Improving Patient Mental Health With Psychotherapist Virtual Training
NCT ID: NCT07087730
Last Updated: 2025-07-28
Study Results
The study team has not published outcome measurements, participant flow, or safety data for this trial yet. Check back later for updates.
Basic Information
Get a concise snapshot of the trial, including recruitment status, study phase, enrollment targets, and key timeline milestones.
RECRUITING
NA
489 participants
INTERVENTIONAL
2023-08-02
2027-05-01
Brief Summary
Review the sponsor-provided synopsis that highlights what the study is about and why it is being conducted.
In the current study, the investigators will test the effectiveness and acceptability of a virtually-delivered training program to psychotherapists in North America to improve their capacity to identify and repair problems in the therapeutic alliance, including tensions related to patient diversity. The investigators will also examine how acceptable the virtually-delivered training is to psychotherapists and whether they would use such training in their practice. Participants in the study will be community-based licensed psychotherapists and their patients engaging in therapy in North America. Patient mental health outcomes, therapeutic alliance, and diversity issues will be assessed by comparing outcome measures between three groups: 1) therapists complete a self-paced virtual course + consultation, 2) therapists complete synchronous workshop + consultation, 3) control: therapists do not complete training.
The team of investigators developed Canada's largest psychotherapy practice-research network and has expertise in clinical trials, diversity, and education research of virtual training. State of the art training is often out of the reach of therapists who live outside of urban centres, and the effectiveness and acceptability of providing training virtually is not well-studied in mental health care. This study will improve psychotherapists' effectiveness at managing the therapeutic alliance and issues related to diversity, and will improve patient mental health outcomes thus promising to reduce the burden of mental illness.
Related Clinical Trials
Explore similar clinical trials based on study characteristics and research focus.
Web Based Therapist Training in Interpersonal Psychotherapy for Depression
NCT03177304
Therapeutic Alliance Tensions and Repair in Psychotherapy Practices
NCT03453957
Increasing Access to Evidence-based Treatments for Depression
NCT04619615
Ultra-Brief Intervention to Reduce Depressive and Anxious Symptoms
NCT03293797
Abbreviating Mindfulness-Based Therapy for Depressive and Anxious Symptoms
NCT02861066
Detailed Description
Dive into the extended narrative that explains the scientific background, objectives, and procedures in greater depth.
Conditions
See the medical conditions and disease areas that this research is targeting or investigating.
Study Design
Understand how the trial is structured, including allocation methods, masking strategies, primary purpose, and other design elements.
RANDOMIZED
PARALLEL
HEALTH_SERVICES_RESEARCH
SINGLE
Study Groups
Review each arm or cohort in the study, along with the interventions and objectives associated with them.
Virtual Training Program
Asynchronous virtual training professional development program including consultation.
Virtual Training Program
Therapists randomized to this condition will receive the professional development via an asynchronous virtual training course. The Virtual Training will include written material, videos, interactive learning activities, and a text-based discussion forum where therapists and faculty will be able to interact in relation to the given activities. Clinical scenario and simulation-based interactive learning will allow therapists to explore clinical situations, make decisions, and evaluate consequences of their actions in a safe environment. Therapists will complete 6 study-related therapy sessions with 3 new patients. After therapists receive the Virtual Training and after they enroll their first patient, therapists will attend bi-weekly 1-hour online consultation meetings that include up to 6 therapists at a time and led by two of the training faculty. Each therapist will attend 10 of these posttraining consultation sessions.
Training as Usual
Synchronous virtual workshop professional development including consultation.
Training as Usual
Therapists randomized to this condition will receive the professional development training via a 3-day synchronous workshop delivered via video conference covering the same didactic content as the virtual training course. The workshop will include lectures, written material, videos, and live role play activities. Therapists will complete 6 study-related sessions with 3 new patients. After therapists receive the professional development through Training as Usual and after they enroll their first patient, therapists will attend bi-weekly 1-hour online consultation meetings that include up to 6 therapists at a time and led by two of the training faculty. Each therapist will attend 10 of these posttraining consultation sessions.
No Training
No training, therapy as usual.
No Training
Therapists randomized to this control condition will provide psychotherapy via the study video conference platform to 3 new enrolled patients in their typical manner except that they and their patients will also complete the assessments necessary for the study. After study completion, the investigators will provide therapists in the control condition with access to virtual training.
Interventions
Learn about the drugs, procedures, or behavioral strategies being tested and how they are applied within this trial.
Virtual Training Program
Therapists randomized to this condition will receive the professional development via an asynchronous virtual training course. The Virtual Training will include written material, videos, interactive learning activities, and a text-based discussion forum where therapists and faculty will be able to interact in relation to the given activities. Clinical scenario and simulation-based interactive learning will allow therapists to explore clinical situations, make decisions, and evaluate consequences of their actions in a safe environment. Therapists will complete 6 study-related therapy sessions with 3 new patients. After therapists receive the Virtual Training and after they enroll their first patient, therapists will attend bi-weekly 1-hour online consultation meetings that include up to 6 therapists at a time and led by two of the training faculty. Each therapist will attend 10 of these posttraining consultation sessions.
Training as Usual
Therapists randomized to this condition will receive the professional development training via a 3-day synchronous workshop delivered via video conference covering the same didactic content as the virtual training course. The workshop will include lectures, written material, videos, and live role play activities. Therapists will complete 6 study-related sessions with 3 new patients. After therapists receive the professional development through Training as Usual and after they enroll their first patient, therapists will attend bi-weekly 1-hour online consultation meetings that include up to 6 therapists at a time and led by two of the training faculty. Each therapist will attend 10 of these posttraining consultation sessions.
No Training
Therapists randomized to this control condition will provide psychotherapy via the study video conference platform to 3 new enrolled patients in their typical manner except that they and their patients will also complete the assessments necessary for the study. After study completion, the investigators will provide therapists in the control condition with access to virtual training.
Eligibility Criteria
Check the participation requirements, including inclusion and exclusion rules, age limits, and whether healthy volunteers are accepted.
Exclusion Criteria
* Patient participants: The investigators will exclude patients if they: (a) have a psychotic or neurocognitive disorder that may preclude engagement in psychotherapy, (b) are in concurrent psychological treatment with another practitioner, (c) are at high risk of suicide or suicidal behaviors as assessed by their therapist (e.g., suicide attempt or hospitalization for suicidal behaviors in the past 6 months), or (d) for whom the therapist judge that approaching them with information about the study will be harmful.
18 Years
ALL
Yes
Sponsors
Meet the organizations funding or collaborating on the study and learn about their roles.
University of Toronto
OTHER
Sinai Health System
OTHER
University of Ottawa
OTHER
Responsible Party
Identify the individual or organization who holds primary responsibility for the study information submitted to regulators.
Giorgio A. Tasca
Principal Investigator, Full Professor
Principal Investigators
Learn about the lead researchers overseeing the trial and their institutional affiliations.
Giorgio A Tasca, PhD
Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR
University of Ottawa
Locations
Explore where the study is taking place and check the recruitment status at each participating site.
University of Ottawa
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Countries
Review the countries where the study has at least one active or historical site.
Central Contacts
Reach out to these primary contacts for questions about participation or study logistics.
Facility Contacts
Find local site contact details for specific facilities participating in the trial.
Related Links
Access external resources that provide additional context or updates about the study.
recruitment site
Other Identifiers
Review additional registry numbers or institutional identifiers associated with this trial.
461713
Identifier Type: OTHER_GRANT
Identifier Source: secondary_id
156261
Identifier Type: -
Identifier Source: org_study_id
More Related Trials
Additional clinical trials that may be relevant based on similarity analysis.