An open pilot trial of an Internet-based clinician-guided Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) plus Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) program for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)

Participants will be assigned to a treatment group whereby they will complete 6 lessons of Internet based treatment about management of symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). One lesson will be completed every 7 days. Each lesson will take about 15 minutes to complete. Participants will also have access to summaries of each lesson, and will read anonymous stories about other people with PTSD, taking a further 20 minutes per summary. From week 2 in the program they will receive instructions on using eye movement desensitzation and reprocessing (EMDR) and will be encouraged to use EMDR twice weekly until the end of the program for up to 45 minutes each session of EMDR. All participants will also receive automatic email and weekly reminder phone calls by a clinical psychologist. The duration of the reminder emails/phone calls and contribution to the forum is expected to be 5-10 minutes per week. The duration of the program is 6 weeks, but participants will be contacted 3 months post program and asked to complete follow-up questionnaires. All participants will have symptoms of PTSD but do not need to meet Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders 4th Edition (DSM-IV) criteria for PTSD. Study questionnaires will be administered at application, pre-education, post-education, and at 3-months post-education. These will take about 20-30 minutes to complete. The treatment materials are based on the Anxiety and PTSD Programs, which apply cognitive behavioural techniques.