Evaluating the Single-Session Consultation Service at the Krasner Psychological Center and Putnam

NCT04069832 | Completed

• 1 other identifier: IRB2019-00362
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 30
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

Stony Brook University is home to several mental health clinics, that all work towards achieving overall wellness of their clients. The goals of Stony Brook University are met with the help of associated clinics that strive to improve wellness of individuals and their communities by helping to treat both mental and physical health impairments. Two of these many clinics are the Krasner Psychological Center (KPC), and the Mind Body Clinical Research Center (MBCRC).. At present, the KPC and MBCRC face a challenge common to virtually all mental health clinics across the United States: the demand for psychological services far outpaces the number of available providers. Indeed, in the US, approximately 70% of those in need of mental health services do not receive them. As such, wait-lists at mental health clinics like the KPC and MBCRC are increasingly long, and longer wait-times for psychotherapy have predicted worse clinical outcomes once treatment is accessed (i.e., a 'nocebo' effect). Thus, there is a pressing need for effective, sustainable service delivery models that may facilitate more rapid access to care-for instance, providing a low-intensity service rapidly after an individual decides to seek treatment, capitalizing on client motivation. This sort of rapidly-provided, low-intensity service might have the added benefit of reducing overall waitlist lengths--e.g., if some subset of clients find the low-intensity service to be sufficient, a single session might be sufficient (in some cases) to spur positive behavioral and emotional change. One solution to this problem is the integration of single-session services into mental health clinics. Extensive research suggests that both youths and adults can benefit from just one session of goal-directed counseling, and these clinical benefits have been observed for a wide array of problems-including anxiety, depression, self-harm, and interpersonal conflicts. This research suggests the possibility that, for some subset of clients, a single session of counseling may be helpful, or even sufficient, in reducing clinical distress. Therefore, the objective of this study is to examine the feasibility, acceptability, and short-term effects of the new Single-Session Consultation (SSC) service, which is presently being provided to clients on the waiting list for psychotherapeutic services at the Krasner Psychological Center and the Mind Body Clinical Research Center. The SSC offers clients the opportunity to participate in a single, goal-directed consultation session based on Solution-Focused Brief Therapy (SFBT) within two weeks of inquiring about services at the KPC and MBCRC (typically, clients wait 2-6 months prior to their initial clinic appointment). SFBT is an evidence-based therapy approach that guides services offered by existing single-session therapy clinics internationally. Clients who participate in the SSC at any of these clinics may find the session helpful; two weeks after participating in the session, they receive the option to remain on the waitlist for long-term psychotherapy or remove themselves from the waitlist for psychotherapy, depending on whether they feel their clinical needs have been successfully addressed.

Conditions

Mental Health Impairment

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (2)

• Change in State Hope Scale score ('agency')

  The State Hope Scale is a 6 item self-report measure of agentic, goal-directed thinking. Respondents rate 6 items on a Likert scale from 1 (definitely false) to 8 (definitely true). Higher mean scores reflect a greater sense of personal agency (i.e., personal capacity to pursue and sense of having attained goals). Scores range from 1-8.

  Pre-Single-Session Consultation (SSC) & immediately Post-SSC (1-3 minutes post-intervention))

• Change in Beck Hopelessness Scale - 4 item version score ('hope')

  Respondents report agreement with 4 items, each rated on a 0-3 scale, indicating levels of hopelessness about the future. Higher summed scores reflect greater levels of hopelessness, and scores range from 0-12.

  Pre-Single-Session Consultation (SSC) & immediately Post-SSC (1-3 minutes post-intervention))

Secondary Outcomes (3)

• Change in Brief Symptom Inventory-18

  Pre-SSC & 2 week follow-up

• Consultation Feedback Form

  Immediately Post-SSC (1-3 minutes post-intervention) only

• Therapist Beliefs about SSC

  Pre-SSC Training, Immediately post-SSC training, and 2 months after SSC training

Other Outcomes (1)

• Brief Personal Data Questionnaire (Adult or Adolescent version)

  Pre-SSC only

Study Arms (1)

Intervention

OTHER

SINGLE-SESSION CONSULTATION

Behavioral: Single-Session Consultation

Interventions

Single-Session Consultation BEHAVIORAL

A single, goal-directed consultation session based on Solution-Focused Brief Therapy (SFBT). SFBT is an evidence-based therapy approach that is primarily focused on the client's present problems and their immediate future. When using SFBT in a single-session the aim of the intervention becomes empowering the client to take the smallest possible steps towards their desired future.

Also known as: SSC

Intervention

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 13 Years+
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: No
• Age Groups: Child (0-17), Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

• All adolescent (ages 13+) and adult clients on the waitlist for clinical psychotherapy services at the KPC and MBCRC will be eligible to take part in this research.

You may not qualify if:

• Child clients at the KPC and MBCRC under the age of 13 will not be eligible to participate in this study, because the Single-Session Consultation service presently being offered at the KPC and MBCRC is designed for use with adolescents and adults (i.e., it would be developmentally inappropriate for younger children.).
• Non-English speaking individuals will not be eligible to receive any clinical services at the KPC and MBCRC because all therapists at the clinics are English-speaking.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Stony Brook University: lead

Study Sites (1)

Stony Brook University

Stony Brook, New York, 11794-2500, United States

Location

Study Officials

• Jessica L Schleider, PhD

  Stony Brook University

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: NA
• Masking: NONE
• Purpose: TREATMENT
• Intervention Model: SINGLE GROUP
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Assistant Professor of Psychology

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: August 21, 2019
• First Posted: August 28, 2019
• Study Start: October 1, 2019
• Primary Completion: April 30, 2020
• Study Completion: May 1, 2020
• Last Updated: May 29, 2020

Record last verified: 2020-05

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will share
• Shared Documents: STUDY PROTOCOL, SAP, ICF

Locations

US (1)