Adaptive Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT) Therapist Training
Official title: SMART Therapist Training: A Hybrid Factorial-SMART Design
Run by VA Office of Research and Development · NCT07010770 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project tests different sequences of training methods to find the best way to help VA therapists learn and stick to Cognitive Processing Therapy so Veterans with PTSD get higher-quality care.
Quick facts
| Study type | Interventional |
|---|---|
| Ages | 18 Years and up |
| Sex | All |
| Enrollment | 240 (estimated) |
| Sponsor | VA Office of Research and Development Federal |
| Locations | 4 sites (Palo Alto, California and 3 other locations) |
| Status | Recruiting |
| Started | August 15, 2025 |
| Main results expected | May 31, 2030 |
| Study ends | August 31, 2030 |
| Registry record updated | July 31, 2026 |
| Trial ID | NCT07010770 on ClinicalTrials.gov |
Is this trial a fit for you?
✓Likely a good fit
Licensed mental health clinicians or mental health trainees working in VA settings who provide psychotherapy regularly, can participate for nine months, and have local supervisory support are ideal candidates.
✕Probably not a fit
Patients who are not treated with CPT, who receive care outside participating VA sites, or whose therapists do not complete the training are unlikely to benefit directly from this project.
A plain-English reading of the study's rules. Only the study team can confirm whether you qualify.
What this trial studies
This multi-site, hybrid factorial SMART design randomizes VA mental health clinicians to combinations of training strategies (web-based training, work sample review, self-monitoring, session audio review, and standard consultation) and adapts training based on therapists' performance. The goal is to identify which components and sequences produce the highest therapist fidelity to the CPT protocol. Therapists are enrolled from participating VHA sites and followed across a 9-month training and consultation period with objective fidelity measurements from recorded sessions and work samples. The end product is an empirically optimized, personalized training pathway intended for scalable rollout within VHA.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, Veterans could receive more consistent, high-fidelity CPT from therapists, which should improve PTSD symptom outcomes.
How similar studies have gone: Cognitive Processing Therapy itself has strong randomized-trial evidence for PTSD, but using an adaptive SMART design to optimize sequences of CPT training components is a novel and relatively untested approach.
Who can join: the full rules
Show full inclusion / exclusion criteria
Inclusion Criteria: We have designed the sample to be representative of therapists who are eligible for CPT rollout training. * Participants must be licensed mental health clinicians or a mental health trainee in VA service (e.g., practicum students, psychology interns, postdoctoral fellows) whose formal job responsibilities include the provision of psychotherapy services to Veterans on a regular basis * Participants must be able to participate for 9 months. * Participants must work in a setting where CPT may be implemented (12 weekly 60-minute individual sessions or 90-minute group sessions). * Participants must have local/supervisor support to implement CPT and fully participate in all training and consultation activities. * Participating trainees (e.g. psychology interns) on a 6-month training rotation must have permission from their supervisors to continue the study into their next rotation. Exclusion Criteria: * Participant is not a licensed mental health clinician * Participant is already certified in CPT
Where it's running
-
VA Palo Alto Health Care System, Palo Alto, CA
Palo Alto, California, United States Recruiting -
VA Ann Arbor Healthcare System, Ann Arbor, MI
Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States Recruiting -
Minneapolis VA Health Care System, Minneapolis, MN
Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States Recruiting -
Cincinnati VA Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH
Cincinnati, Ohio, United States Recruiting
Study contacts
- Principal investigator: Rebecca Kaufman Sripada, PhD MS — VA Ann Arbor Healthcare System, Ann Arbor, MI
- Study coordinator: Rebecca K Sripada, PhD MS
- Email: rebecca.sripada@va.gov
- Phone: (734) 222-7432
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How to take part
- Review the eligibility criteria above with your treating physician.
- Check the official listing on ClinicalTrials.gov for the latest contact details and recruitment status.
- Contact the study coordinator or principal investigator to ask for pre-screening. Pre-screening is free and never obligates you to enroll.