Research groups
Colleges
Anke Ehlers
Dipl-Psych PhD Dr rer nat habil CPsychol
Professor of Experimental Psychopathology
- Co-Director, Oxford Centre for Anxiety Disorders and Trauma
Anxiety disorders and post traumatic stress disorder
Research Summary
My research mainly focuses on anxiety disorders and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). My group uses experimental paradigms and prospective longitudinal studies to identify psychological factors that help explain the development and maintenance of these disabling conditions. The results of these studies help us develop new psychological treatments that target these factors. The treatments are evaluated in randomised trials and cohort studies.
The cognitive therapy programme for PTSD developed by our group has been shown to be highly acceptable to patients and very effective. It is recommended as a first line treatment for PTSD by NICE and international guidelines. It has been successfully disseminated into the National Health Service.
My contributions to the field have recently been recognised by several awards, including the Distinguished Scientific Contributions to Clinical Psychology Award, American Psychological Association (2014); the Wilhelm Wundt- William James Award; European Federation of Psychology Associations and the American Psychological Foundation; and the International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies (ISTSS) Lifetime Achievement Award (2022).
Current research projects investigate whether cognitive therapy for PTSD can be delivered more efficiently, what the psychological mechanisms of treatment are, and the treatment of complex PTSD. Experimental studies investigate mechanisms of intrusive memories after trauma.
I am a Supernumerary Fellow of Wolfson College. I am a Fellow of the British Academy, The Academy of Medical Sciences, the Association for Psychological Science, and an elected Member of German National Academy of Scientists Leopoldina and the Academia Europaea.
Recent publications
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The impact of trauma and how to intervene: a narrative review of psychotraumatology over the past 15 years.
Journal article
Olff M. et al, (2025), Eur J Psychotraumatol, 16
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Early-stage randomised controlled trial of therapist-supported online cognitive therapy for post-traumatic stress disorder in young people.
Journal article
Smith P. et al, (2025), J Child Psychol Psychiatry
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Change processes in Cognitive Therapy for Social Anxiety Disorder: A comparison of face-to-face and internet-based treatment formats
Journal article
THEW G. et al, (2024), Internet Interventions
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From Loss to Disorder: The Influence of Maladaptive Coping on Prolonged Grief
Journal article
SMITH K. et al, (2024), Psychiatry Research
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Cost-effectiveness of therapist-assisted internet-delivered psychological therapies for PTSD differing in trauma focus in England: an economic evaluation based on the STOP-PTSD trial.
Journal article
Penington E. et al, (2024), Lancet Psychiatry