ACT Together: Implementing a Web-Based Program With Brief Coaching for Parents of Children With Disabilities in Pediatric Outpatient Clinics

NCT07360600 | Recruiting

• 2 other identifiers: STUDY009450AOTFIR24Han
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 60
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

The goal of this clinical trial is to evaluate the feasibility, usability, and preliminary benefits of implementing ACT Together for parents of children with disabilities in pediatric outpatient clinics. ACT Together includes six self-paced, web-based modules and brief weekly one-on-one coaching sessions led by a trained occupational therapist. The program is based on acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), which teaches practical skills to help people handle stress and difficult thoughts or feelings while taking steps toward what matters to them. The main questions this study aims to answer are:

• Can parents and occupational therapists complete the study activities as planned (e.g., module completion, coaching sessions, and surveys)?
• Is the program usable and acceptable/appropriate/feasible to implement in this setting?
• Do parents show improvements in mental health and coping-related outcomes after participating in the program?
• What are the experiences and perspectives of parents and therapists regarding the program? Parents as participants will:
• Complete six self-paced web-based modules and brief weekly individual phone coaching sessions with a trained occupational therapist working in pediatric outpatient clinics.
• Complete online questionnaires before starting and after completing the program.
• Take part in one online interview about their experiences and perspectives on the program. Occupational therapists as participants will:
• Complete therapist training materials and deliver brief individual phone coaching sessions to parent participants, including completing a post-session checklist.
• Complete brief online questionnaires before starting and after delivering the program.
• Take part in one online interview about their experiences and perspectives on the program.

Conditions

Parents; Stress; Depression; Children With Disabilities

Keywords

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy; web-based intervention; internet-based intervention; occupational therapist; parents; children with disabilities; depressive symptoms; stress; feasibility; acceptability; usability; implementation; mixed methods; Pilot Study; phone coaching

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (4)

• Enrollment rate

  The enrollment rate will be calculated as the number of participants who consent and complete the baseline evaluation divided by the number of participants who are eligible and invited to participate in the study.

  During the recruitment period (up to approximately 6 months)

• Retention

  Retention will be defined as the proportion of enrolled participants who complete the post-intervention assessment.

  Baseline through post-intervention (approximately 7-8 weeks)

• Web-based module completion

  Web-based module completion will be defined as the number of web-based modules completed (range 0-6 modules).

  Baseline through post-intervention (approximately 7-8 weeks)

• Coaching session completion

  Coaching session completion will be defined as the number of coaching sessions completed (range 0-6 sessions).

  Baseline through post-intervention (approximately 7-8 weeks)

Secondary Outcomes (12)

• Usability

  Post-intervention (approximately 7-8 weeks)

• Acceptability of the program

  Post-intervention (approximately 7-8 weeks)

• Appropriateness of the program

  Post-intervention (approximately 7-8 weeks)

• Feasibility of the program

  Post-intervention (approximately 7-8 weeks).

• Change in Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) scores from baseline to post-intervention

  Baseline to post-intervention (approximately 7-8 weeks)

Other Outcomes (3)

• User experiences

  Post-intervention (approximately 7-8 weeks)

• Coaching session fidelity

  Immediately after each coaching session, throughout the intervention period (approximately weeks 1-6) per parent participant

• Participant Perceptions of Online Modules, Phone Coaching Sessions, and Training Materials

  Post-intervention (approximately 7-8 weeks)

Study Arms (1)

Acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) group

EXPERIMENTAL

The ACT group will complete the ACT Together program.

Behavioral: ACT Together

Interventions

ACT Together BEHAVIORAL

ACT Together includes six self-paced, weekly web-based ACT modules and six brief phone coaching sessions delivered after each module by a trained occupational therapist.

Acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) group

Eligibility Criteria

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

You may qualify if:

• Community-dwelling adults (aged ≥18 years) with primary caregiving responsibility for a child with disabilities (aged \<18 years) who is enrolled in a participating clinic;
• Expected to use services at the participating clinic at least once per week over the next three months;
• Willing to learn strategies to cope with emotions and thoughts; and
• Have access to a web-enabled device (e.g., smartphone, tablet, laptop, or desktop) with reliable internet access at home or in a public space (e.g., library).

You may not qualify if:

• Cognitive, physical, sensory impairments, or language barriers (non-English speaking) that would impede participation;
• Suicidal intent or suicide attempt(s) within the past six months;
• Participation in another parent support research study at the time of recruitment; or
• More than three hospitalizations of either the parent or child within the past year, or other serious health concerns that would interfere with program engagement.
• Have three or more years of clinical experience in a pediatric setting and be willing to participate in training, program implementation, and study evaluations; and
• Currently work in a clinic that serves at least 15 children who attend the clinic at least once per week.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• American Occupational Therapy Foundation: collaborator
• University of South Florida: lead

Study Sites (1)

University of South Florida

Tampa, Florida, 33612, United States

RECRUITING

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Depression

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Behavioral Symptoms; Behavior

Study Officials

• Areum Han, PhD

  University of South Florida

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Central Study Contacts

Areum Han, PhD

CONTACT

813-396-0524; areumhan@usf.edu

Jeremy Jenkins, MS

CONTACT

813-396-0524; jeremyjenkins@usf.edu

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: Associate Professor

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: January 13, 2026
• First Posted: January 22, 2026
• Study Start: March 18, 2026
• Primary Completion (Estimated): October 1, 2026
• Study Completion (Estimated): November 1, 2026
• Last Updated: May 13, 2026

Record last verified: 2026-05

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will not share

Locations

US (1)