PTSD Treatment for Veterans with Serious Mental Illness

This study is for Veterans who have post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and a serious mental illness (SMI). It aims to see how well Written Exposure Therapy (WET) works for these Veterans. WET is a type of talk therapy where you write about your traumatic experiences. The study also includes PTSD Education, which is a group program about PTSD and coping skills. Researchers want to understand if WET is practical and acceptable for Veterans with SMI, and how to make treatments more helpful for Black, Indigenous, and other people of color (BIPOC) Veterans. Success will be measured by how many people join and stay in the study, and how satisfied they are with the treatment. The study is currently unclear about its recruitment status and plans to enroll 48 participants.

Study design
This is an interventional study with an unclear status, planning to enroll 48 participants. It will compare Written Exposure Therapy (WET) with PTSD Education.
What's involved
Not specified in the trial record.
Compensation
Not stated in the trial record.
Follow-up
Participants will be followed for retention and adherence rates at study completion, which is approximately 4 years.

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NCT05674617

PTSD Treatment for Veterans With Serious Mental Illness to Improve Functional Outcomes

Recruiting
NAAges 18+InterventionalTreatment
VA Office of Research and Development
~48 participants
Updated 2026-05-06 on ClinicalTrials.gov
What's tested:Written Exposure TherapyPTSD 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
Number of participants eligible divided by Individuals approached for recruitment
Measured over Through study completion, an average of 1 year
+4 more outcomes measured
Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic; Mental Disorders
1 sites across 1 states
Maryland1
  • Mary K Howell, PhD · PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR · Baltimore VA Medical Center VA Maryland Health Care System, Baltimore, MD

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Eligibility criteria

Inclusion

enrolled in outpatient mental health services within the VAMHCS (including general outpatient Mental Health Clinic (MHC), Psychosocial Rehabilitation and Recovery Centers (PRRCs), Mental Health Intensive Case Management (MHICM), and PTSD Clinical Teams (PCTs))
diagnosis of PTSD as confirmed by assessment with the Clinician-administered PTSD Scale for DSM-5 (CAPS-5) past month version
SMI diagnosis as defined by VHA Directive 1160 (i.e., psychotic spectrum or bipolar disorders) as confirmed by the medical record
regular telephone access

Exclusion

are engaging in moderate-to-severe substance use that would impact their ability to participate and/or would require a higher level of care
already engaged in trauma-focused EBP for PTSD (e.g., WET, CPT, PE, or EMDR) or completed an EBP for PTSD within the past 6 months
  • Number of participants eligible divided by Individuals approached for recruitmentThrough study completion, an average of 1 year

    As a measure of feasibility, the investigators will evaluate recruitment and suitability of eligibility criteria by calculating number eligible participants (e.g., those that passed screening) divided by number potential participants that were approached for recruitment.

  • Client Satisfaction Questionnaire (CSQ-8)Post-treatment (~7 weeks)

    Acceptability Full measure title: Client Satisfaction Questionnaire (CSQ-8) Minimum score: 8 Maximum score: 32 Score interpretation: Greater scores indicate greater client satisfaction. Citation: Attkisson, C. C., \& Greenfield, T. K. (1994). Client Satisfaction Questionnaire-8 and Service Satisfaction Scale-30. In M. E. Maruish (Ed.), The use of psychological testing for treatment planning and outcome assessment (p. 402-420). Hillsdale, NJ, US: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc.

  • Retention and adherence ratesat study completion, approximately 4 years

    As a measure of feasibility, the investigators will calculate percent of randomized who attend first 2 sessions.

  • Mean number of sessions attendedat study completion, approximately 4 years

    A measure of feasibility via adherence.

  • Treatment dropout percentageat study completion, approximately 4 years

    As a measure of feasibility, the investigators will calculate treatment dropout percentage based on the number who dropped out prior to completing treatment divided by the number who engaged.