We are excited to share that Dr. Colette Smart's work as Mental Health & Substance Use (MHSU) Scholar in Residence (SIR) is entering its next phase of work following ethics
approval for research activities with clients admitted to MHSU acute care services.
Dr. Colette Smart, Registered Psychologist and Associate Professor of Psychology at the University of Victoria, started as the MHSU Scholar in Residence in early 2024. The role of the SIR is to generate knowledge based on research, lead integration of new knowledge into practice, and expand MHSU care team members engagement in research and evidence-based practices, with the overall aim of improving care and outcomes for clients.
Dr. Smart's area of focus is neuropsychological assessment and interventions for individuals with complex trauma histories (e.g. child maltreatment, intimate partner violence, or other relational trauma) who develop complex PTSD (C-PTSD), as well as other serious and persistent MHSU conditions (e.g. treatment-resistant depression, anxiety disorders, psychosis and substance use disorders) where the underlying complex trauma is a major contributory factor.
This work is important for the people Island Health serves given:
- Exposure to adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) is extremely common in Canada and is one of the most frequent sources of complex trauma exposure.
- Persons with serious MHSU conditions tend to have a more chronic course and more resistance to treatment when complex trauma is a contributing factor, particularly when the trauma is not appropriately diagnosed or treated.
- C-PTSD is responsive to some of the same evidence-based therapies as single-incident or classical PTSD, but requires a longer course and more in-depth treatment planning, including a focus on building a safe and secure therapeutic relationship.
Research activities for the SIR program include:
- A pilot study for a virtual dance/expressive arts therapy program with Honours.
- Patient-Lead initiatives to develop and distributed trauma informed resources for care providers.
- Investigation into the neuropsychology of clients with serious MHSU conditions as well as C-PTSD through qualitative investigation of cognitive difficulties in C-PTSD survivors, with input from partners or other close connections in their lives and through neuropsychological assessment of persons with serious mental illness, with/without complex trauma histories, who are receiving care in Inpatient Psychiatry at RJH (ethics approval received).
The work will be supported by Lori Herod, PhD (Patient Lead) as well as University of Victoria Department of Psychology Graduate Students Nazanin Babaei (Masters) and Lauren Qualls (PhD), and Undergraduate students Mitchell Gaudry, Nika Marefat and Nikoo Amini. Island Health MHSU Partnerships involve with Dr. Stacey Ross (Clinical Neuropsychologist) and the MHSU Inpatient Team the RJH.
Dr. Smart says, “It has been so exciting to see the work advance, and to think about what we can accomplish for clients whose traumatic stress is unseen or misunderstood. Receiving ethics approval for the neuropsychological assessment research at RJH to advance is such an important milestone for this key research stream. It adds a key piece to this suite of research projects that extends from diagnosis to treatment to trauma-informed practice in healthcare.
I am grateful to Island Health as a champion of research in this important area that affects so many, and particularly for partnerships with MHSU Program leadership, Department of Psychiatry, Inpatient Services at RJH and the MHSU Practice Support Team. I look forward to seeing results of research underway being mobilized for clients of Island Health and beyond."
Dr. Smart's work is anticipated to help MHSU clients in Island Health and be shared nationally and internationally with other organizations and care providers.
For those interested in learning more about Dr. Smart's work as the MHSU Scholar in Residence, a CBC interview on February 20, 2025 (11-minutes) is linked here, which provides a very brief overview of C-PTSD and includes the Patient Research Lead, Lori Herod, speaking to her participation and the value of this work.