STEP Home Workshop for Recently Transitioned Veterans

This study is testing a program called STEP-Home-SP to help Veterans who have recently left military service. Many Veterans face challenges and a higher risk of suicide during their first year after leaving the military, especially if they are not connected to VA healthcare. STEP-Home-SP is a group workshop that meets for about 1.5 hours per week for 12 weeks. It teaches skills like managing emotions and solving problems, specifically for Veterans. The study wants to see if this program, along with existing support like the Transition Assistance Program (TAP) and VA Solid Start, can help Veterans reintegrate into civilian life and reduce their risk of suicide. We are looking for 120 Veterans between 18 and 65 years old who have left military service within the last three years and are experiencing some difficulties with their transition. The study will measure how easy it is to recruit and enroll Veterans, and gather feedback on the program.

Study design
This is an interventional study with a planned enrollment of 120 participants. It is testing a behavioral intervention called STEP-Home-SP.
What's involved
Participants in the STEP-Home-SP group will meet for approximately 1.5 hours per week for 12 weeks. The study will also involve interviews to gather feedback for about 3 months.
Compensation
Not stated in the trial record.
Follow-up
The study will measure feasibility outcomes for an average of one year, and qualitative feedback for an average of 3 months.

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NCT05995678

A Mixed Methods Pilot Trial of the STEP Home Workshop to Improve Reintegration and Reduce Suicide Risk for Recently Transitioned Veterans

Recruiting
NAAges 18–65InterventionalPrevention
VA Office of Research and Development
~120 participants
Updated 2026-03-06 on ClinicalTrials.gov
What's tested:STEP-Home-SPTransition Assistance ProgramVA Solid Start

At a glance

Recruiting sites
1 of 1 listed site is recruiting right now
RecruitingSuspended, closed, or not yet open
What they're measuring
Feasibility- recruitment interest
Measured over Through study completion, an average of one year.
+6 more outcomes measured
TBI
Suicide Prevention
Veterans
PTSD
Transdiagnostic
Anger
1 sites across 1 states
Massachusetts1
  • Catherine B Fortier, PhD · PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR · VA Boston Healthcare System Jamaica Plain Campus, Jamaica Plain, MA

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Eligibility criteria

Inclusion

Recently transitioned Veterans within three years of separation from military service
Self-reported functional impairment or reintegration difficulties as measured by the Military-to-Civilian Questionnaire (any item score \> 1 indicating "some difficulty"; M2CQ; \[71\])
Sufficient English fluency
Agree to participate (informed consent/HIPAA)

Exclusion

Active psychosis
Imminent or acute high suicide risk requiring immediate crisis intervention (low-moderate non-imminent risk for suicide is allowed)
Current moderate or severe substance use disorder
Neurological diagnosis excluding TBI
Participants with mild substance use disorder will be allowed
Substance use is a common behavior that may contribute to reintegration difficulties and suicide risk
  • Feasibility- recruitment interestThrough study completion, an average of one year.

    ratio interested of those approached for the workshop

  • Feasibility- enrollmentThrough study completion, an average of one year.

    Ratio enrolled (consented) of those approached, greater than 20% of those interested enroll in the proposed time frame

  • Feasibility- qualitative via Narrative Evaluation of Intervention InterviewThrough study completion, an average of 3 months.

    Identification of challenges and facilitators during the recruitment process as assessed by study staff as well as feedback from focus group participants generated using the Narrative Evaluation of Intervention Interview (NEII). This is an interview composed of 16 open ended questions that allows participants to evaluate the process and outcomes of the intervention. Reviewers will generate a list of themes based on the responses to this interview.

  • Feasibility- Treatment Fidelity/adherenceThrough study completion, an average of 1 week.

    Supervisor and therapist Likert rating of adherence to content for core skills and treatment modules, less than 20% deviations on a treatment fidelity scale. Lower scores indicate stronger treatment fidelity, with each question being answered on a scale from 1 (Strongly Agree) to 5 (Strongly Disagree).

  • Acceptability- Veteran adherenceThrough study completion, an average of one year.

    Attendance rate for the 12-session workshop

  • Acceptability- Quantitative satisfaction via Client satisfaction questionnaire ChangeAssessed at baseline (0 weeks), T4 (after 12 weeks), and T5 (after 24 weeks)

    Client satisfaction questionnaire (CSQ-8), total scores range from 8 to 32 with higher scores indicating higher satisfaction. A priori criteria is that greater than 80% of participants will score greater that a 24 on the CSQ-8.

  • Reintegration status- Military to Civilian Questionnaire (M2CQ) ChangeAssessed at screening, baseline (0 weeks), T4 (after 12 weeks) and T5 (after 24 weeks)

    16 questions are answered on a scale from 0 (no difficulty) to 4 (extreme difficulty), with lower scores indicating more successful reintegration.