University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio

STRONG STAR Training Initiative

The South Texas Research Organizational Network Guiding Studies on Trauma and

Resilience (STRONG STAR), is a multidisciplinary and multi-institutional research consortium that develops and evaluates the most effective early interventions for the detection, prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of combat-related posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and related conditions. Sleep problems are highly comorbid with PTSD, and treatment for sleep problems can be a gateway to resolving PTSD symptoms. STRONG STAR Training Initiative will provide three Learning Communities in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia and Nightmares (CBT-I&N) to train 65 veteran-serving mental health providers in CBT-I&N, improving service delivery in the Texas Gulf Coast area. This Bob Woodruff Foundation (BWF) grant, made possible by a partnership between BWF and the Qatar Harvey Fund (QHF), will also allow the STRONG STAR Training Initiative to expand the availability and scope of organizational consultation to help community providers in the Texas Gulf Coast improve their ability to implement and use evidence-based treatments. STRONG STAR will train organizations’ internal and external referral sources (e.g., case managers, intake coordinators, allied health providers) about PTSD screening and EBTs for PTSD. These internal and external referral sources are often the gatekeepers to treatment, but lack information and training in PTSD assessment and client engagement. With this funding, STRONG STAR will also develop a toolkit for participating organizations to assess and evaluate their veteran mental health program.