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RECRUITING
NCT06696001
NA

Neuroscience of Psychotherapy for Depression

Sponsor: University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill

View on ClinicalTrials.gov

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

BEHAVIORAL

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

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