Augmenting cognitive processing therapy with a peer-led support intervention to improve well-being: a sustainable and scalable model for enhancing ptsd recovery in vulnerable populations - in the…

Boston University Medical Campus received a $567,000 Project Grant from the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) under the Mental Health Research Grants program (CFDA 93.242), awarded September 8, 2025, with a completion date of September 7, 2028. The award funds research to augment Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT)—a first-line evidence-based psychotherapy for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)—with a peer-led support intervention designed to enhance mental well-being outcomes in vulnerable populations. This three-year initiative addresses a critical research gap by focusing not only on core PTSD symptom reduction but also on broader mental well-being improvement as part of holistic recovery.

The research specifically targets women veterans, particularly those with intersecting marginalized identities, who experience high rates of PTSD and well-being decline after military service separation. The project aims to develop an accessible, feasible, and scalable care delivery model that addresses documented barriers including limited access to specialized resources, difficulty establishing community connections, and social isolation. By combining CPT with peer support mechanisms, the research seeks to create a sustainable intervention framework that improves mental health outcomes while reducing healthcare disparities in this underserved population.

Augmenting cognitive processing therapy with a peer-led support intervention to improve well-being: a sustainable and scalable model for enhancing ptsd recovery in vulnerable populations - in the absence of treatment, posttraumatic stress disorder (ptsd) is chronic and enduring with significant impact on patients' quality of life and well-being. While robust, evidence-based psychotherapies (ebps) exist for treating ptsd, the primary focus of clinical trials has been on core symptom reduction with less attention to their impact on mental well-being (MWB). There is a growing recognition of the importance of improvement in MWB in achieving holistic recovery from mental health conditions. Augmenting ebps for ptsd with interventions designed to target critical aspects of mental well-being may move the needle further toward recovery from ptsd. Developing models of care delivery that are accessible, feasible, and tolerable for the most vulnerable populations, such as those experiencing health disparities, is critical. Women veterans, a racially and ethnically diverse subgroup of the military population, are at high risk for poor mental health (including ptsd) and for declines in well-being after separation from service. These declines are due, in part, to low base rates in civilian communities, lack of recognition for service by the general population, and limited access to resources designed to meet their unique needs. Women veterans, especially those with additional marginalized identities, report difficulty establishing connections and belongingness with both veteran and civilian populations resulting in loneliness and isolation, known risk factors for negative mental health outcomes. Cognitive processing therapy (CPT) is a first-line treatment that has been shown to result in large decreases in ptsd symptoms, as well as moderate improvement in aspects of mental well-being. However, like most ebps, CPT is not universally accessible as evident in significant healthcare disparities across populations including those living in rural locales and/or below the poverty line, those with disabilities, and members of minoritized populations (e.g. racial, ethnic). Novel, scalable, and sustainable methods for increasing trauma survivors' access to and engagement in care are needed. Self-guided CPT may be a viable alternative to traditional psychotherapy. Combining a self-help version of the robust, demonstrably effective CPT protocol with an intervention designed to target critical aspects of well-being and with the added benefit of peer support may move the needle further toward holistic recovery. This intervention -the women veterans network's (woven)- is a peer-led, manualized, 8 session, group-based intervention designed to increase belongingness and improve well-being. This project seeks to assess the feasibility, acceptability and tolerability of a self-help version of CPT augmented by woven and evaluate its impact on ptsd, well-being, and depression.