Recruiting

Suicide Prevention

Sponsor:

VA Office of Research and Development

Code:

NCT05537376

Conditions

Psychotic Disorders

Bipolar Disorders

Suicidal Ideation

Suicide, Attempted

Eligibility Criteria

Sex: All

Age: 18+

Healthy Volunteers: Not accepted

Interventions

SUicide Prevention by Peers Offering Recovery Tactics

Study Details

Brief summary:

Suicide is a major public health concern, particularly among Veterans with serious mental illness (SMI, i.e., psychotic disorders or bipolar disorders). Wellness Recovery Action Plan (WRAP) is a well-established evidence-based practice for those with SMI that centers on identifying warning signs of mental illness, developing wellness tools for functional independence, planning for day-to-day effective living within one's community, and building an action plan to create a valued life worth living. This proposed study will refine and pilot SUicide Prevention by Peers Offering Recovery Tactics (SUPPORT), a novel integrated recovery program that is an adaptation of peer-delivered WRAP for Veterans with SMI. In SUPPORT, a Peer Specialist leads a Veteran at increased risk for suicide through recovery planning that is tailored to the Veteran's suicidal experiences with cognitive learning strategies to enhance safety plan recall and improve functioning.

Conditions

Psychotic Disorders

Bipolar Disorders

Suicidal Ideation

Suicide, Attempted

Study ID

NCT05537376

Start date

Sep 12, 2023

Status verified date

Jul, 2026

Completion date

Oct 31, 2027

Anticipated

Primary completion date

Jul 1, 2027

Anticipated

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

Sex: All

Age: 18+

Healthy Volunteers: Not accepted

Inclusion Criteria:

Veteran Inclusion Criteria:

1. Veterans who report present suicidal ideation (i.e., Columbia-Suicide Severity Rating Scale (C-SSRS) > 2 ("Active thoughts of killing oneself") in past 1 month and/or a suicide attempt in the prior 3 months as identified by the C-SSRS
2. Current SMI diagnosis (i.e., schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders, mood disorders with psychotic features, bipolar disorders)
3. Capable of informed consent via the University of California San Diego Brief Assessment of Capacity to Consent (UBACC)

Peer Specialist Inclusion Criteria:

1. Certified Peer Specialist employed at VA San Diego Healthcare System (VASDHS) in the Mental Health Care Line (individuals must demonstrate competency in basic suicide screening and referral procedures to be certified)
2. 2-3 years of experience post certification as a Certified Peer Specialist
3. Interest in being trained in SUPPORT
4. Provide verbal or written consent for the research staff to discuss ability to participate in the study with the Peer Specialist's direct clinical supervisor
5. Direct clinical supervisor agreement to allow the Peer Specialist to participate. This includes the Peer Specialist's direct clinical supervisor agreement to allow the Peer Specialist time as part of their current scope of practice to 1) participate in the full day (8-hour) SUPPORT training, 2) participate in weekly 1-hour group supervision for the duration of the Peer Specialist's time in the study, and 3) take on a case load of at least one SUPPORT Veteran at a given time.

Exclusion Criteria:

Veteran Exclusion Criteria:

1. Cannot complete the assessment battery
2. Current intoxication requiring immediate detoxification or outpatient plan directed specifically to residential substance use disorder (not mental health) services
3. Imminent psychiatric hospitalization

Study Design

Enrollment

69 participants

Anticipated

Allocation

Randomized

Intervention Model

Parallel Assignment

Primary purpose

Treatment

Interventions and Outcome Measures

Arms

experimental: SUPPORT

Veterans receiving SUPPORT will be offered all modules of the intervention via weekly, 50-minute sessions with a Peer Specialist. Following the completion of a mental health evaluation by a licensed professional, the Peer Specialist leads the Veteran who is at risk for suicide through recovery planning that is tailored to the Veteran's suicidal experiences with cognitive learning strategies to enhance recall of the Veteran's safety plan and improve recovery.

no intervention: ESC

The enhanced standard care (ESC) condition contains the elements of standard practice suicide prevention delivered at VHA, which include: 1) suicide risk assessment, 2) VA Safety Planning Intervention, 3) timely referral to VA mental health outpatient care, and 4) Suicide Prevention Coordinator follow-up contacts. It is enhanced due to the contact with the research study.

Interventions

SUicide Prevention by Peers Offering Recovery Tactics

Following the completion of a comprehensive mental health evaluation by a licensed VA provider, which includes a suicide safety plan, if a Veteran is having active thoughts of suicide or made a suicide attempt in past three months, they may be eligible for SUPPORT. In SUPPORT, the Peer Specialist and Veteran co-create a personalized suicide-focused recovery plan (SUPPORT Plan) in flexible, 50-minute weekly encounters. The SUPPORT Plan includes modules that focus on valuing recovery, building a hope kit and daily plan, setting recovery goals, and looking ahead to enhance the Veteran's safety plan. Learning strategies are incorporated into each module to promote salience and recall of intervention material. The Peer Specialist works closely with the Veteran's treatment team and uses the most recent safety plan in the Veteran's chart to help complete the SUPPORT Plan as well as reinforce the usage of the Veteran's safety plan.

Primary outcome measure

  • Feasibility of recruitment and retention [ Time Frame: Through study completion, an average of 4 years ]
  • Acceptability of SUPPORT as measured by the Client Satisfaction Questionnaire-8 (CSQ-8) [ Time Frame: At the end of the intervention, an average of 4-weeks ]

Central Contacts and Locations

Central contacts

Samantha A Chalker, PhD

(619) 680-1735Samantha.Chalker1@va.gov

Colin A Depp, PhD

(858) 822-4251Colin.Depp@va.gov

Locations

VA San Diego Healthcare System, San Diego, CA

Recruiting

San Diego, California, United States, 92161-0002

Contacts

Samantha A Chalker, PhD

619-680-1735Samantha.Chalker1@va.gov

Principal Investigator:

Samantha A Chalker, PhD

More Information

Sponsor

VA Office of Research and Development

Last update posted

Jul 10, 2026

Last verified

Jul, 2026

Trial information was received from ClinicalTrials.gov and was last updated on 2026-09-10. This information was provided to ClinicalTrials.gov by VA Office of Research and Development on 2026-07-10.