NCT07214233

Youth Empowerment and Safety Intervention

Youth Empowerment and Safety Intervention for Systems-involved Sexual and Gender Minority Youth at Risk of Suicide

• Status: Recruiting
• Phase: N/A
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 60 (estimated)
• Sponsor: Case Western Reserve University · Academic / Other
• Sex: All
• Age: 12 Years – 17 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Not accepted

Summary

This clinical trial will implement and evaluate the feasibility, acceptability, and initial impact of Peer Support Specialist (PSS) services for public system-involved sexual and gender minority (lesbian, gay, bisexual, queer and/or transgender) youth (SGMY) at risk of suicide.

Detailed description

A sharp increase in U.S. youth mental health problems coupled with the national shortage in child behavioral health clinicians has identified peer providers as a cost- and impact-effective solution. Peer Support Specialists (PSS), paraprofessionals with lived experience who provide mutual and structured support, have been found to be effective in improving client engagement in mental health services. The study proposes to evaluate the feasibility, acceptability, and initial impact of a multi-level intervention, Youth Empowerment \& Safety (YES), comprised of two coordinated components: 1) system-level improved identification and referral (I/R) of self-injurious thoughts and behaviors (SITB) among sexual and gender minority youth (SGMY), and 2) introduction of an SGMY-tailored support PSS to enhance engagement and support with behavioral health treatment and other support services.

Conditions

• Suicide
• Self-Injurious Behavior

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
BEHAVIORAL	Treatment as Usual	Behavioral health services (treatment as usual)
BEHAVIORAL	Peer Support Services (PSS)	Behavioral health services (treatment as usual) along with referral to and utilization of Peer Support Specialist services

Timeline

• Start date: 2026-01-31
• Primary completion: 2027-11-30
• Completion: 2027-11-30
• First posted: 2025-10-09
• Last updated: 2025-12-24

Locations

1 site across 1 country: United States