ACA Sydney CBD Chapter - October 2026

The ACA Sydney CBD Chapter meets in person on the Third Saturday of each month.

Agenda - Priming the brain for healing: Creativity, cognition and PTSD recovery.

Presented by Tanya Duckworth

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is associated with measurable changes in neural networks crucial to executive function, cognitive flexibility, and memory. These cognitive disruptions can reduce problem solving ability and engagement in therapies that rely on intact reasoning, reflection, and emotional regulation.
Through this presentation we will explore the neurobiology of PTSD, key cognitive differences between trauma exposure versus PTSD, and emerging evidence of PTSD as a risk factor for long-term cognitive vulnerability. Drawing on her research into the creative brain and PTSD, Tanya will introduce creativity-based cognitive strategies and activities, as a neuroplasticity-informed approach to strengthen executive network functioning and enhance therapeutic acceptance.
Participants will engage in interactive creativity exercises designed to improve cognitive flexibility and creative problem solving and will leave with practical strategies to integrate creativity-based cognitive priming and neurobiological psychoeducation into counselling practice.

Tanya Duckworth is a neuroscientist and artist whose work focuses on the science behind creativity and its therapeutic uses in treating the cognitive impact of psychological disorders on the brain. With a background in Psychology and Neuroscience, her research has explored the mechanisms behind creative thought processes, as well as managing the Humans in Space laboratory which included research projects for the Australian Space Program at the Andy Thomas Centre for Space Resources looking at the effects of long-term space habitation on human cognition and neurophysiology. Tanya currently works as a lecturer in Cognitive Neuroscience, Neuropsychology and Neurophysiology at the University of Sydney, Adelaide University and Federation University teaching neuroscience to psychologists, speech pathologists and medical students, and a clinical research coordinator in clinical trials for neurodegenerative diseases.

Group supervision available