Researchers Honored by the Trauma Recovery Center at Hebrew University of Jerusalem
Two researchers from Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine were recently honored for their work in the treatment of war-related posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) at the Trauma Recovery Center at Hebrew University of Jerusalem.
Denise M. Sloan, PhD, professor of psychiatry at the school and senior psychologist clinician investigator, Behavioral Science Division, National Center for PTSD at VA Boston Healthcare System, along with Brian P. Marx, PhD, professor of psychiatry and a deputy director at the National Center for PTSD, VA Boston Healthcare System, have been working with clinicians in Israel to help survivors of the Oct. 7, 2023 attack. They have helped train Trauma Recovery Center staff to deliver a brief treatment called Written Exposure Therapy (WET) that they developed.
Denise Sloan, PhDPeople with PTSD often avoid thinking about the trauma because it feels too stressful to manage. “Avoiding things that remind you of the trauma can help you feel better in the moment, but not in the long term. WET works by having you write the details of the trauma. By learning that you can tolerate the negative feelings that come up, you will start to experience the memory with less distress over time,” explains Sloan.
Brian Marx, PhD“You also will find that physical responses like rapid heartbeat or sweating will decrease. And talking with your provider about your writing sessions can help you develop new ways of thinking about the traumatic event and what it means to you,” adds Marx.
Experts on psychosocial interventions for traumatic stress disorders with a specific interest in efficient and effective treatment approaches for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), Sloan and Marx have worked on the development of novel psychotherapeutic approaches to the treatment of PTSD that produced strong scientific evidence across many forms of traumatic life events including combat, sexual trauma and intimate partner violence. They have conducted a series of studies that lead to the development of written exposure therapy, a five session psychosocial intervention, and they have conducted multiple large-scale treatment studies examining the efficacy and effectiveness of the treatment.
Sloan obtained her doctorate degree in clinical psychology from Case Western Reserve University. She has published more than 150 scientific articles, written or co-edited several books, including the “Handbook of Traumatic Stress Disorders.” She is the past editor of Behavior Therapy and current editor of Journal of Traumatic Stress.
Marx is an expert in behavior therapy, PTSD assessment and the effects of trauma. He serves on the editorial board of several scientific journals and has served as a grant reviewer for the National Institute of Mental Health, Department of Defense and Department of Veterans Affairs. His research interests include the association between PTSD and functional impairment, PTSD and memory, identifying risk factors for posttraumatic difficulties and developing brief, efficacious treatments for PTSD. Currently, his research is funded by the Departments of War and Veterans Affairs.
Marx graduated with honors in psychology from Boston University and completed his PhD in clinical psychology from the University of Mississippi.
The Trauma Recovery Center at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem was established in the wake of the Oct. 7 events, out of an urgent need to create a professional, institutional, and long-term response to the national and ongoing trauma faced by Israeli society. The Center’s mission is to make effective trauma treatments accessible within the public health system and to the wider public, to advance evidence-based professional standards, and to develop innovative and sustainable tools for expanding mental health care in Israel. The Center views the national crisis after Oct. 7 as an opportunity for growth, healing, and recovery.