Recovery-Oriented Treatment for Veterans After a Suicidal Episode

This study is testing two behavioral interventions for Veterans who have recently experienced a suicidal episode. One is Continuous Identity Cognitive Therapy (CI-CT), which combines elements of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) to help Veterans build a more hopeful future. The other is General Health Education, a group program focusing on health and wellness topics like sleep and physical activity. Researchers want to see if these treatments improve recovery and reduce suicidal thoughts. You may be able to join if you are a Veteran aged 18 or older, have had a suicide attempt or plan within the last year, and are receiving mental health services at JJPVA. The study aims to enroll 57 participants.

Study design
This interventional study is testing two different group therapies. It will involve multiple small trials to refine the CI-CT therapy before a larger pilot study.
What's involved
Not specified in the trial record.
Compensation
Not stated in the trial record.
Follow-up
Your recovery and suicidal thoughts will be measured at the start of the study, right after the intervention, and then again 3 months and 6 months later.

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NCT04731519

Development of a Recovery Oriented Treatment for Post-Acute Suicidal Episode (PASE) Veterans

Recruiting
NAAges 18+Interventional
VA Office of Research and Development
~57 participants
Updated 2026-03-13 on ClinicalTrials.gov
What's tested:Continuous Identity Cognitive Therapy (CI-CT)General Health Education

At a glance

Recruiting sites
1 of 1 listed site is recruiting right now
RecruitingSuspended, closed, or not yet open
What they're measuring
Change in Recovery Assessment Scale
Measured over four assessment time points: (TP-1) baseline, (TP-2) immediately following intervention, (TP-3) follow-up at 3 months post-intervention and (TP-4) 6 months post-intervention
+1 more outcome measured
Suicide
1 sites across 1 states
New York1
  • Yosef A Sokol, PhD · PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR · James J. Peters Veterans Affairs Medical Center

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Do you actually qualify for this trial?

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Eligibility criteria

Inclusion

suicide attempt, or creation of a suicide plan with intent or preparatory behavior, within the past year, as assessed using the Columbia Suicide Severity Rating Scale (CSSRS) - to provide this information, in addition to the standard lifetime/3 months categories in the CSSRS a 1 year category will be added
participation in mental health services at the JJPVA
sufficient clinical stability and readiness to participate in a group therapy as deemed by a mental health treatment provider
sufficient medical stability as deemed by a medical provider
Veteran of US Military
resides in NYC region

Exclusion

active alcohol or opiate dependence requiring medically supervised withdrawal
imminent risk of suicidal or homicidal behavior
acute suicidal episode within past week
current acute suicidal symptoms (based on scores of the BSI and SBQ-R - see above)
inability to perform CI-CT treatment tasks based on their performance on a sample reading and writing task from the CI-CT manual (given during screening), operationalized as an ability to read the sample material, understand the instructions, and write a response connected with the material and in line with the writing instructions
unable to speak English
lack of capacity to consent
unable or unwilling to provide at least one contact for emergency purposes
unable to attend outpatient group treatment program
participation in another intervention RCT
insufficient interpersonal functioning to function appropriately within the group assessed through a consultation with the referrer and the Veterans' mental health provider about their interpersonal functioning and ability to tolerate group therapy, and a chart review searching for disruptive behavior in group therapy
  • Change in Recovery Assessment Scalefour assessment time points: (TP-1) baseline, (TP-2) immediately following intervention, (TP-3) follow-up at 3 months post-intervention and (TP-4) 6 months post-intervention

    The RAS is a 41-item self-report measure using a 5-point Likert scale with outcome scores ranging from 1-5 and increasing scores indicating better outcomes. Sample items include: 'I have a desire to succeed.' and 'I have goals in life that I want to reach.' Factor analysis identified five factors: personal confidence and hope, willingness to ask for help, goal and success orientation, reliance on others, and not being dominated by symptoms (Salzer \& Brusilovskiy, 2014). Narrative reviews of recovery measures have been highly favorable toward the RAS which has been described as the most acceptable and valid measure of personal recovery available (Salzer \& Brusilovskiy, 2014)

  • Change in Columbia Suicide Severity Rating Scalefour assessment time points: (TP-1) baseline, (TP-2) immediately following intervention, (TP-3) follow-up at 3 months post-intervention and (TP-4) 6 months post-intervention

    a widely used semi-structured interview in VA clinical studies measuring suicide ideation and behavior has demonstrated sensitivity to change (Stanley \& Brown, 2008). The first subscale, (severity scale) is a 6-point ordinal scale, ranging from 1 (wish to be dead) to 5 (suicidal intent with plan). The second subscale, (intensity scale) is comprised of five items (i.e., frequency, duration, controllability, deterrents, reasons for ideation), rated on an ordinal scale (total scores ranging from 2 to 25). The behavior scale is a 5-point scale assessing interrupted, aborted, and actual suicide attempts; preparatory behavior for a suicide attempt; and non-suicidal self-injurious behavior.