University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio

STRONG STAR Training Initiative

Location: National

The South Texas Research Organizational Network Guiding Studies on Trauma and Resilience, or STRONG STAR, is a multidisciplinary and multi-institutional research consortium funded by U.S. Departments of Defense (DoD) and Veterans Affairs (VA) to develop and evaluate the most effective interventions for the detection, prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of combat-related posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and related conditions. They are renowned experts in Prolonged Exposure Therapy (PE) and Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT), evidence-based treatments for PTSD, and are experienced both in training mental health care providers and in supervising clinicians. (Research underscores the importance of supervision for clinicians’ initial cases, but many clinicians cannot identify or afford to compensate supervising consultants.) This important Bob Woodruff Foundation investment permits STRONG STAR to train mental health professionals in PE and CPT, and to provide the necessary consultation for supervision. This BWF grant will complement Texas state resources to fund a Texas-oriented initiative, and will also fund STRONG STAR to develop and begin a broader program to increase the national number of community clinicians qualified to treat veterans living with PTSD