NCT01075672

Outcomes of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) Interventions Provided by Unlicensed Professionals

Outcomes of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) Interventions Provided by Unlicensed Professionals in a General Hospital Setting

• Status: Active Not Recruiting
• Phase: N/A
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 250 (estimated)
• Sponsor: Massachusetts General Hospital · Academic / Other
• Sex: All
• Age: 18 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Not accepted

Summary

To examine the effectiveness and clinical care outcomes of cognitive-behavioral therapy interventions at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH).

Detailed description

Cognitive behavioral interventions are the most widely studied and evidenced-based psychosocial treatment approaches for mental health and health related behavioral problems. Despite their documented efficacy, there is a scarcity of licensed mental health professionals who are available to treat patients with problems that would be amenable to Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT). While CBT interventions have a strong base in terms of efficacy in randomized trials, effectiveness and dissemination studies are lacking in comparison, and hence, these interventions are not reaching the patients in most need of services. Complicating the problem further, insurance companies typically do not reimburse for services provided by trainees who are not licensed. This is a public mental health problem because it limits the degree to which CBT clinicians can be trained to deliver these treatments, and a particular problem at MGH because referring providers do not have a place to send their patient for CBT services, as trainees constitute a large portion of clinical staff. To address this issue, the current study seeks to document outcomes of CBT interventions delivered by credentialed but not licensed trainees. This information can be used to guide policy and reimbursement guidelines for trainees, as well as promote the ability to disseminate efficacious interventions. Information gained from this project will be used to provide feedback to insurance companies, licensing boards, and mental health community stakeholders regarding decision making re: reimbursement for care provided by supervised trainees. Additionally, this may be used as a pilot study for a comparative effectiveness study comparing trainees to licensed staff psychologists.

Conditions

• Obsessive Compulsive Disorder
• Body Dysmorphic Disorder
• Tourette Syndrome
• Trichotillomania
• Panic Disorder
• Social Phobia
• Generalized Anxiety Disorder
• Depression
• Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
• Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
• Eating Disorder
• Specific Phobia
• General Medical Condition

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
BEHAVIORAL	Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT)	The participant will then undergo a structured clinical interview with a supervised psychology intern/fellow, which will take approximately 1-3 hours over the course of 1-3 sessions. The initial assessment will be followed by up to 24 sessions of cognitive behavioral therapy tailored to their particular diagnosis (most diagnoses/problems require approximately 12 sessions, some require fewer, others require more). The length of treatment will depend on the primary diagnosis/ problem and the complexity and severity of the case. The clinician and patient will agree on a treatment plan after the initial evaluation, targeting a particular mental health or health related behavioral problem with Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. This treatment plan will include an agreed upon number of treatment sessions (up to 24).

Timeline

• Start date: 2010-01-01
• Primary completion: 2027-01-01
• Completion: 2027-01-01
• First posted: 2010-02-25
• Last updated: 2026-02-23

Locations

1 site across 1 country: United States