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Pilot Study Adapting EAT-PTSD for Anxious Youth

NCT05298397 · Status: TERMINATED · Phase: NA · Type: INTERVENTIONAL · Enrollment: 4

Last updated 2025-07-17

No results posted yet for this study

Summary

The purpose of this research protocol is to adapt the Equine Assisted Therapy (EAT) protocol, which the investigators had developed to help treat PTSD (EAT-PTSD; the Man O' War (MOW) protocol), for use with adolescents who have an anxiety disorder.

The MOW protocol is an eight session, group therapy EAT protocol, which the investigators developed, piloted, revised, and tested. EAT is an alternative treatment practiced across the United States and around the world for mental health disorders, in which the horse(s) play an essential role in an experientially oriented therapeutic approach. The MOW protocol is for group EAT, with groups led by a licensed mental health provider and an "equine specialist," working with two horses and assisted by a wrangler (horse handler) to assure safety. In the open trial, the MOW protocol showed promising results in reducing the level of PTSD and Depressive symptoms in veterans with moderate to severe PTSD, was found to be safe (no adverse events), and well accepted (very few dropouts (Fisher et al., 2021)) and found evidence of neural changes (Zhu et al, 2021). As part of the MOW project, the investigators prepared a well specified treatment manual (Fisher et al, 2021) - the first of its kind in the field of EAT - and have trained others in its use.

Conditions

  • Anxiety Disorder of Childhood or Adolescence

Interventions

OTHER

EAT-PTSD adapted for youth for anxiety

This is an eight session (90 minute sessions) weekly experiential group treatment. The first session includes psychoeducation, orientation to treatment, a barn tour, and ends with meeting the horses. Subsequent sessions involve increasingly complex encounters and interactions with horses accompanied by feedback and direction from the treatment. Early phase treatment exercises acquaint patients with the horse, with grooming exercises, leading with a rope or a wand, and directing the horse. The middle phase furthers patients' mastery and comfort with the horse in individual and teamwork exercises. The final session includes a graduation ceremony. All intervention sessions begin with "Opening Circle" and end with "Closing Circle." Opening Circle incorporates a "grounding exercise" and is orients participants to the session to check in regarding thoughts and feelings. Closing Circle reviews lessons learned during the session, eliciting participant feedback and facilitating discussion.

Sponsors & Collaborators

Principal Investigators

  • Prudence Fisher, PhD · New York State Psychiatric Institute

Study Design

Allocation
NA
Purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
NONE
Model
SINGLE_GROUP

Eligibility

Min Age
13 Years
Max Age
17 Years
Sex
ALL
Healthy Volunteers
No

Timeline & Regulatory

Start
2022-04-29
Primary Completion
2022-11-23
Completion
2022-11-23

Countries

  • United States

Study Locations

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Entities

Companies

Read the full study record

This page highlights key information. For complete eligibility criteria, study locations, investigator contacts, and the full protocol, visit the original record on ClinicalTrials.gov.

View NCT05298397 on ClinicalTrials.gov