A national survey of clinicians’ views of evidence-based therapies for PTSD and substance abuse

Abstract

This study was a nationwide survey of 205 Veterans Affairs (VA) staff on their views of 11 psychotherapy models for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), substance use disorder (SUD), or comorbid PTSD/SUD. For each model, staff rated four key areas: level of implementation, helpfulness overall, helpfulness for PTSD/SUD, and desire for training on it. They also provided quantitative and qualitative information on general questions related to PTSD/SUD treatment. Results indicated that most respondents were already using one or more models, and they reported significantly different ratings of the models in each of the four key areas addressed, with some models quite consistently appearing at the top or bottom of the list. Furthermore, the more the clinicians had implemented a particular model, the more helpful they found it. A factor analysis of the models indicated four factors that appeared related to their content, rather than to how much they were liked. Finally, qualitative comments emphasized a desire for more training on PTSD/SUD topics and models, a broader array of psychotherapies to be implemented in VA, and more guidance on the use of PTSD models in the context of SUD. Results are discussed in terms of methodology, the need for replication, how ratings may have been affected by lack of experience with particular models, and the need for further research on adoption of evidence-based practice models.

• PTSD, substance abuse, treatment