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Study on the Effectiveness of Journaling as an add-on to Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
Sponsor: University Hospital Tuebingen
Summary
The aim of the present study is to examine the effects of keeping a therapy journal (journaling) on the effectiveness of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). Homework assignments are a fundamental component of behavioral therapies. In line with the learning theory foundation of behavioral therapies, various types of homework are used to facilitate learning processes between therapy sessions and to enable patients to make progress. One way to enhance individual goal setting and reflection in patients is through the use of "therapy journals." The goal of the planned project is to evaluate the effectiveness of goal-oriented journal writing as an additional element in cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). To do this, psychotherapy patients will be randomly assigned to two treatment groups: CBT vs. CBT + Journaling. Patients will be block-randomized until 40 patients have completed the study in each treatment arm (at least 10 completed sessions).
Official title: Study on the Effectiveness of Journaling as an add-on to Cognitive Behavioral Therapy: A Randomized Controlled Trial
Key Details
Gender
All
Age Range
18 Years - 65 Years
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Enrollment
80
Start Date
2024-11-20
Completion Date
2026-12-31
Last Updated
2026-04-08
Healthy Volunteers
No
Conditions
Interventions
Journaling
In the journaling condition, participants will be asked to keep a therapy journal twice a day in addition to the content of the cognitve behavioral therapy. At the beginning of the day, patients are to set a daily goal that aligns with their therapy goals (e.g., remaining calm when negative thoughts arise), and at the end of the day, they will reflect on the day itself and the work done on their therapy goals.
Treatment as Usual (TAU)
Patients in this arm receive standard treatment (cognitive behavioral therapy) for their individual diagnosis. The study participation spans a period of 24 sessions (short-term psychotherapy KZT1\&2), during which the severity of symptoms will be assessed at the beginning of each session (duration approx. 2 minutes). Additionally, participants will be asked to answer some questions about basic documentation (diagnoses, symptoms) at the beginning and end of the study (duration approx. 20 minutes).
Locations (1)
University Hospital Tübingen, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy
Tübingen, Germany