Suzanne Decker, PhD

My work focuses on adapting and implementing behavioral treatments for suicide prevention and substance use. I am particularly interested in treatments that target emotion dysregulation as a mechanism, like Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) Skills Groups. I have conducted research at various stages of the NIH Stage Model for Behavioral Intervention Development, evaluating treatment needs and risk factors for substance use and suicide, piloting tailored interventions, and evaluating an adapted treatment (a transdiagnostic, adjunctive DBT Skills Group with therapist consultation team) in a randomized hybrid Type 1 effectiveness-implementation trial. With VA Office of Mental Health, Women’s Mental Health division, I developed and implemented a multi-session training on DBT Skills Groups with therapist consultation team and have trained teams at 30 sites. As a scientist and clinician educator, I am especially interested in the role of out-of-session practice (“homework”) to maximize the effectiveness of behavioral treatments, and in supporting therapist fidelity to behavioral treatments.

A developing line of work focuses on substance use and suicide risk among perinatal Veterans (those who are pregnant or in the 12months postpartum). Women Veterans are at greater risk for substance misuse than nonVeteran women, and women Veterans face more barriers to care than men Veterans. With colleagues at the New England Mental Illness Research, Education, and Clinical Center, I conducted a scoping review on perinatal substance use among women Veterans and servicemembers. We found very few published studies, indicating this is an area in need of further development.