Financial Incentives for PTSD

Recruiting in Palo Alto (17 mi)

+2 other locations

Overseen byChristopher Cronin, PhD

Age: 18+

Sex: Any

Travel: May Be Covered

Time Reimbursement: Varies

Trial Phase: Academic

Waitlist Available

Sponsor: Christopher Cronin

No Placebo Group

Approved in 3 Jurisdictions

Trial Summary

What is the purpose of this trial?Recovery Resource Council (RRC) is one of the largest and most comprehensive non-profit mental and behavioral healthcare providers in North Texas. Accredited by the Joint Commission in Behavioral Health and licensed by the State of Texas as an Outpatient Treatment Center, RRC strives to promote wellness and recovery through a variety of services and programming. An important component of RRC programming is providing free counseling services to hundreds of U.S. veterans annually. While RRC observes great success for veterans who complete counseling, attendance can be a major obstacle. Veterans who approach RRC for individual counseling services and consent to participate will be randomly assigned to the treatment or control group. The control group will receive counseling as usual. The treatment group will receive $500 gift card payments upon completing their 6th, 12th, and 18th counseling sessions, i.e., $1,500 in gift cards for completing all 18 sessions, the usual prescribed length of therapy. Our primary focus is to examine the impact of the financial incentives on therapy attendance and attrition. In addition, the investigators will estimate the impact on mental health using mental health inventories collected over the course of therapy sessions.

Eligibility Criteria

This trial is for U.S. veterans dealing with mental health issues like depression or PTSD, who are seeking counseling at the Recovery Resource Council. Participants must be willing to potentially receive financial incentives and complete various therapy sessions.

Inclusion Criteria

Holds veteran status

Possesses and is willing to share SSN

Voluntarily agree to participation requirements outlined in the informed consent form

+4 more

Exclusion Criteria

Individuals who do not consent

I am interested in participating in the trial.

Individuals posing a significant suicide risk

Participant Groups

The study tests if giving $500 gift cards after certain numbers of counseling sessions can help veterans attend and complete their therapy. Veterans will either get usual counseling (control group) or counseling plus financial rewards (treatment group).

2Treatment groups

Experimental Treatment

Active Control

Group I: TreatmentExperimental Treatment1 Intervention

The treatment group will be offered a $500 gift card for completing 6, 12, and 18 counseling sessions; up to $1,500 in total. Because RRC's typical practice involves prescribing and scheduling counseling in 6-session blocks, the financial awards are revealed to veterans in the treatment group in stages. After intake, treatment group individuals are told that they will receive a $500 gift card for completing the first 6 sessions; later sessions and awards are not mentioned. If the counselor decides that another 6-session block should be prescribed, then at the completion of the 5th session (i) the next 6 sessions are scheduled (i.e., sessions 7 through 12) and (ii) the counselor reveals that the participant can earn another $500 for completing the 12th session. The same process takes place during session 11. As part of RRC's typical practice, no veterans are offered more than 18 sessions.

Group II: ControlActive Control1 Intervention

The control group will have access to the normal counseling services provided by RRC staff. Those in the control group will receive "business as usual" services offered by the RRC, which includes the same counseling services and evaluation of how many sessions an individual is recommended to receive.