COPEWeb Training for Providers

Trial statusRecruiting
Trial phaseNot applicable
Trial typeInterventional
Biological sexAll
Age18+
SponsorVA Office of Research and Development

About this trial

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and substance use disorders (SUD) are two of the most common and debilitating mental health conditions afflicting military Veterans. PTSD and SUD frequently co-occur and are associated with poorer treatment outcomes. The investigators' team developed a trauma-focused intervention, Concurrent Treatment of PTSD and Substance Use Disorders Using Prolonged Exposure (COPE), which is identified by the VA as a gold standard of behavioral healthcare and was designated as a first-line treatment in the 2025 APA Clinical Practice Guideline for PTSD. However, a critical barrier to ensuring that Veterans with co-occurring PTSD/SUD receive evidence-based treatment is a lack of provider training. This project directly addresses this critical gap by developing a new web-based training program for providers (COPEWeb).

Eligibility criteria

Qualifiers

currently a provider in a behavioral health field (e.g., psychology, psychiatry, counseling)

English speaking

able to consistently obtain reliable internet access

willing to attend a 2-day "live" in-person (or virtual) COPE training if randomly assigned to that condition

Disqualifiers

received prior training in COPE

not a provider in the behavioral health field

non-English speaking

lack of reliable internet access

Trial design

Treatments tested in this trial

  • COPEWeb online training
  • COPE In Person

Treatment groups

248 Participants
are divided into 2 treatment groups

Sponsors and collaborators

VA Office of Research and Development

Lead sponsor

Medical University of South Carolina

Collaborator

National Center for PTSD

Collaborator