Written Exposure in Substance Treatment (WEST 3.0): Randomized Controlled Trial

Part of paid clinical trials in Baltimore, Maryland.

Sponsor
Potomac Health Foundations
Study ID
NCT07782268
Status
Not Yet Recruiting

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Conditions

  • Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
  • Substance Use Disorder (SUD)

Eligibility Criteria

Sex
ALL
Age
18 Years - N/A
Healthy Volunteers
Not accepted

Interventions

  • Written Exposure Therapy — BEHAVIORAL
    Written Exposure Therapy is a brief, evidenced based intervention for PTSD. WET is generally delivered individually across 5 sessions in which the therapist guides the patient through writing exercises. Across exposure sessions, participants experience habituation so that their symptoms decrease by the end of treatment. WET has an established evidence base in general outpatient psychotherapy for PTSD, but has not been adapted or tested in residential SUD treatment settings. Further, the investigators have adapted WET for this setting based on stakeholder and expert feedback.
  • Treatment as Usual — BEHAVIORAL
    Treatment as Usual will include a variety of standard care services offered in short term residential treatment. For example, participants receiving TAU will participate in individual case management/general counseling sessions focused on substance use disorder and its consequences, group based psychoeducation sessions, group based counseling sessions (e.g., relapse prevention planning), individual services with a medical provider and pharmacotherapy (e.g., for withdrawal, relapse prevention, or co-occurring conditions)

Study Details

The purpose of the current research study is to evaluate the efficacy of the refined Written Exposure in Substance Treatment (WEST) for PTSD among residential SUD patients through a randomized controlled trial. All participants meet criteria for PTSD and are in a short term residential SUD treatment program (target residential treatment duration = 28 days) regardless of the research. Participants will be randomly assigned to WEST + treatment as usual (TAU) or TAU only. The primary outcome is change in PTSD symptoms from pre-intervention to post-intervention. The secondary outcome will be change in SUD outcomes (e.g., treatment completion, reduced opioid and other drug use) and change in non-PTSD mental health outcomes (e.g., depression) from pre-intervention to post-intervention.

Key Dates

First listed
Aug 24, 2026
Start date
Sep 1, 2026
Status verified
Aug 2026
Primary completion
May 31, 2030
Completion
May 31, 2030

Study Design

Enrollment
400 participants (estimated)
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
TREATMENT

Arms

  • Experimental: TAU + Adapted Written Exposure Therapy (WET)
    Participants in this condition receive everything included in TAU plus 5 individual sessions of WET delivered by a therapist. WET has been adapted for delivery in a residential SUD setting according to expert feedback. Sessions average less than 60 minutes and primarily involve writing about the traumatic experience that is guided by the therapist.
  • Active Comparator: TAU
    Treatment as Usual will include a variety of standard care services offered in short term residential treatment.

Primary Outcome Measure

PTSD symptom reduction [ Time Frame: Pre-WEST intervention; 4 weeks post-randomization, 8 weeks post-randomization, and 12 weeks post-randomization. ]

Central Contacts

Locations (1)

FacilityCityStateZIPSite coordinators
Maryland Treatment CentersBaltimoreMaryland21229
Kevin Wenzel, PhD
[email protected]
410-233-1400
Marc Fishman, MD
[email protected]
410-233-1400

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By research site
Maryland Treatment Centers· Baltimore, MD

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