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Grief Counseling for Bereaved Parents

N/A

Waitlist Available

Led By Wendy Lichtenthal, PhD

Research Sponsored by Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center

Eligibility Criteria Checklist

Specific guidelines that determine who can or cannot participate in a clinical trial

Must have

Biological or adoptive parent or stepparent as reported in the child's medical record or by parent report

Parent must be age 18 or over as reported by parent

Timeline

Screening 3 weeks

Treatment Varies

Follow Up up to 5 years

Awards & highlights

No Placebo-Only Group

Summary

This trial is testing a new counseling program for parents who have lost a child, to help them with the emotional burden of their loss.

Who is the study for?

This trial is for parents in certain areas of New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, or Pennsylvania who have lost a child and are struggling with grief. They must be at least 18 years old, speak English well enough to complete study tasks, and have been grieving for at least six months.

What is being tested?

The study tests a new counseling program called Meaning-Centered Grief Therapy (MCGT) against Supportive Psychotherapy (SP). Parents will also fill out questionnaires to help researchers understand the impact of these therapies on their grief.

What are the potential side effects?

Since this trial involves psychotherapy interventions rather than medications, traditional side effects are not expected. However, participants may experience emotional discomfort when discussing sensitive topics related to their loss.

Eligibility Criteria

Inclusion Criteria

You may be eligible if you check “Yes” for the criteria below

Select...

I am the child's biological, adoptive, or stepparent.

Select...

I am a parent and I am 18 years old or older.

Timeline

Screening ~ 3 weeks3 visits

Treatment ~ Varies

Follow Up ~ up to 5 years

Screening ~ 3 weeks

Treatment ~ Varies

Follow Up ~up to 5 years

This trial's timeline: 3 weeks for screening, Varies for treatment, and up to 5 years for reporting.

Treatment Details

Awards & Highlights

No Placebo-Only Group

All patients enrolled in this study will receive some form of active treatment.

Trial Design

2Treatment groups

Experimental Treatment

Group I: Meaning-Centered Grief Therapy (MCGT)Experimental Treatment2 Interventions

Part 1: Open Trials. Participants (n = 5 for Step 1 \& n = 5 for Step 2) will receive 16 1-hour (approx) weekly sessions MCGT, \& all therapy sessions will be audio recorded. Will make every effort to complete 16 sessions in 16 weeks, due to normal life activities, this is considered an approximation (i.e. there may be weeks where sessions don't take place \&/or weeks where more than 1 session takes place in a week). If participant provides us with permission, we will also video record the sessions. Assessments will be administered at 4 time points: pre-intervention (T1), mid-intervention (T2), post-intervention (T3), \& at 3-months post-intervention (T4). They will provide their feedback about MCGT \& the measures. PI will review the open trial sessions to help refine the MCGT manual \& treatment integrity forms. Sessions for Step 1 participants in Part 1 will be held at the MSK Counseling Center. Sessions for Step 2 participants in Part 1 will be conducted via videoconferencing.

Group II: MCGT or Supportive PsychotherapyExperimental Treatment3 Interventions

Part 2: Pilot RCT. Will randomize 66 parents to 16 weekly 60-90 minute (approx) sessions of MCGT or SP delivered via videoconferencing. Again, sessions will be audio recorded. If the participant provides us with permission, we also audio/video record the sessions. We will examine aspects of study implementation \& therapy process, including a) recruitment progress, b) implementation of the intervention, c) administration of the assessments, \& d) retention. We will also examine acceptability, defined as measures of satisfaction at T3. Psychosocial outcomes will be assessed with self-report measures at 4 time points: pre-intervention (T1), mid-intervention (T2), post-intervention (T3), \& at 3-months post-intervention (T4). Post-intervention qualitative exit interviews will assess acceptability of the intervention. Post-intervention qualitative exit interviews will assess acceptability of the MCGT intervention .

0 / 2Eligibility criteria met