Posttraumatic Stres Disorder (PTSD); Complex Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (CPTSD); Depression; Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) & anxiety disorders

David’s research aims to optimise treatment outcomes for people with posttraumatic and anxiety disorders by focusing on the translation of research findings to routine clinical practice. He has a particular interest in trauma-focused therapies and interventions which reduce intrusive trauma-related memories in posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

He has completed research projects in a wide range of clinical settings and was a Senior Research Fellow in trauma and mental health in the School of Psychiatry UNSW and St John of God Health Care - Richmond hospital prior to commencing an academic position at the University of Technology Sydney (UTS), and now ANU.

David was a National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) Early Career Fellow (2017-2020) and in recent years has been a chief investigator of numerous projects funded by the Australian Research Council (ARC) and Australian Rotary Health. David has worked as a clinical psychologist in a variety of community-based and inpatient mental health settings since 2001, and he has particular experience in the treatment of anxiety disorders. He is an endorsed clinical psychologist and supervisor with the Psychology Board of Australia and also supervises postgraduate research projects.

·         Memory-based interventions for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD)

·         The nature and role of intrusive memories in PTSD

·         Sleep and PTSD

·         Moral injury and posttraumatic embitterment

·         Symptom profiles of PTSD, complex PTSD and depression

·         Psychological processes associated with PTSD, depression, anxiety disorders and obsessive-compulsive disorder.