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Facilitating Transition to Recommended PTSD Treatment
Sponsor: VA Office of Research and Development
Summary
Cognitive processing therapy (CPT) and prolonged exposure therapy (PE) were widely disseminated as recommended posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) treatments. However, post-9/11 Veterans with PTSD rarely initiate CPT or PE, especially as an initial treatment. Little research has explored the combinations and sequences of psychosocial and medication treatments that Veterans receive ("treatment sequences"). One common and understudied treatment sequence begins with stabilization treatment, which is designed to prepare Veterans for CPT or PE. There is a significant research gap in understanding how treatment sequence affects initiation of CPT or PE. The proposed research is an innovative, mixed-methods approach to assessing the impact of variability in treatment sequence, including stabilization treatment, on initiation of CPT or PE and applying this knowledge by developing a health services intervention that facilitates timely transition to CPT or PE. Research aims can improve PTSD treatment by increasing initiation of and reducing disparities in CPT/PE.
Official title: Improving Care for Veterans by Understanding and Facilitating Transition to Recommended PTSD Treatment (CDA 21-194)
Key Details
Gender
All
Age Range
18 Years - Any
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Enrollment
40
Start Date
2026-05-01
Completion Date
2027-05-03
Last Updated
2026-02-27
Healthy Volunteers
No
Conditions
Interventions
Treatment As Usual
Care Coordination Treatment as usual with a VA mental health treatment coordinator
New Health Services Intervention
The experimental care coordination intervention begins with a 60-minute in-person session and continues with regular, brief contacts between the Veteran and clinician. During the first session, the clinician and Veteran will (1) discuss the Veteran's beliefs about their presenting problem; (2) collaboratively identify SMART goals; (3) discuss treatment options; (4) use shared decision-making to match treatment to SMART goals; (5) develop criteria to evaluate treatment progress; and (6) manage treatment expectations. During follow-up sessions, the clinician and Veteran will reflect on treatment progress, make appropriate updates to SMART goals, and re-evaluate barriers to CPT or PE.
Locations (1)
San Francisco VA Medical Center, San Francisco, CA
San Francisco, California, United States