Integrating the Youth Nominated Support Team (YST) With CBT for Black Youth With Acute Suicide Risk

Summary

The investigators are modifying and testing the preliminary effectiveness and implementation of the combination of two psychosocial interventions, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Suicide Prevention (CBT-SP) and the computer-assisted version of the Youth-Nominated Support Team (eYST). This registration will be for Aim 2 and a pilot randomized clinical trial for Aim 3 will be registered separately.

In this phase of the study, CBT-SP+eYST will be tested in an initial open trial (number of youth=6) to examine its feasibility and acceptability. Investigators will recruit Black adolescents that come to an urban emergency department (ED) for suicidal thoughts and/or behaviors to receive the intervention in an outpatient community mental health agency. The study focuses on the acute phase of CBT-SP, which is 12 sessions. Participants will nominate up to 4 caring adults in the participants lives to serve as support persons. These support persons will attend an education/orientation session to learn more about their role and how to support the youth.

Youth will be assessed at baseline, 6 weeks, and 14 weeks. Parents will be assessed at baseline and 14 weeks. Support persons will be assessed at baseline and 14 weeks. Fidelity assessments will be completed by clinicians after each CBT-SP session, after the YST psycho-ed session, and weekly to document contact with the support team.

Conditions

• Suicide Prevention

Interventions

BEHAVIORAL

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Suicide Prevention (CBT-SP)

Clinicians will provide this specialized evidence-based mental health care. The study focuses on the acute phase of CBT-SP, which is 12 sessions. CBT-SP's goals are to reduce suicide risk factors, enhance coping, and prevent future suicidal behavior. Identifying the emotional, cognitive, behavioral, or familial processes that precede a suicide crisis is a major focus, which yields an individualized treatment plan. Each session lasts one hour and can be completed either in person or via a secure telehealth platform. Most youths will attend sessions on a weekly basis and therapists typically like to be in contact with parents as well.

BEHAVIORAL

Youth-Nominated Support Team

Youth will nominate up to 4 trusted adults. Following parental approval, Support Persons will attend an orientation session with their assigned intervention specialist, learn about the youth's difficulties, treatment plan, and receive ideas for supporting the youth. Support Persons will be asked to have contact with the youth each week for up to three months to offer emotional support, encourage participation in treatment, and support the youth's healthy behaviors. Support Persons will have weekly check-ins with their intervention specialist every week for the 3 months of the study. During these calls, Support Persons have an opportunity to discuss any questions or concerns they may have about the youth and how best to support them.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)

  collaborator NIH

• MiSide

  collaborator UNKNOWN

• Children's Hospital of Michigan

  collaborator OTHER

• University of Michigan

  lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

• Cynthia Ewell Foster, PhD · University of Michigan

Study Design

Allocation

NA

Purpose

PREVENTION

Masking

NONE

Model

SINGLE_GROUP

Eligibility

Min Age

12 Years

Sex

ALL

Healthy Volunteers

No

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2025-05-08

Primary Completion

2026-03-31

Completion

2026-03-31

Countries

• United States

Study Locations