Sarah is a PhD candidate and Provisional Psychologist whose research focuses on addressing burnout in partners of first responders with PTSD. Sarah has worked with international and local researchers, psychologists, industry partners and people with lived experience to bring Couple HOPES to Australia as part of the present clinical trial.

Alex is a Research Fellow leading research aimed at understanding and counteracting the impact of work-related stressors - such as trauma exposure, shift work and poor sleep - on mental health and performance. Through close collaboration with a range of industry groups including fire and rescue, police, and ambulance services, Alex’s research has informed guidelines to safeguard the health, safety and performance of emergency personnel both in Australia and internationally.

Sean is a sleep expert, cognitive neuroscientist and clinical researcher specialising in the impact of sleep and circadian rhythms on mental health and cognitive functioning. He has international experience developing, testing, and delivering evidence-based psychological interventions to enhance resilience and improve mental health outcomes for those in high-stress operational environments.

James is a clinical psychologist and academic who has worked across private and public settings, and as a consultant to government and industry. James holds a specialist background in the clinical management of trauma related mental health disorders in first responders and has developed new models of care for ambulance paramedics in collaboration with Worksafe Victoria.

Candice is one of the foremost experts on traumatic stress, and the use of individual and conjoint therapies to treat PTSD. She has published over 100 peer-reviewed publications and chapters on the development, evaluation, and dissemination of PTSD treatments, and is well-known for her efforts in training clinicians in evidence-based assessments and interventions for PTSD. As a co-creator for Couple HOPES and the lab director at Toronto Metropolitan Uiversity’s IMPACT Lab, Candice is interested in finding more accessible ways of providing mental health care while incorporating relationships.

As a Co-creator of Couple HOPES, Dr. Fitzpatrick applied her extensive experience as a clinician, psychology researcher, assistant professor at York University, and the lab director of the TULiP Lab to designing the Couple HOPES program, and overseeing the coaches to ensure the intervention is delivered as intended. She is interested in finding more accessible ways of providing mental health care, while harnessing the power of relationships to develop interventions that work.

Dr. Wagner is a co-creator of Couple HOPES, clinical psychologist, adjunct professor at Toronto Metropolitan University, and the founder of Remedy, a centre for mental health innovation. Her work focuses on the treatment and prevention of PTSD, with an interest in novel combination interventions. Her involvement in several treatment development projects, and in training and supervising therapists, lends itself to her role leading the design and implementation of the Couple HOPES coaching manual.