STARTTS 2025 Annual Research Symposium
Held on 29 October 2025 | → View Recording
Join leading researchers, clinicians, and practitioners for this essential symposium showcasing the latest evidence-based insights in refugee trauma recovery, mental health, and intervention.
Explore how conflict, displacement, and systemic stressors are impacting mental health — and how innovative approaches are shaping trauma-informed care in Australia and beyond.
HEAR FROM DISTINGUISHED EXPERTS
Professor Susan Rees – Professor in Psychiatry and Mental Health
Presents groundbreaking research on the psychological impacts of the 2023–24 Middle East conflict on Australian communities, with a focus on women connected to Gaza, Palestine, and Lebanon. Her findings highlight the urgent need for culturally responsive, gender-informed interventions.
Professor Angela Nickerson – Director, Refugee Trauma and Recovery Program, UNSW
Shares the latest clinical trial results comparing two phase-based treatments prior to Narrative Exposure Therapy (NET), revealing how external insecurity affects PTSD treatment outcomes in refugees.
WHAT YOU’LL GAIN
✅ The latest research on conflict-related trauma and refugee mental health
✅ Insights into gendered experiences of war-related distress
✅ Comparative evidence on trauma therapy effectiveness in complex contexts
✅ A deeper understanding of clinical and policy implications
✅ Direct engagement in a live expert panel moderated by Jorge Aroche, STARTTS CEO and Clinical Psychologist
WHO SHOULD ATTEND
This symposium is ideal for:
- Mental health professionals (psychologists, counsellors, social workers, psychiatrists)
- Settlement and casework staff supporting refugee communities
- Researchers, academics, and students in mental health, trauma, or migration studies
- Policy makers and program managers in health, community, or refugee services
- Medical and allied health practitioners working in multicultural or trauma-exposed settings
- NGO workers, human rights advocates, and humanitarian staff
- Anyone committed to trauma-informed, culturally safe refugee support
Professor Susan Rees
Professor Susan Rees, PhD, is a Professor in Psychiatry and Mental Health with a multidisciplinary background in public health, behavioural science, and social policy. She is on the faculty of the Harvard Global Mental Health Course and the Harvard Program in Global Trauma. Her research addresses the mental health impacts of trauma, conflict, gender-based violence, and planetary health, with a strong focus on First Nations-led mental health initiatives. She has conducted extensive work in Timor-Leste, Indonesia, and across the Asia-Pacific. Professor Rees has authored over 200 publications and secured more than $6 million in Category 1 research funding. Her expertise spans longitudinal studies, clinical trials, program evaluation, and research translation into evidence-based mental health practice.
Professor Angela Nickerson
Dr Angela Nickerson is Professor at the School of Psychology at the University of New South Wales (UNSW) and Director of the Refugee Trauma and Recovery Program. She is also an Australian National Health and Medical Research Council Investigator Leadership Fellow. Dr Nickerson leads an internationally recognised research program investigating refugee mental health using longitudinal, experimental, and clinical trial methodologies to inform evidence-based policy and clinical practice. A practising clinical psychologist, she has worked with refugee populations in Australia, Switzerland, the US, Timor-Leste, and Indonesia. She is the Immediate Past President of the International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies and lectures on anxiety, mood disorders, refugee trauma, and cross-cultural mental health at UNSW.
Jorge Aroche
Jorge Aroche is a clinical psychologist and STARTTS’ Chief Executive Officer. Jorge was born in Uruguay and has worked with migrants and refugee survivors of torture and organized violence since before 1989, when he joined STARTTS. He has led the organization since March 1997, through some of the most challenging times for refugee services in Australia, helping STARTTS grow from a dozen staff to more than 200, assuming a truly state-wide role and becoming a world leader in this field in the process, while continuing to learn from its clients, its culturally diverse staff and the latest scientific advances. Jorge has also held a number of honorary positions in international humanitarian organizations, Australia government advisory bodies and NGO boards. He was the President of the International Rehabilitation Council for Torture Victims (IRCT) from 2016 until November 2020.
FORMAT AND INCLUSIONS
Online delivery
Presented by experts in the refugee trauma field
Includes cutting edge research
Claim 2 CPD points
Receive a certificate of completion and a PDF of the presentation slides
Free access to the webinar recording
WATCH THE RECORDING
Watch the recording now via the on-demand replay and watch at your convenience. The full catalogue of recorded webinars is available here.
CONTACT US
stts-training@health.nsw.gov.au
(02) 9646 6700 Ask for the Training Administration Officer