A service evaluation of PTSD Resolution therapy for military veterans.

Background: 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.

Aims: 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.

Methods: 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.

Results: 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.

Conclusions: 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.