Evaluating Supplementing Residential Substance Use Treatment With Written Exposure Therapy for Veterans With Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and Substance Use Disorders (SUD)
PTSD, Substance Use Disorders
About this trial
This is an interventional treatment trial for PTSD focused on measuring PTSD, Substance Use Disorders, Treatment, Comorbidity
Eligibility Criteria
Inclusion Criteria:
- Diagnoses of a substance use disorder (SUD) and PTSD
- Enrolled in the residential substance use disorder treatment program (DOM SUD) at the Salem VAMC
Exclusion Criteria:
- Current Manic Episode
- Current Suicidal Intent
- Previous Written Exposure treatment
- Unable to write
Sites / Locations
- Salem VA Medical Center, Salem, VARecruiting
Arms of the Study
Arm 1
Arm 2
Experimental
Active Comparator
resWET
Treatment as Usual (TAU)
Residential Written Exposure Therapy (resWET): Treatment as Usual (TAU) plus 5-individual Written Exposure Therapy (WET) sessions (40-60 min each; Marx & Sloan, 2019) twice a week for two weeks and once a week for the final session, administered by WET trained psychologists, social workers, or postdoctoral residents. Treatment instructions are read, patients write for 30 minutes, and the writing is briefly processed. No formal written homework is required.
Treatment as Usual (DOM SUD): The DOM SUD (TAU) is a 24-bed intensive substance use disorder (SUD) residential program with a typical 28-day length of stay. The program focuses on evidence-based treatments for SUD such as Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy, Motivational Enhancement Therapy, Medication Assisted Treatment, and Contingency Management therapy. Patients diagnosed with Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) are typically referred to outpatient PTSD treatment following DOM SUD and often attend Seeking Safety during the program. Most of the programming is group-based though Veterans also have weekly individual case management appointments.