Current Projects
Stress First Aid for Harm ReDuction Workers
Our research team is working on a new project focused on supporting the well-being of the harm reduction workforce. We are collaborating with harm reduction workers to adapt Stress First Aid—a support program designed to reduce occupational stress—specifically for the needs of harm reduction, community health, and peer support workers for persons who use drugs.
Stress First Aid plans to expand into a large research study serving Texas, Louisiana, Arkansas, Oklahoma, New Mexico, and tribal areas in 2025.​
Strength At Home Parents
We are currently conducting a clinical trial of our trauma-informed and cognitive behavioral Strength at Home – Parents program compared to referral to the Parenting for Veterans web-based program. We want to know if our program demonstrates efficacy to address parenting difficulties in veterans with PTSD and parent-child functioning problems.​
Deprexis
Depressive symptoms are common among Veterans and associated with significant impairment. Timely intervention has the potential to improve mental health outcomes and restore functioning. Interventions delivered through the internet can be completed remotely at any time, and thus minimize burden on Veterans, however the research examining their utility in Veterans is limited. This project examines Deprexis, a self-guided internet-delivered intervention, which targets depressive symptoms and associated functional impairments. Interviews will be conducted to gain insight into Veterans’ perceptions, needs, and preferences vis-a-vis Deprexis. Results will inform a randomized controlled trial, where an 8-week course of Deprexis will be compared to a treatment-as-usual control condition to establish if Deprexis is acceptable and effective for Veterans with mild to moderate depressive symptoms. This project could help provide a readily accessible, high-quality intervention for the many Veterans suffering from depressive symptoms, with the potential to improve functioning and long-term outcomes.
