PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR AND STUDY TEAM:

Principal Investigator (PI) Colette Smart, Ph.D., R.Psych., Associate Professor, Department of Psychology, University of Victoria
Address: PO Box 1700 STN CSC, Victoria BC V8W 2Y2
Phone Number: 250-472-4194
Research Assistant (RA) Nikoo Amini, Undergraduate Research Assistant, Department of Psychology, University of Victoria
Address: PO Box 1700 STN CSC, Victoria BC V8W 2Y2
Phone Number: 250-472-4194
You are being invited to participate in a research study!
We are recruiting adults with complex trauma histories to participate in an online expressive arts movement intervention.

Background and Purpose of the Study
The current study aims to explore the feasibility of an online expressive arts intervention for adult survivors of complex trauma. This is in an effort to better aid clinicians in working with survivors, and also to provide empirical evidence for the use of treatments that focus on creative expression rather than on the trauma itself. The intent is to facilitate a group movement workshop (non-choreographed yet guided) that promotes safety, creative self-efficacy, group cohesion, and interoception, specifically aimed at tending to complex post-traumatic stress (cPTSD) symptoms. This purpose is guided by the immense promise shown by dance movement and art therapy in the promotion of well-being.

You may freely choose whether or not to participate: the choice is entirely up to you. You cannot be required to participate if you do not want to do so (this is known as free and voluntary consent).

Participation in this project will involve a weekly 2.5 hour Zoom meeting, over the course of six weeks (June 11 - July 16, more details below). The Zoom meeting will involve participation in a movement intervention (all levels, non-choreographed, and with safety as the guiding principle), followed by a debrief conversation. Additionally, participants will be asked to complete a 30-minute online survey 3 times through the course of the program, plus a quick 1-minute survey at the end of each meeting session.

Participants will meet in a group setting, online via Zoom. The study will be conducted during non-business hours. Zoom sessions will not be recorded.

If you'd like to learn more and hear some testimonials, follow these Youtube links...

Meet Dr. Smart / Specifics about the study - https://youtu.be/t-ilLTYfaM0
A survivor's testimonial - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OSyAvseCHCM
Movement testimonial - https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=1LfRo-mtouw

What is Required to Participate?
Eligible individuals accepted into the study will be asked to complete the following activities:
a) Conduct baseline testing the week of April 21, scheduled at your convenience
b) Then, you would live your normal life for the next 6 weeks
c) Then you would complete pre-group testing the week of June 2
d) The group will then run for 6 weeks (2.5 hours per session) on the following dates, from 6-8:30pm: June 11 (Weds), 18 (Weds), 26 (Thurs), July 2 (Weds), July 9 (Weds), July 16 (Weds)
e) Then, the week of July 21, you would do one more round of testing.

All of the above is done online.
What are the Possible Risks or Inconveniences of Participating?
You may be exposed to the following risks and inconveniences:

a) Participants may experience discomfort or self-consciousness while trying something they maybe have little experience with, and while being in a Zoom call with others.
b) Participants may become more aware of distressing thoughts or feelings when asked to attend to their body during the intervention.
c) Participants could experience fatigue during the intervention, due to the time frame and recurrent nature of meeting weekly.
d) Filling out a survey that establishes a history of adverse experiences could bring up emotional or psychological distress.
e) It is possible that participants feel physical discomfort while moving their body.
f) There is a small risk of security and confidentiality using Zoom. This is adequately addressed through policies regarding the UVic iteration of Zoom.

To reduce these risks, the following steps will be taken/were taken:
The protocol in this intervention is designed with a trauma-informed lens in mind. Dr. Smart is an expert in trauma-informed practice and has worked extensively with survivors of PTSD and complex trauma.
a) We will provide informed consent about the possibly difficult nature of the content of the research and allow participants to choose to stop participating at any point during the study.
b) While filling out the surveys, we encourage participants to take breaks when feeling overwhelmed.
c) During the intervention, participants will be reminded to do what feels right in their own body and to not strain themselves when engaging with the movement practice.
d) Participants are welcome to reach out to the researchers using the contact information given if they experience any emotional or psychological discomfort while participating in the intervention.
e) We will reiterate verbal consent with each session of the intervention, reminding participants that they have a right to withdraw at any point without consequence.
f) Psych-education tools will be offered during the intervention to support emotional regulation.

What are the Possible Benefits of Participating?
The possible benefits of your participation include:
a) An enhanced awareness of your emotional, psychological, and physical states, with a deeper understanding of how trauma has affected these states.
b) Feelings of community and social support while participating in a group focused intervention.
c) Increased emotional regulation strategies.
d) The opportunity to be a part of research that could help other with complex trauma.
e) Fun!

The group intervention in this study, while based on existing psychotherapy principles, is not a recognized form of therapy by itself. This pilot study is being done to understand whether people get any benefit. If so, then future research will be conducted in the future to strengthen the intervention, so that it may becomes its own form of therapy in the future.
With that being said, whether it is a new intervention is a research study or a recognized form of psychotherapy, there are never any guarantees that people will get better. Some people may get better, some may experience no benefit, and some may experience a worsening in symptoms. It is important if you are choosing to participate in the study that you are aware of this upfront.
Do You Have to Take Part?
You are free to choose to participate or not. If you decide not to participate, your regular health care or service will not be affected in any way. By consenting, you have not waived any rights to legal recourse connected to research-related harm. If you do decide to participate and then change your mind later, you can withdraw without any consequences or explanation. If you do withdraw from the study, we will ask you if we can still use the information you have contributed up until that point or if you would prefer we destroy it. Note that it will not be possible to return your data to you.

Researcher’s Relationship with Participants
Dr. Smart is a registered (clinical) psychologist who sees adult clients with complex trauma histories. If you are a current or past client of Dr. Smart, we ask that you do not participate in the study as this would create a conflict of interest.

On-Going Consent
Each unique research activity will require your ongoing consent. For this first survey, information will be stored on secure servers located in Canada and will be removed from servers as soon as data collection is completed.
Once deemed eligible to participate, you will receive an official letter of consent that delves in depth into the study components regarding personal information and confidentiality.

The answers to the questions below are confidential. If you are eligible to participate in the study and wish to continue, you will only be asked for your email address so that we may send you more information.

If you are interested in participating in this study
Please answer the eligibility questions below, your answers to these questions will determine your eligibility to participate.

In our eligibility requirements, we are looking for people who, while living with CPTSD, are fairly stable in their current situation. This is because we are prioritizing safety as the number one thing. This is a new intervention, and we are in the early stages of research. Also, we are doing it virtually with people who are not physically in the same place or coming to an office to meet with us. If someone was struggling with stability or in crisis, it would be really hard to help them if they were at a physical distance from the research team.

Because of this, we want to test out the intervention first in a group of people who are most stable in their current situation. Then, based on that feedback, we can decide how to broaden to a more inclusive group of CPTSD survivors. This is fairly common and standard when testing out any new kind of intervention. If you do not meet the inclusion criteria, there is no judgment about your current level of stability and we know everyone is doing their best. But our main priority of strict inclusion is so that people will be safe while we do this study, particularly because we will be meeting virtually.

Answering these questions should take less than 5 minutes.

 Thank you for your time and interest!

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1. Are you 19 years of age or older? (Required.)

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2. Have you been exposed to complex trauma? (e.g., childhood abuse/neglect, intimate partner violence, chronic/ongoing emotional or physical abuse) (Required.)

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3. Do you have access to a personal computer with a working webcam, speaker, microphone, and reliable internet connection? (Required.)

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4. Can you communicate fluently in English? (Required.)

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5. Is your mental health currently stable? (Required.)

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6. Are you actively using illicit substances? (Required.)

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7. Are you willing and able to attend a 2.5 hour Zoom meeting, over the course of six weeks from 6-8:30pm on June 11 (Weds), 18 (Weds), 26 (Thurs), July 2 (Weds), July 9 (Weds), July 16 (Weds)? (Required.)

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8. Will you be participating in another expressive arts or group therapy practice during the course of this study? (Required.)

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9. Do you feel physically safe to participate in self-led gentle movement that is tailored to your own abilities? (Required.)

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10. The results of this study are anonymous however, the Zoom meetings will host all participants in a live meeting (not recorded) with cameras on (to promote safety). You may choose to have your Zoom profile display a pseudonym to enhance your anonymity. Are you willing to participate in a group study of this kind? (Required.)

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11. Are you a past or current client of Dr. Colette Smart?

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12. The study will focus on self-regulation, not personal trauma histories. In the case that you want extra support, do you have access to a therapist, counsellor, or mental health professional to talk to?

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13. In the past few weeks, have you wished you were dead?

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14. In the past few weeks, have you felt that you or your family would be better off if you were dead?

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15. In the past week, have you had thoughts of killing yourself?

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