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Can cramming PTSD therapy into a few weeks help veterans cut substance use?

NCT ID NCT06296186

Disease control Sponsor: Veterans Medical Research Foundation Source: ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

What the study statuses mean

This study's is highlighted.

Recruitment status, easiest to join first

Recruiting now This study
This trial is taking on new participants right now.
Not yet recruiting
Registered, but not yet taking participants.
By invitation only
Not open to general applications. Only people the study team invites can take part.
Paused
Paused for now. It may or may not start again.
Ongoing
Running, but no longer taking on new participants.
Completed
The trial has finished. Results may not be published yet.
Stopped early
Stopped early, before it reached the end. That can be for many reasons, including safety.
Cancelled
Cancelled before anyone took part.

Expanded access (not trials)

Expanded access
Not a trial. This treatment can be requested outside a study, case by case, for people who qualify.
Expanded access (paused)
Not a trial. The treatment can normally be requested outside a study, but is unavailable right now.
Expanded access (ended)
Not a trial. The treatment could once be requested outside a study, but no longer can.
Approved
The treatment has been approved, so it is available normally rather than through this programme.

When the status isn't known

Details not published
The full record has not been published yet, so there is little to show here.
Status unknown
This status has not been confirmed recently, so it may be out of date.

First seen Aug 27, 2026 · Last updated Aug 28, 2026 · Updated 1 time

Summary

This trial tests whether giving prolonged exposure therapy for PTSD in a massed format, with multiple sessions each week, works as well as the standard once-a-week schedule for veterans who are also in intensive outpatient treatment for substance use disorder. Researchers will compare PTSD symptom severity, substance use, and therapy completion rates between the two schedules. The goal is to see if a more intensive therapy schedule can help veterans benefit from PTSD treatment while they are also working on reducing substance use.

What this could mean

Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.

Active substance
Prolonged Exposure Therapy, a type of talk therapy for PTSD, given in a massed format with multiple sessions per week
What this could lead to
If it works, this could offer a faster, more practical way to deliver PTSD therapy to veterans who are also in substance use treatment, potentially improving both PTSD symptoms and substance use outcomes.
What could go wrong
This is a behavioral therapy trial, so results depend on participant engagement and therapist delivery. The massed format may be too intense for some, and the trial's findings may not apply to all veterans or treatment settings.

This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.

Study facts

What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.

Phase

Not a phased trial

Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.

Participants

About 200 people

The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.

Started

Sep 2024

Expected to finish

Aug 2028

An estimate. End dates often move.

Lead sponsor

Other sponsor

The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.

Who can take part

This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.

Ages

18 years and older

Sex

Anyone

Healthy volunteers

Not accepted

This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.

Show the full entry requirements

Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.

Inclusion Criteria: * Veterans * age 18+ * who have served since September 2001 * who are enrolled in a SUD IOP at a participating VA * meet DSM-5 criteria for a current SUD (Tobacco Use Disorder alone not sufficient for inclusion) * meet DSM-5 criteria for PTSD * report substance use at least 20 of the last 90 days * are able to give informed consent. Exclusion Criteria: * severe cognitive impairment * current suicidal or homicidal intent requiring immediate treatment * current unstable psychotic or manic symptoms not attributable to SUD

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Conditions

The condition(s) this trial relates to.

post-traumatic stress disorder substance-related disorder

As listed by the trial registrant

The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.

Stress disorders, post-traumatic Substance use disorders

How to take part

Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.

  1. The places running it

    6 sites. The list below names each one and where it is.

  2. The official record

    ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.

    Open the record ↗

  3. A doctor treating you

    A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.

Contacts and locations

Locations

  • Cleveland VA

    RECRUITING

    Cleveland, Ohio, 44106, United States

  • Hines VA Healthcare System

    RECRUITING

    Chicago, Illinois, 60141, United States

  • New Orleans VA Medical Center

    RECRUITING

    New Orleans, Louisiana, 70119, United States

  • VA Atlanta Healthcare System

    RECRUITING

    Atlanta, Georgia, 30033, United States

  • VA San Diego Healthcare System

    RECRUITING

    San Diego, California, 92161, United States

  • VA Tampa Healthcare System

    RECRUITING

    Tampa, Florida, 33612, United States

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