Josef Ruzek
Clinical psychologist
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Through Post-traumatic stress disorder
Education
Ruzek received his B.A. in Psychology from the University of California, Los Angeles in 1974. He went on to receive his Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from the State University of New York at Stony Brook in 1989. His dissertation explored the concept of "articulated thoughts in imagined alcohol situations".
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Career
From 1981 to 1987, Ruzek served as the National Training Officer for the Addictions Community Centres for Education, Prevention, Treatment in London, England. Following this, he became Program Director of Adult Chemical Dependent Services at the Charter Hospital of Thousand Oaks, where he developed alcohol and drug treatment services. He later joined the National Center for PTSD, Veteran Affairs at the Palo Alto Health Care System , initially serving as Clinical Education Psychologist from 1992 to 1994, and as Associate Director for Education from 1994 to 2007. In May 2007, Ruzek was appointed Acting Director of the Dissemination and Training Division at the National Center for PTSD and became Director in 2008, a position he held for 10 years until retiring in April 2018. Throughout his tenure at the Center, he focused on implementing evidence-based treatments and integrating technology into PTSD care.
Ruzek was also actively involved in PTSD policy and treatment advancements, serving on the Veterans Affairs Undersecretary’s Special Committee on PTSD and the Board of Directors for the International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies. He contributed to the creation of the joint Veterans Affairs-Department of Defense Clinical Practice Guidelines. He serves as the co-founder and co-chair of the Early Intervention special interest group of the International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies. Ruzek played a key role in the nationwide implementation of Prolonged exposure therapy with the Veterans Health Administration. His recent work has centered on the use of technology interventions to prevent and treat PTSD.
As a consultant, Ruzek has worked with a variety of global organizations including the U.S. Air Force, Kobe Mental Health, Armenia Ministry of Defense, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, and Canada VA . He has co-developed internet and mobile phone interventions to assist in the treatment of PTSD such as My Disaster Recovery; PTSD Coach; PTSD Family Coach.
Academic affiliation
Ruzek is a Professor at the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Stanford University. He has also held faculty positions at Palo Alto University and the University of Colorado. In addition, he serves as a Technology Innovation Expert Consultant at the Lyda Hill Institute for Human Resilience , University of Colorado Colorado Springs. Ruzek is a founding director of the Early Intervention Clinic at Palo Alto University and the Co-Director of the Center for m2 Health at Palo Alto University, California.
Early Intervention Clinic
The Early Intervention Clinic, co-founded by Josef Ruzek and Matthew Cordova in 2003, is a Palo Alto research clinic offering free, short-term counseling (up to 20 sessions) to individuals who have recently experienced a traumatic event (within two years). It is a research initiative that provides a tailored treatment to each person while evaluating outcomes in order to improve PTSD treatments. The goal of the Early Intervention Clinic is to help individuals regain pre-trauma functioning, and develop effective methods to promote recovery and improve quality of life for those impacted by trauma. Some of the research initiatives from the Early Intervention Clinic include a study examining how negative social responses can hinder recovery for individuals recently bereaved by suicide. The study focused on the types and extent of social constraints, such as stigma or well-meaning but awkward advice, that inhibit disclosure and support-seeking, ultimately serving as obstacles to recovery. Another study delves into the heightened risk of prolonged distress for those who have lost a loved one to suicide in comparison to other types of bereavement. It explores how the distress can be exacerbated by finding the body of the deceased and specifically examined the connections between discovering the body, anxiety sensitivity, and PTSD.
Editorial work
Ruzek’s editorial work spans several psychological journals. He has served on the editorial board of the International Journal of Clinical and Health Psychology since 2017, and on mHealth (2019-2021). His editorial work includes longstanding roles on the boards of Behavior Research and Therapy (since 2011), TRAUMATOLOGYe (since 1996), Journal of Anxiety Disorders (since 2006), and Psychological Trauma (since 2008). Additionally, Ruzek served as an editorial board member for the Journal of Traumatic Stress from 2003 to 2008. He also served as a managing editor for the National Center for PTSD Clinical Quarterly (1994–2006) and an associate editor for Adult Interventions in the Encyclopedia of Psychological Trauma. Ruzek regularly reviews articles for journals like the American Journal of Public Health and Global Mental Health, Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, Harvard Review of Psychiatry, and the International Review of Psychiatry on an ad hoc basis.
Research
Ruzek's research focuses on PTSD treatment and early interventions aimed at preventing the onset of PTSD. The paper, The Five Essential Elements of Immediate and Mid-Term Mass Trauma Intervention highlights five empirically supported principles for trauma intervention creating a framework to guide early and mid-term interventions after disasters. Additionally, he is involved in evaluating the United States Department of Veterans Affairs efforts to disseminate evidence-based therapies like Cognitive processing therapy (CPT) and Prolonged exposure therapy for veterans with PTSD, assessing the impact to ensure effective treatments He also explores cognitive-behavioral approaches to treating PTSD across various trauma experiences, offering practical strategies for clinicians. Alongside Schnurr, Vasterling, and Friedman, Ruzzek explores psychological trauma and PTSD among military veterans and civilians from Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan and Operation Iraqi Freedom in the book, Caring for Veterans with Deployment-related Stress Disorders. The book provides a framework for understanding and addressing psychological trauma and PTSD among military veterans and civilians worldwide and aims to support clinical practice with evidence-based information for clinicians. Ruzek's work takes on a comprehensive approach, not only focusing on the treatment of PTSD but also on preventing it.
A significant aspect of his work involves developing technology-based solutions to for the effective treatment of PTSD. Examples of are afterdeployment.org, a website designed for returning veterans and their families, and the PTSD Coach, a smartphone app created to help individuals with PTSD manage acute distress. Ruzek has received several grants ranging from $39, 070 to $10,000,000 from organizations such as the Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs, VA-DoD Joint Incentive Fund, Office of Mental Health Services, and the National Institute of Mental Health.
Community outreach
Ruzek serves on the Board of Directors for the Center for Deployment Psychology at the Department of Defense. He was a member of the Planning Committee and Participant, Consensus Workshop on Mental Health and Mass Violence: EvidenceBased Early Psychological Intervention for Victims/Survivors of Mass Violence, 2001, and a member of the CDC Expert Panel on Behavioral Health Aspects of Pandemic Influenza, 2004, amongst others. Additionally, he holds positions on the Advisory Board of the Veterans Healthcare Policy Institute as well as the Healthcare Provider Advisory Committee, of PsychArmor Institute.