NCT05449002

Digital Single Session Intervention for Youth Mental Health

Testing a Digital Single-session Intervention for Youths on the Waitlist for Psychotherapy

• Status: Recruiting
• Phase: N/A
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 226 (estimated)
• Sponsor: Harvard University · Academic / Other
• Sex: All
• Age: 9 Years – 17 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Accepted

Summary

The aim of this study is to test the effectiveness of a single-session, digital intervention teaching the principle of practicing the opposite, when administered to youths on the waitlist for psychotherapy, with usual waitlist procedures as a control condition.

Detailed description

There is a massive unmet need for youth mental health care in America; only ¼ of youth in need receive services. The problem has been underscored and exacerbated by the pandemic. The need for child and adolescent mental health care, particularly for depression and anxiety, has surged while clinician availability and clinic funding have shrunk. One result is that clinic waitlists, always lengthy, have stretched, with youths and families who seek care waiting for up to 12 months for a first appointment, and many giving up and dropping out before the much-delayed appointment. There is a clear need-in both pandemic and normal times-for efficient mental health support that can be provided when need is acute, to sustain young people through periods of delayed access, and to reduce burden for professionals. Fortunately, recent evidence shows the surprising potential of brief, low-cost, digital interventions that could go a long way toward bridging the need-to-access gap. Single-session interventions have substantial effects, in some cases rivaling effects of full-length in-person psychotherapy. Remote therapies for youth mental health problems are beneficial on average and approximately as beneficial as in-person psychotherapy. The current trial will test a brief (one 30-45-minute session), online, interactive mental health and behavior change intervention for adolescents (9-17 years old), who have been placed the waitlist for outpatient treatment at participating mental health clinics in the United States. Previous RCTs show beneficial effects of the principle of Practicing the Opposite (PTO) on youth mental health when using the therapeutic elements present in PTO (e.g., exposure, to overcome anxiety; behavioral activation, to overcome depression). The single-session PTO intervention uses stories, interactive activities, and engaging graphics to teach youths a key principle: by practicing the positive opposite of unhelpful behaviors, one can, over time, change their emotions thoughts, and actions.

Conditions

• Anxiety
• Depression
• Conduct Disorder
• Stress

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
BEHAVIORAL	Practicing the Opposite (PTO)	This 30-45-minute digital program is designed to help youths on the waitlist feel better prior to treatment and may also improve their treatment engagement and outcomes.
OTHER	Usual Clinical Care	Usual care provided by participating youth mental health clinics in the United States.

Timeline

• Start date: 2022-09-05
• Primary completion: 2027-05-31
• Completion: 2027-09-30
• First posted: 2022-07-08
• Last updated: 2025-08-15

Locations

5 sites across 1 country: United States