***de"

For more information please contact Chiara Mastrogiovanni!

11/05/2026

What are some of the benefits of being an ASTSS member?

- Free registration to all webinars (6+) plus access to our library
- Access to our special interest groups (SIGS)
- Significant discount to the Australasian Conference on Traumatic Stress
- Opportunities to network with experts in trauma from across the Australasian region
- Awards, prizes, and resources for students and early career researchers
- Free affiliate membership to International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies (ISTSS) and perks to other trauma societies

For more information and to register, check out our website: astss.org.au