Estimates indicate that 67-84% of college students have experienced at least one traumatic event, and 6-17% of college students meet the criteria for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). University counseling centers are one of the primary sources of mental health services for college students, so it’s important that these centers offer effective PTSD treatment options.
That’s where Research Scientist Katherine R. Buchholz, Ph.D., comes in. She and her colleague, Associate Professor of Psychology at Pacific Lutheran University, Tiffany Artime, Ph.D., are in the second year of a three-year project funded by the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) to implement a cognitive behavioral therapy-based PTSD treatment called Skills Training in Affective and Interpersonal Regulation (STAIR) in university counseling centers across the country. The project puts findings into practice from a completed PCORI-funded systematic review update that identified evidence in support of effective treatments for PTSD.
“STAIR can be delivered flexibly and tailored to each student, empowering them with skills to regulate emotions and improve interpersonal relationships,” said Buchholz. “It’s an effective tool to help them function better and have a better college experience.”
So far, Buchholz and her team have trained over 300 clinicians at 40 university counseling centers, and over 300 students have started STAIR. Those who are participating have seen medium to large improvements in their symptoms.
“As we head into our second year of the project, our goal is to bring STAIR to more students,” said Buchholz. “We want to offer this treatment, which has years of clinical research behind it, to as many people as possible who can benefit from it.”
Read more about this project at
