Can talk therapy tame PTSD behind bars?
NCT ID NCT07283757
First seen Jun 26, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
This study tests whether Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT), a talk therapy used in the community, can reduce PTSD symptoms and rule-breaking in incarcerated men and women. About 900 participants from 6 prisons will attend 8–12 therapy sessions over up to 24 weeks. Researchers will track conduct reports and PTSD symptom scores to see if the therapy helps.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- Cognitive Processing Therapy (a type of talk therapy)
- What this could lead to
- If it works, this could provide an effective, evidence-based PTSD treatment tailored for incarcerated populations, potentially reducing violence and substance use in prisons.
- What could go wrong
- This is a behavioral intervention study without a control group, so results may be influenced by other factors. The prison environment may limit participation or adherence, and benefits seen in community settings may not fully translate.
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
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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
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About 900 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Dec 2025
- Expected to finish
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Dec 2029
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
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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
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18 years and older
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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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 Hide 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.
Participants will be enrolled from the Department of Corrections trauma treatment waitlist who have been screened for: * No active symptoms of psychosis that would interfere with the individual's ability to participate in the group * No active suicidal ideation with intent or plan * Able and willing to participate in group therapy * 18 years old or older * meet PCL-5 criteria for current PTSD diagnosis within 2 months of enrollment * No scheduled release date before the end of the treatment group * able to understand the consent form as measured by the consent quiz * have not participated in the previous CPT groups with UW project
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Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
How to take part
Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.
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The places running it
1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.
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The official record
ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.
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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
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Psychiatric Institute and Clinic
RECRUITINGMadison, Wisconsin, 53719, United States
More trials for these conditions
Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
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- Can a therapist on a screen ease both trauma and pain?
- Zapping the Brain's fear hub: a new hope for PTSD?
- Can a drug combo or therapy dogs ease PTSD?
- Can six short writing sessions ease PTSD in underserved patients?
- Can a psychedelic compound help veterans and first responders with PTSD and alcohol use disorder?