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Written Exposure Therapy for Veterans With SUD and PTSD

Written Exposure Therapy (WET) as a Brief Trauma Treatment for Veterans With Co-occurring Substance Use Disorders and PTSD

Who can join

Ages 18 and older · All sexes

Inclusion Criteria:

* Veterans ages 18 years old or older;
* Meets DSM-5 criteria for at least one substance use disorder (SUD);
* Meets DSM-5 criteria for PTSD;
* Approved for SUD treatment at VA Connecticut Healthcare System.

Exclusion Criteria:

* Veterans who meet current criteria for schizophrenia, schizophrenia-type disorders, or unmedicated mania or bipolar disorder as determined by QuickSCID-5;
* current suicidal or homicidal risks necessitating a higher level of care;
* Veterans who have received an Evidence-Based Psychotherapy for PTSD protocol within the past 6 months;
* Problems that would prevent a participant from completing the writing intervention or study assessments (e.g., illiteracy). To assess for literacy, participants will read parts of the consent out loud.

About the study

The proposed project will evaluate the efficacy of written exposure therapy (WET) among Veterans engaged in substance use disorder (SUD) treatment, who present with co-occurring posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). While SUD treatment programs traditionally do not address PTSD, effective trauma treatments have been used successfully among those with substance use comorbidities. WET is a brief trauma-focused intervention shown to effectively treat PTSD. In a recent acceptability and feasibility pilot study among Veterans with co-occurring SUD and PTSD, results showed a decrease in PTSD symptoms among participants receiving WET. The goal of the present study is to improve outcomes for Veterans who present for SUD treatment with comorbid SUD/PTSD.

What is being tested

• Written Exposure Therapy (behavioral)
• Neutral Topic Writing (behavioral)

Sponsor: VA Office of Research and Development · Participants: 170 · Started: Sep 26, 2022

Contact the study team

• Vera Bici, BA · Phone: (203) 932-5711
• Amanda O'Brien, MA · Phone: (203) 932-5711

Official record on ClinicalTrials.gov — NCT05327504

Locations in the U.S.

Conditions

• Drug Use and Addiction
• Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder

From ClinicalTrials.gov, data retrieved Sep 30, 2026. Each study sets its own eligibility; the study team decides who can join.