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Neuroscience of Psychotherapy for Depression
Sponsor: University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
Summary
The goal of this study is to learn the extent to which client-therapist brain activity may synchronize during a psychosocial intervention for depression symptoms. The study will compare behavioral activation, a client-centered type of cognitive-behavioral therapy, to psychoeducation which delivers information on strategies to recover from depression symptoms. Participants will answer questions about their mental and physical health, attend one psychosocial intervention session receiving either Behavioral Activation or Psychoeducation with simultaneous brain activity measurement and complete follow up surveys two weeks and one month following the intervention.
Official title: Interbrain Synchronization of the Therapist-Client Dyad in Psychotherapy: Pilot EEG Study in Students With Mild-Moderate Depression Symptoms
Key Details
Gender
All
Age Range
18 Years - 30 Years
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Enrollment
45
Start Date
2025-04-11
Completion Date
2026-06-30
Last Updated
2025-12-18
Healthy Volunteers
No
Conditions
Interventions
Psychoeducation
For the psychoeducation session, the focus is for the therapist to engage with the client regarding mental health broadly without a targeted effort to reinforce therapeutic alliance or to offer individualized guidance or techniques. The session will provide educational information on depression, depression symptoms and known causes, and strategies to reduce depression symptoms. The content will be delivered in a fashion to avoid individualization and psychotherapeutic exchange. The elements will focus on components of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), differentiating between thoughts and feelings, common cognitive shortcuts, and the connection between behavior and emotion.
Behavioral Activation
Behavioral Activation (BA) is a psychotherapy treatment modality used for depression and focuses on replacing maladaptive coping mechanism that reinforce depressive symptoms with adaptive coping mechanisms to increase exposure to positive reinforcement. The treatment will consist of the following elements: Introduction to establish concept of positive reinforcement and build rapport, identification of client-centered values, individualized values-based activity planning and scheduling, and developing adaptive coping strategies for the future.
Locations (1)
Carolina Center for Neurostimulation
Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States