# Group (“Project Life Force”) vs. Individual Suicide Safety Planning RCT

> **NIH VA I01** · JAMES J PETERS VA  MEDICAL CENTER · 2020 · —

## Abstract

Despite the enrichment of VA suicide prevention services and implementation of the national
suicide hotline, Veteran suicide completions occur 20 times per day and suicide attempts
numbered over 15,000 in 2012. These data underscore the urgency of developing additional
interventions targeting suicidal Veterans. The construction of a Suicide Safety Plan (SSP); a
“best practice,” is mandated throughout the VA system, and a vital component of the VA’s
coordinated effort at suicide prevention and recovery. Safety Planning in Veterans presenting to
an emergency room has been shown to decrease suicide behavior. To our knowledge, there are
currently no recommended guidelines or mechanisms for refinement of the SSP in adult
populations beyond its initial development. “Project Life Force” (PLF), a novel suicide safety
planning group intervention has been designed to fill this critical gap and provide a mechanism
to develop and enhance suicide safety planning over time. PLF, a 10-session, group
psychotherapy intervention, combines Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT) skill based and
psychoeducational approaches, to enhance suicide safety planning development and
implementation. Veterans revise their plans over several weeks while learning distress
tolerance, emotion regulation, and friendship building/interpersonal skills to incorporate into their
safety plans and also receive lessons on gun safety and minimizing access to lethal means,
augmenting physical well being and strategies how to share their plan with family/significant
others and their treatment team. Importantly, the group format mitigates loneliness and fosters
increased “belongingness,” both key risk factors for suicide. Additionally, PLF’s weekly format
facilitates VA-mandated monitoring for any Veteran placed on the suicide “high risk” list. PLF
received pilot SPiRE funding from the VA Rehabilitation and Research Development in 2015 to
finalize the development of the intervention’s manual and pilot the intervention in Veterans.
Preliminary data suggests high levels of feasibility, and acceptability. 100% of participants
developed updated safety plans and increased use patterns and a significant decrease in
suicidal ideation.
This project’s aim is to conduct a multi-site (James J Peters VAMC and Philadelphia VA)
randomized clinical trial (RCT) of PLF versus treatment as usual (TAU) that includes individual
telephone review of safety plans in 265 suicidal Veterans with follow up to one year. The
primary outcome variable is suicidal behavior, using a rigorous, multi-method assessments
follow-up. Secondary outcomes include depression, hopelessness and treatment utilization.
Exploratory analyzes will examine whether changes in suicide coping and levels of group
cohesion in PLF mediate treatment response. Methodological rigor includes ongoing adherence
ratings for PLF and assessment training/monitoring by an independent third site (Columbia
University).

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9813948
- **Project number:** 5I01CX001705-02
- **Recipient organization:** JAMES J PETERS VA  MEDICAL CENTER
- **Principal Investigator:** Marianne Goodman
- **Activity code:** I01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** VA
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** —
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2018-10-01 → 2023-09-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9813948

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9813948, Group (“Project Life Force”) vs. Individual Suicide Safety Planning RCT (5I01CX001705-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9813948. Licensed CC0.

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