A service evaluation of PTSD Resolution therapy for military veterans

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) Resolution is a UK-based charity that provides treatment for military veterans, reservists and their families. However, there is little contemporary evaluation of their clinical outcomes to inform commissioners or potential service users.

To establish whether treatment by PTSD Resolution therapists resulted in positive outcomes at the end of therapy and follow-up; to establish risk and resilience factors associated with positive treatment outcomes; and to the extent possible, compare PTSD Resolution with National Health Service (NHS)-Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) services.

A sample of 211 closed cases from the service provider between April 2022 and May 2023 were utilized. Clients provided demographic data and completed a series of mental health screening tools. Follow-up data were also collected where possible. Paired t-tests, univariable binary logistic regressions and chi-squared tests were used in the analysis.

Around 6% of clients attended only one session, with 82% having a planned ending. This service evaluation suggests that veterans who enter therapy with PTSD Resolution appear to experience similar rates of recovery to IAPT users. Analysis of follow-up data revealed that clients scores slightly increased following the completion of therapy but remained below caseness thresholds and significantly lower than entry-level scores.

These data suggest that veterans who choose to engage with PTSD Resolution for their mental health difficulties should expect to experience a similar benefit to that they would have experienced if they had sought outpatient care from the NHS.