Evaluating the Feasibility of RESCUE: An Adjunctive HAI-Based Intervention for Veterans With PTSD

RESCUE is designed to adapt to individualized needs based on each veteran's performance. The volunteer training consists of weekly sessions lasting 90 minutes each and occurring at area SPCA facilities. The logistics of the training sessions will be facilitated by study staff, with SPCA animal behaviorists and professionals conducting the training program identical to the program that they use for their general volunteer training. During volunteer sessions, the veteran learns behavioral techniques for training non-aggressive dogs through didactic instruction followed by demonstration and supervised practice. The animal socialization component of the RESCUE volunteer sessions are comprised of the SPCAs current training program, which is designed developmentally such that early training focuses on general topics (safety, basic handling skills) and later training builds on previously learned skills through successive approximation within each individual's zone of proximal development.

All veterans will receive individualized, evidence-based prolonged exposure therapy. Foa's PE protocol will be used given consensus statements indicating that exposure therapy is currently the most appropriate psychotherapy for PTSD. Study therapists are already trained clinicians through the VA's PE certification process and will receive weekly supervision for all cases from the PI, who is a national Prolonged Exposure trainer.