STRONG STAR PTSD Consortium

04/23/2025

NEW PTSD REMISSION PROGRAM AT UT HEALTH SAN ANTONIO OFFERS HOPE FOR HEALING. STRONG STAR at UT Health San Antonio is introducing a groundbreaking 3-week treatment aimed at helping individuals recover from PTSD. The program's intensive, evidence-based care is designed to provide lasting relief in a condensed timeframe. See the comments for links to learn more.

03/25/2025

Catch this KSAT-12 News story about a new grant to STRONG STAR to study the impact of adding one dose of M**A to evidence-based psychotherapy for PTSD in military personnel. Expected start date in about a year. https://www.ksat.com/news/local/2025/03/24/i-needed-help-san-antonio-study-to-use-ecstasy-for-active-duty-military-members-battling-ptsd/
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The stage is being set for a San Antonio research team to use M**A, also known as ecstasy, in its study to help active-duty military members with post-traumatic stress disorder.

03/03/2025

SAVE THE DATE - 10th Annual San Antonio Combat PTSD Conference, to be held 20-21 October 2025 at the San Antonio Westin Riverwalk. Mark your calendars and make plans now to join us for this premier scientific meeting, focused on the psychological needs of the warfighter. Come hear the state-of-the-science on the assessment and treatment of PTSD and other related psychological health conditions that affect our military service members and veterans. Follow us for the latest information at

The San Antonio Combat PTSD Conference is presented annually by the STRONG STAR Consortium and The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio (also known as UT Health San Antonio). The conference is focused on emerging outcomes and ongoing scientific research on the assessment and trea...

02/28/2025

Could the augmentation of evidence-based psychotherapy with the psychedelic M**A improve PTSD treatment outcomes and lead more people to remission? STRONG STAR researchers aim to find out in a new study with active duty military led by UT Health San Antonio in collaboration with Emory University School of Medicine. Funding comes from the Department of Defense as part its first-ever financial commitment to clinical trials focused on modern psychedelics.

Contact: Steven Lee, (210) 450-3823, lees22@uthscsa.edu Content by Julie Collins SAN ANTONIO, Feb. 27, 2025 – Researchers at The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio and their collaborators at Emory University have received a $4.9 million grant aimed at significantly improving ...

01/31/2025

Join an exciting team & grow professionally as you help advance research and clinical care for military, veterans & their families. STRONG STAR at UT Health San Antonio is actively recruiting for postdoctoral fellow positions at its Fort Cavazos site in Killeen, TX. Many faculty & staff currently commute from the Waco, Austin & Georgetown areas. Post docs will support projects testing innovations in su***de prevention and treatment for sleep problems and PTSD while working with faculty who are leaders in the field. Learn more & apply today! Visit https://www.strongstar.org/careers/

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01/27/2025

Is there help for recurring nightmares after a traumatic experience? In this episode of Texas Public Radio's "Science & Medicine," STRONG STAR investigator and UT Health San Antonio faculty member Kristi Pruiksma, PhD, explains how cognitive behavioral therapy for nightmares can be used to help people take control over their dreams. https://www.tpr.org/podcast/petrie-dish/2025-01-26/science-medicine-veterans-write-new-endings-for-their-nightmares

A San Antonio sleep disorder and PTSD researcher uses cognitive behavioral therapy to reduce the frequency and intensity of nightmares.

01/23/2025

Wonderful work being done by the STRONG STAR Training Initiative. Check out their latest impact report.

Explore the impact we’ve made together in 2024! 🤝

As we step into 2025, we want to reflect on the tremendous milestones we've reached in the past year. Your support and collaboration, as well as the continued generosity of our funders, have made these achievements possible:

❇️ Over 4,500 mental health clinicians trained
❇️ Over 40,000 sessions of PTSD treatment delivered
❇️ Over 55,000 hours of continuing education provided

For more details and highlights, check out our official 2024 Impact Report: https://strongstartraining.org/our-impact-2024/

01/22/2025

Expert consensus panel including STRONG STAR investigators issues guidelines for the standardized implementation and terminology of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Nightmares (CBT-N). Read the advance online publication in Behavioral Sleep Medicine.
https://doi.org/10.1080/15402002.2024.2437634

Research supports cognitive behavioral therapies for nightmares (CBT-N) in adults. However, the nuances of implementation and unstandardized nomenclature for treatment components has created confus...

01/07/2025

Make 2025 the year you join the fight against veteran su***de.🎗️

Whether you're a loved one, peer advocate, or clinician - our free, evidence-based Su***de Prevention workshops equip you with practical skills to support those who served.

Training available in both Crisis Response Planning and Lethal Means Safety - two powerful strategies proven to reduce su***de risk!

See upcoming training dates below:

Crisis Response Planning for Su***de Prevention
▪️ Jan 14, 2025 from 10:00am – 3:00pm CT
▪️ Feb 24, 2025 from 10:00am – 3:00pm CT

Discussing Lethal Means Safety for Veterans
▪️ February 12, 2025 from 11:00am – 1:00pm CT
▪️ March 11, 2025 from 1:00pm – 3:00pm CT

Learn more and register for training at: https://shorturl.at/pi4Q2

Training made possible thanks to the Face The Fight initiative! 🙌

***dePrevention

01/07/2025

You may have heard that deep breathing exercises can have mental health benefits and even help improve PTSD symptoms. In fact, these exercises are incorporated into cognitive behavioral therapy practices and can help reduce anxiety, manage stress responses, decrease hypervigilance, promote relaxation, and improve overall emotional regulation. So how do you do it? Simply follow the steps in this infographic.

11/11/2024

Today and every day, we say thank you to all of our military veterans for the service you've given and the sacrifices you've made for our country. We salute you!

11/08/2024

Great article out by Penn State today about a STRONG STAR clinical trial testing a weekend retreat-style therapy approach to help military and veterans with PTSD and their spouses. The study is led by Dr. Steffany Fredman of Penn State and happening in San Antonio. The study is open to couples nationwide if they're able to travel to San Antonio for the weekend retreat. Read the full story here:

Active-duty service members and veterans experiencing PTSD have additional opportunities for treatment to support them, along with their partners, after the Department of Defense awarded a $3 million grant to Steffany Fredman, associate professor of human development and family studies, and colleagu...