Evaluating the Efficacy of a Vocational Counseling Intervention to Improve Occupational Functioning and Employment Quality Among Veterans With Mental Health and Substance Use Disorders (NCT07097376)
🩺 Plain-English Summary (8th-Grade Level)
Veterans living with mental health and substance use conditions are at risk of unemployment, which leads to significant health-related consequences. Though the Veterans Health Administration offers numerous vocational rehabilitation programs to address unemployment, they are not uniformly effective for everyone who participates. This project will test a new model for addressing Veteran unemployment. This new model adds career development services (a vocational counseling program called Purposeful Pathways) to a standard model of vocational rehabilitation (a program called Transitional Work \[TW\]). The investigators will test if adding Purposeful Pathways to TW leads to more Veterans working in quality jobs as well as better quality of life, reduced mental health symptoms, and reduced substance use. This project fills a critical need in advancing research and practice aimed at reducing Veteran unemployment; thereby preventing consequences to Veteran's economic, social, and health related functioning and well-being. The investigators will conduct a phase II, multi-site, RCT comparing Purposeful Pathways + TW (n=127) to TW alone (n=127) among Veterans participating in TW at VA Bedford, VA Hines, and VA North Texas. Aim 1: Evaluate the efficacy of Purposeful Pathways for improving occupational functioning (primary outcome). Hypothesis: Purposeful Pathways + TW, compared to TW only, will improve occupational functioning. Aim 2: Evaluate the efficacy of Purposeful Pathways for improving quality of life, and reducing mental health symptoms and substance use (secondary outcomes). Hypothesis: Purposeful Pathways + TW, compared to TW only, will improve quality of life, and reduce mental health symptoms and substance use. Aim 3 (Exploratory): Explore whether occupational functioning (competitive employment attainment) in the Purposeful Pathways + TW group is mediated by vocational identity, work hope, self-regulation, and/or employment motivation, key factors central to the Purposeful Pathways intervention.
Who can join: Review the eligibility criteria below.
Location: Edward Hines Jr. VA Hospital, Hines, IL — Hines, Illinois
Age range: 18 Years
🧪 Interventions in This Study
- Purposeful Pathways (BEHAVIORAL)
- Transitional Work (OTHER)
📋 "Do I Qualify?" — 1-Minute Self Screener
Instant ChecklistFull eligibility criteria are available on the official NIH protocol. View the criteria ↗
📍 All Participating Trial Locations (3 Sites)
- Edward Hines Jr. VA Hospital, Hines, IL — Hines, Illinois
- VA Bedford HealthCare System, Bedford, MA — Bedford, Massachusetts
- VA North Texas Health Care System Dallas VA Medical Center, Dallas, TX — Dallas, Texas
📞 Contact the Study Coordinator
Phone: (718) 687-3919
Email: Brian.Stevenson4@va.gov
Coordinator details come directly from the registered NIH protocol. Confirm the study is still recruiting before traveling.
💰 Cost, Insurance & Patient Rights
- 100% Free Items: The investigational treatment and protocol-required procedures are supplied at zero cost by the sponsor.
- Routine Patient Care: Under federal law (ACA § 2709) and many state statutes, routine care costs are covered during participation.
- Voluntary Participation: You may withdraw at any time without affecting your standard medical care.
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💡 How to Participate
- Check the checklist above to see if you may qualify.
- Contact the study coordinator using the phone/email above.
- Ask about the visit schedule, what is covered at no cost, and any travel support.
- Confirm with your own doctor before making a decision.