Adaptive PTSD care in community health centers

Testing Adaptive Interventions to Improve PTSD Treatment Outcomes in Federally Qualified Health Centers

NIH-funded research University of Michigan at Ann Arbor · NIH-11177615

This project offers a stepped-care plan that starts with low- or medium-intensity PTSD treatments and steps up to more intensive therapy for adults getting care at federally qualified health centers if needed.

Quick facts

Grant typeR01 grant
Study typeNIH-funded research
Funding institutionUniversity of Michigan at Ann Arbor NIH-funded
Lab location1 site (Ann Arbor, United States)
Project IDNIH-11177615 on NIH RePORTER

What this research studies

If you join, you would begin with a lower-intensity option like the PTSD Coach app or a brief Prolonged Exposure for Primary Care (PE-PC). Researchers will watch early treatment response and use a Sequential, Multiple Assignment, Randomized Trial (SMART) design to decide whether to keep you on the same level or move you to a higher-intensity therapy such as full Prolonged Exposure. The program is delivered in Federally Qualified Health Centers that serve low-income adults. Follow-up visits will track symptoms and functioning over time to see which stepwise paths give the best long-term results.

Who could benefit from this research

Good fit: Adults with PTSD who receive care at participating Federally Qualified Health Centers and are willing to try app-based or brief PE treatments (with possible escalation to full PE) would be ideal candidates.

Not a fit: Young children, people not receiving care at participating FQHCs, or individuals who need immediate intensive psychiatric care may not benefit from this stepped approach.

Why it matters

Potential benefit: If successful, this could help more people get the right level of PTSD treatment sooner and improve recovery rates in low-resource clinics.

How similar studies have performed: Low- and medium-intensity approaches like PTSD Coach and PE for Primary Care have shown effectiveness in low-resource settings, but using a SMART stepped-care sequence to tailor escalation is relatively new.

Where this research is happening

Ann Arbor, United States

Researchers

About this research

  1. This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
  2. Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
  3. For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.
Last reviewed 2026-06-13 by the Find a Trial editorial team. Information on this page is for educational purposes and is not medical advice. Always consult qualified healthcare professionals about clinical trial participation.