USC alumna’s surfing program for veterans featured in AJOT study
July 29, 2014

By Kim Kho

USC alumna Carly Rogers MA ’04, OTD ’11 is the lead author of a new article, High-Intensity Sports for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder and Depression: Feasibility Study of Ocean Therapy With Veterans of Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom, published in the July/August 2014 issue of the American Journal of Occupational Therapy.

Rogers has been utilizing ocean therapy since her time in the master’s program at USC, and surfing has always been her personal passion. In this study, she and her team conducted a pretest–posttest investigation of a sports-oriented occupational therapy intervention using surfing in an experiential, skills-based program to support veterans with symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in their transition to civilian life. The study finds that for some veterans, surfing is having a healing effect that can help to alleviate both PTSD and depression symptoms.

Learn more about the surfing program by listening to the AOTA Everyday Evidence podcast.

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