Co-Designing and Testing a Stabilisation Intervention for Australian/NZ Critical Incident Frontline Responses Using Bilateral Stimulation
Tracks
Southport Room 3
| Monday, July 27, 2026 |
| 11:10 AM - 11:30 AM |
| Southport Room 3 |
Overview
Carol Gutierrez, Critical Incident Response Network Australasia
Details
Three Key Learnings
1. A clear understanding of the neurocognitive rationale underpinning early stabilisation, including how working memory taxation through bilateral stimulation can reduce distress intensity following critical incidents.
2. Practical insight into how brief, low-intensity, field-appropriate stabilisation strategies can be safely integrated into frontline and community response settings within stepped-care models.
3. Experience in co-designing a culturally responsive, ethically informed, and operationally feasible framework for implementing a scalable working memory–based bilateral stimulation stabilisation intervention in Australian emergency management contexts.
Speaker
Carol Gutierrez
Strategic Director
Critical Incident Response Network Australasia
Co-designing and Testing a Stabilisation Intervention for Australian/NZ Critical Incident Frontline Responses Using Bilateral Stimulation
Abstract
Early intervention following critical incidents is essential to reducing the risk of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). International literature demonstrates the value of structured, low-intensity, evidence-based approaches that can be delivered rapidly after a crisis to reduce distress, and prevent long-term disability. Emerging trauma research highlights the role of working memory in emotional processing, suggesting that taxing working memory through bilateral stimulation (BLS) while holding distressing material in mind can reduce emotional intensity and support adaptive regulation without requiring verbal recounting.
This interactive workshop introduces participants to the neurocognitive foundations of working memory taxation as a stabilisation mechanism and provides an experiential opportunity to test brief, field-appropriate interventions. The session begins with a review of international evidence on early intervention models, situating working memory–based approaches within the continuum between psychological first aid and longer-term trauma therapy.
The second portion of the workshop shifts into collaborative co-design, inviting participants to adapt a working memory–based BLS stabilisation intervention for frontline and community use in Australia. This process will consider cultural responsiveness (including relevance to First Nations communities), operational realities of frontline environments, ethical considerations, and integration within stepped-care models. Particular attention will be given to the dual-attention demands of BLS and safety considerations in early post-incident contexts.
Participants will then engage in guided experiential exercises to experience grounding, regulation, and distress-reduction strategies firsthand.
By engaging participants as co-creators, the session will ensure that the adapted framework is both clinically sound and practically feasible.
Participants will leave with:
• An understanding of the evidence base for early intervention and stabilisation mechanisms in trauma response.
• A co-designed framework for implementing a scalable, field-ready stabilisation intervention in Australian frontline contexts.
• Firsthand experience of bilateral stimulation–informed stabilisation strategies.
This workshop combines neurocognitive science, experiential learning, and collaborative innovation to strengthen community trauma recovery capability.
This interactive workshop introduces participants to the neurocognitive foundations of working memory taxation as a stabilisation mechanism and provides an experiential opportunity to test brief, field-appropriate interventions. The session begins with a review of international evidence on early intervention models, situating working memory–based approaches within the continuum between psychological first aid and longer-term trauma therapy.
The second portion of the workshop shifts into collaborative co-design, inviting participants to adapt a working memory–based BLS stabilisation intervention for frontline and community use in Australia. This process will consider cultural responsiveness (including relevance to First Nations communities), operational realities of frontline environments, ethical considerations, and integration within stepped-care models. Particular attention will be given to the dual-attention demands of BLS and safety considerations in early post-incident contexts.
Participants will then engage in guided experiential exercises to experience grounding, regulation, and distress-reduction strategies firsthand.
By engaging participants as co-creators, the session will ensure that the adapted framework is both clinically sound and practically feasible.
Participants will leave with:
• An understanding of the evidence base for early intervention and stabilisation mechanisms in trauma response.
• A co-designed framework for implementing a scalable, field-ready stabilisation intervention in Australian frontline contexts.
• Firsthand experience of bilateral stimulation–informed stabilisation strategies.
This workshop combines neurocognitive science, experiential learning, and collaborative innovation to strengthen community trauma recovery capability.
Biography
Carol Gutierrez is Strategic Director of the Critical Incident Response Network (CIRN) Australasia and Clinical Director of the Stress & Trauma Clinic. She is a Registered Psychologist, Board Approved Supervisor, and EMDR therapist recognised in Australia and the USA. Carol’s clinical expertise lies in trauma-focused, stepped-care interventions spanning group stabilisation, individual stabilisation, group trauma processing, and intensive individual EMDR therapy. Her work aims to reduce the incidence of PTSD and complex PTSD, while addressing service pressures in rural and remote contexts. She is currently undertaking a PhD evaluating the effectiveness of this stepped-care model in improving trauma recovery outcomes.
