Imagery Rescripting in Primary Care

NCT07362511 | Recruiting

• 1 other identifier: FMG-11030
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 12
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

In the current study we aim to investigate the feasibility, acceptability, and effectiveness of ImRs offered by mental health assistants within primary care to reduce depressive symptoms. In a single-case experimental design (SCED) study, the following hypotheses will be tested:

1. 1.ImRs results in a reduction of depressive symptoms compared to baseline, and this reduction lasts up to six months.
2. 2.Patients with complaints of depressive symptoms find ImRs an acceptable form of intervention when offered by mental health assistants within a general practice setting.

Conditions

Major Depressive Diorder; Low Self-Esteem; Mood Disorders

Keywords

Imagery Rescripting; Depression; Primary care

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (3)

• Depressive symptom severity

  Depressive symptom severity is assessed with the PHQ-2 (Kroenke et al., 2003). The PHQ-2 consists of the first two items of the PHQ-9 and measures the frequency of depressed mood and anhedonia in the past week. Scores range from 0-6 and higher scores mean more depressive symptoms.

  16-18 weeks, twice a week

• Self-esteem

  Self-esteem will be measured with a single question "How have you felt about yourself in the past week?" Participants rate this question on a scale from -100 (very negative) to +100 (very positive).

  16-18 weeks, twice a week

• Dysfunctional core beliefs

  Participants will formulate these negative beliefs about themselves or the world/other people together with the mental health assistant during the first session and then rate how convincing these beliefs are on a scale from 0 (not at all convincing) -100 (very convincing).

  16-18 weeks, twice a week + 3 month and 6 month follow-up

Secondary Outcomes (4)

• Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale

  Baseline, pre-treatment, 4-weeks post-treatment, 3 month follow-up, 6 month follow-up

• Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale

  Baseline, pre-treatment, 4-weeks post-treatment, 3 month follow-up, 6 month follow-up

• Suicidal thoughts

  Baseline, pre-treatment, 4-weeks post-treatment, 3 month follow-up, 6 month follow-up

• Emotional memory

  Pre-treatment, 4-weeks post-treatment, 3 month follow-up, 6 month follow-up

Other Outcomes (1)

• Acceptability

  4- weeks post-treatment

Study Arms (1)

Imagery Rescripting

EXPERIMENTAL

The ImRs will follow the protocol as developed by Arntz and Weertman (1999), that was tailored for the primary care setting. The total of sessions will be set at 6. In session 1, the patient and therapist will create a list of core beliefs and memories to be rescripted. Session 1 will take place before the baseline phase, allowing us to assess core beliefs prior to the intervention. In session 2-6, one negative emotional memory is selected and rescripted (45 minutes per session). If necessary, a memory can be rescripted twice. In session 2-3 the therapist enters the image and rescripts the memory, whereas in session 4-6 the patient adult-self enters the image and rescripts the memory. If patients are uncomfortable doing so, session 4 can still be guided by the therapist.

Behavioral: Imagery Rescripting

Interventions

Imagery Rescripting BEHAVIORAL

During ImRs, the patient brings a negative memory to mind and changes, together with the therapist, the outcome of the memory into a more positive

Also known as: ImRs

Imagery Rescripting

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 18 Years - 70 Years
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: No
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

• Main complaint of depressive feelings, as indicated by both the mental health assistant and the patient.
• HADS score for the depression subscale ≥ 11.
• Ability to understand, read, write and speak Dutch or English.
• Age between 18 and 70.
• Willingness to participate in the study and treatment.

You may not qualify if:

• Acute suicide risk (BDI-II-item9 score of 3).
• If the mental health assistant suspects that the patient may have a primary diagnosis of bipolar disorder, psychosis, substance use disorder, low IQ, or if the patient suffers from serious neurological problems such as dementia, then the patient is not included. There will not be a formal assessment of a primary diagnosis.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• University of Amsterdam: lead
• UvA Huisartsen: collaborator

Study Sites (1)

UvA Huisartsen

Amsterdam, North Holland, 1018VZ, Netherlands

RECRUITING

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Mood Disorders; Depression

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Mental Disorders; Behavioral Symptoms; Behavior

Central Study Contacts

Lotte Stemerding

CONTACT

0031614401653; l.e.stemerding@uva.nl

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: Dr.

Model Details: A multiple-baseline case series design will be used. All participants will first complete a baseline phase without intervention, and then undergo 10 weeks of Imagery Rescripting intervention (5 sessions). Participants are randomized to different waitlist (baseline) durations (2, 3 or 4 weeks), and intervention effectiveness is evaluated by comparing the change over time of bi-weekly self-reported depressive symptoms, self-esteem, and core beliefs.

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: December 16, 2025
• First Posted: January 23, 2026
• Study Start: December 1, 2025
• Primary Completion (Estimated): August 31, 2026
• Study Completion (Estimated): January 31, 2027
• Last Updated: January 23, 2026

Record last verified: 2026-01

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will not share

Locations

NL (1)