VISN 2 MIRECC Clinical Core
About the VISN 2 MIRECC Clinical Core
The Clinical Core of VISN 2 MIRECC is dedicated to improving mental health outcomes for Veterans through innovative clinical services, expert consultation, and strong community partnerships. At the heart of our clinical operations is the MIRECC Transitioning Veterans Clinic, which provides critical, time-limited mental health care through telehealth services for recently discharged Veterans, bridging the gap between military service and longer-term VA support.
Beyond direct care, our Clinical Core offers expert consultation and guidance in developing mental health interventions, designing rigorous clinical trials, and implementing effective suicide risk assessment and management protocols. Our team's expertise extends to adapting interventions to be culturally responsive and ensuring the ethical integrity of all research and clinical practice. Recently, our team published comprehensive guidance on suicide risk assessment and management for research conducted within the VA, further establishing our commitment to safe and evidence-based practices.
We actively collaborate with local providers and suicide prevention coordinators to support seamless, coordinated care, particularly for Veterans participating in clinical trials. By maintaining these vital relationships, the Clinical Core ensures that Veterans receive consistent, high-quality care during and after their participation in research.
VISN 2 MIRECC Clinical Trials & Demonstration Projects:
VISN 2 MIRECC is dedicated to developing, evaluating, and disseminating meaningful, effective interventions to better the lives of Veterans experiencing severe mental illness and/or elevated risk for suicide. This commitment is supported by a robust array of clinical trials and demonstration projects.
- Randomized Clinical Trials:
- Treatments for Justice-Involved Veterans: Criminal-legal involvement is a salient yet often understudied risk factor for suicide, preceding approximately 1 in 3 adult suicide deaths. This clinical trial compares two virtual psychotherapy approaches designed to support Veterans experiencing criminal-legal involvement and, by extension, reduce their risk for suicide. PI: Emily Edwards, PhD; Funding Source: VA RR&D
- Group (“Project Life Force”) vs. Individual Suicide Safety Planning: For suicidal individuals, minimizing future risk and fostering recovery are critical public health concerns, especially among veterans, as very few effective interventions exist. This randomized clinical trial compares a novel 10-session group psychotherapy treatment against weekly individual safety planning in reducing risk of suicide for suicidal Veterans. PI: Marianne Goodman, MD; Funding Source: VA CSR&D
- Feasibility & Acceptability Trials:
- Post-Acute COVID-19 Syndrome (PACS) Psychotherapeutic Intervention: Many COVID-positive individuals continue to experience prolonged physical symptoms that significantly disrupt functioning and quality of life. This pilot study develops PACS Coping and Recovery (PACS-CR) through an iterative development process while collecting pilot data to assess its acceptability and feasibility. PI: Marianne Goodman, MD; Funding Source: VA RR&D
- Project Life Force-Peer Enhancement (PLF-PE): Peers are a powerful yet under-utilized resource for suicide prevention within the VA. This pilot study examines the benefit of including peers within the delivery of Project Life Force, a group-based intervention to decrease risk of suicide in Veterans. PI: Marianne Goodman, MD; Funding Source: VA HSR&D
- Alexithymia Intervention for Suicide (ALEXIS): Deficits in emotion processing contribute to emotion regulation difficulties underlying suicide risk. This pilot trial assesses the feasibility and acceptability of a psychoeducation + smart phone-based intervention for Veterans with severe mental illness and a recent history of suicide attempt behavior. PI: David Kimhy, PhD; Funding Source: VA RR&D
- Continuous Identity-Cognitive Therapy (CI-CT): After overcoming an acute suicidal crisis, many Veterans face tremendous difficulties with their sense of self and perceptions of the future. This pilot trial assesses the feasibility and acceptability of a group-based intervention for Veterans with a recent history of suicide attempt or suicide planning behavior. PI: Yosef Sokol, PhD; Funding Source: VA RR&D
- Cognitive Remediation for Veterans at Risk for Suicide: Cognitive remediation is an evidence-based intervention designed to decrease depressive symptoms and improve decision making ability, each commonly associated with increased suicide risk. This pilot study assesses the feasibility and acceptability of a telehealth-based cognitive remediation program for Veterans with major depressive disorder and a history of suicide attempt(s). PI: Erin Hazlett, PhD; Funding: VA RR&D
- Real-time fMRI neurofeedback for Suicide-Specific Rumination: Many persons at risk for suicide experience chronic difficulties controlling suicide-specific rumination. This pilot study examines the feasibility and acceptability of using real-time functional magnetic resonance imaging neurofeedback for reducing suicide-specific rumination in Veterans at risk for suicide. PI: Philip Szezko, PhD; Funding: VA RR&D
