264925 Evaluation of an Integrative Intensive PTSD Treatment Program: Methods and Results

Monday, October 29, 2012

Sal Libretto, PhD , Military Medicine Research, Samueli Institute, Alexandria, VA
Sandra Gordon, BS, CPC , School of Business Management, Western Governors University, Salt Lake City, UT
Purpose: The Warrior Combat Stress Reset Program (Reset) is a unique, multi-modal, integrative program for the treatment of combat stress/PTSD. It is structured as a three-week intensive program focused on reducing hyper-arousal and reactivity with eight weeks of follow-up treatment. Program activities include Group and Individual Counseling, Self-Regulation and Biofeedback, Coping Skills Education/Training, EMDR, Cranial Electrical Stimulation, and Integrated CAM modalities (Acupuncture, Reiki, Massage, Meditation, Yoga, Tai Chi).

Methods: The Samueli Institute is conducting a mixed-methods program evaluation of Fort Hood's Reset Program to ascertain 1) if the program's goals, objectives and outcomes are being achieved, and 2) if the program is replicable across other military installations. Reset's combination of multiple treatment interventions from behavioral health, mind/body treatments, and complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) modalities provide Soldiers with an intensive, specialized treatment regime and offers a unique opportunity to evaluate a fully integrated treatment protocol for mitigating post-combat stress symptoms.

Results: Analysis of the health outcomes results for the more than 500 soldiers attending the Reset program to date will be presented. Preliminary results on a smaller sample of program participants indicate significant improvements in PTSD symptoms, depression, and anxiety. Preliminary results also indicate that all CAM modalities have a positive statistically significant impact on pain, anxiety, and mood scores.

Conclusions: This presentation will address health outcomes results for the more than 500 soldiers who have participated in the program to date.

Learning Areas:
Conduct evaluation related to programs, research, and other areas of practice
Social and behavioral sciences

Learning Objectives:
Learning Objective 1: Define the multi-modal integrative PTSD program and its desired outcomes. Learning Objective 2: Explain the design, methods, and implementation of the program evaluation. Learning objective 3: Describe the results of the retrospective health outcomes analyses.

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: As the Senior Program Manager of the Military Medicine Research section of the Samueli Institute, my team conducted a formal program evaluation of the Warrior Combat Stress Reset Program at Fort Hood, TX. The content I plan to present is focused on the development of the Reset program; the design, methods, and implementation of the program evaluation, and the measured health outcome results.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.

Back to: 3402.0: Integrated mental health services and wellness