Trauma & PTSD Screening
A gentle, private screening based on the PC-PTSD-5. It asks about trauma exposure and five common post-traumatic stress symptoms experienced during the past month.
A gentle note
Some questions refer to frightening or painful experiences and may bring up difficult emotions. You can pause, stop or return later. You do not need to describe the event, and you should not force yourself to continue if you feel overwhelmed.
Brief screening
Complete the trauma exposure gate and five symptom questions.
Professional assessment
A clinician explores symptoms, duration, functioning, safety and other explanations.
Recovery plan
Treatment and support are personalised to your needs, culture and circumstances.
Trauma and PTSD screening
Choose the answer that best reflects your experience. There are no right or wrong answers.
In the past month, have you…
Your result
Understanding the score
Personalised next steps
Save or share your result
Your score remains private unless you choose to copy, print or email it.
A one-minute grounding exercise
This exercise is optional. Stop if focusing on your breathing makes you more distressed. You may instead look around and name objects in the room.
Breathing cycle
Inhale gently as the circle expands. Hold while it stays large. Exhale slowly as the circle shrinks. Rest while it remains small.
Five senses alternative
- Name five things you can see.
- Name four things you can feel.
- Name three things you can hear.
- Name two things you can smell.
- Name one thing you can taste or appreciate.
What happens next?
Monitor and learn
Notice changes in sleep, reminders, avoidance, irritability and daily functioning. Read the Trauma and PTSD Knowledge Hub.
Seek assessment
A trauma-informed professional can explore whether PTSD, anxiety, depression, grief or another condition better explains your experience.
Use urgent support
Do not wait for another online test. Contact emergency services, a hospital or a trusted person immediately.
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PC-PTSD-5 methodology
The Primary Care PTSD Screen for DSM-5 was developed by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs National Center for PTSD. It contains a trauma exposure gate followed by five yes/no symptom questions. The score is the number of “Yes” responses, ranging from 0 to 5.
Official guidance notes that a cut-point of 4 balanced false positives and false negatives in a large VA primary-care sample. Different services may use different thresholds depending on the population and the consequences of missing people who need care. This Convo tool therefore avoids presenting any score as a diagnosis.