Traumatic Stress Research Group

The Traumatic Stress Research Group is an interdisciplinary team dedicated to improving the health and wellbeing of people affected by traumatic events.

Our mission

We work to:

Advance understanding of traumatic stress through high-quality, externally funded research.
Develop cost-effective interventions to prevent and treat psychosocial difficulties following trauma, especially post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and complex PTSD (CPTSD).
Build strong global partnerships that promote interdisciplinary research in traumatic stress.
Develop research capacity within the field.
Share and exchange knowledge to ensure research findings are accessible and evidence-based.

We are committed to co-production, involving people with lived experience of trauma in every stage of our work. Collaboration is at the heart of what we do – helping us find innovative, real-world solutions.

Understanding post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)

Traumatic events can happen to anyone. These experiences can lead to a range of emotional and psychological difficulties, including PTSD.

PTSD is a serious and often debilitating condition that can develop after one or more extremely threatening or distressing experiences. It can affect people of any age or background.

Common symptoms include:

Re-experiencing the traumatic event through flashbacks, nightmares, or intrusive thoughts.
Avoidance of reminders related to the trauma.
Negative changes in thoughts, emotions, or beliefs about oneself or the world.
Heightened alertness (hyperarousal) — feeling on edge, irritable, or easily startled.

PTSD can cause significant distress for individuals and those around them, and it often co-occurs with other conditions such as depression, anxiety, or substance use.

Improving access to PTSD treatment

“A key aim of the Traumatic Stress Research Group is to develop and evaluate PTSD therapies that make treatment more accessible. We also want to find ways to help people who have not benefitted from standard PTSD interventions.” – Professor Neil Roberts, Consultant Clinical Psychologist

Many people still struggle to access effective, evidence-based PTSD treatments. Our team is working to change that by developing and testing new therapeutic approaches that are both accessible and effective.

Our research

We specialise in the development and evaluation of guided digital therapies – innovative treatments that combine:

Interactive digital materials, available through apps and websites, and
Structured therapist support to guide users through their recovery.

These digital approaches aim to deliver the same effectiveness as traditional trauma-focused therapy, while making care more scalable, accessible, and inclusive.

Explore our Spring PTSD programmes

Spring PTSD – For PTSD primarily related to a single traumatic event.

Spring Military PTSD – For military veterans experiencing PTSD, including symptoms of complex PTSD.

Spring PGD – For prolonged grief disorder, helping individuals process bereavement and loss.

Spring CPTSD – For complex PTSD.

Spring YP – For young people experiencing PTSD. We will provide further information on Spring YP soon.

Learn more about our team

Our complementary skills and areas of expertise help us to approach our research in a balanced, holistic manner to make a real difference and improve the health and wellbeing of people who have experienced traumatic events.