Clinical Trial of Group counselling and support online using Kids Helpline Circles on a secure social network.

• Register: ANZCTR
• Last refreshed on: 13 January 2020
• Main ID: ACTRN12616000518460
• Date of registration: 21/04/2016
• Prospective Registration: Yes
• Primary sponsor: The University of Sydney
• Public title: Clinical Trial of Group counselling and support online using Kids Helpline Circles on a secure social network.
• Scientific title: Efficacy Trial of Kids Helpline Circles: A Secure Online Social Network for Young People
• Date of first enrolment: 23/03/2017
• Target sample size: 400
• Recruitment status: Recruiting
• URL: https://anzctr.org.au/ACTRN12616000518460.aspx
• Study type: Interventional
• Study design: Purpose: Educational / counselling / training; Allocation: Non-randomised trial; Masking: Open (masking not used);Assignment: Parallel;
• Phase: Not Applicable

Countries of recruitment

Australia

Contacts

• Name: Dr Andrew Campbell

• Name: Dr Andrew Campbell

Key inclusion & exclusion criteria

Inclusion criteria: Any client who contacts Kids Helpline for counselling is eligible, regardless of whether they are experiencing depression, anxiety or stress. All clients are informed about the study and are self-selected to voluntarily participate as a member for small group counselling via a secure social network owned by Kids Helpline (n=10 p/group). All clients are free to leave the study at anytime without penalty or prejudice.
Exclusion criteria: Those clients upon entry to the study, or during the study, are assessed as being in great distress (e.g. suicidal thoughts) or require immediate medical or psychiatric help.

Age minimum: 13 Years
Age maximum: 25 Years
Gender: Both males and females

Health Condition(s) or Problem(s) studied

Mental Health - Anxiety

depression;anxiety;stress;
depression
anxiety
stress

Mental Health - Other mental health disorders

Mental Health - Depression

Intervention(s)

Intervention brief name: Group Solution Focused Counselling via Social Network + One-on-one solution focused counselling.

Control: One-on-one solution focused counselling.

For each intervention: Informational materials are provided to clients that relate to their mental health concern (e.g. depression, anxiety and stress). This is the psycho-education stage upon entrance to the trial, that is provided in both one-on-one online counselling and in group counselling via the social network. Each week that a client voluntarily attends the intervention they will be provided with more support materials from written information, short YouTube videos on how to cope with mental illness and support counselling provided by a dedicated professionally trained counsellor at Kids Helpline. In all cases, only the professionally trained and accredited counsellor at Kids Helpline will provide the intervention counselling and support material. Each professional counsellor has a minimum of 2 years experience with delivering solution focused counselling by telephone or online. For this clinical trial, the mode of delivery will be a combination of online counselling (social network group counselling) and telephone or email support (one-on-one solution focused counselling. The number of times the intervention will be delivered is determined by the volunteer participant, but they can access the intervention for up to 4 years and may do so at their own frequency in any 24 hour period. The location where the intervention occurs is only online or via telephone or email.

For all trials the intervention is the same in the experimental condition - the provision of solution focused group counselling via social network, in addition to volunteer participants also attending individua

Primary Outcome(s)

Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale[administered at entry and re-administered every 2 weeks for the duration of participation in the study (minimum 2 weeks up to 4 years).]

The Revised Children’s Manifest Anxiety Scale (RCMAS)[administered at entry and re-administered every 2 weeks for the duration of participation in the study (minimum 2 weeks up to 4 years).]

Center for Epidemiological Studies
Depression Scale for Children (CES-DC)[administered at entry and re-administered every 2 weeks for the duration of participation in the study (minimum 2 weeks up to 4 years).]

Secondary Outcome(s)

The Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support[administered at entry and re-administered every 2 weeks for the duration of participation in the study (minimum 2 weeks up to 4 years).]

Secondary ID(s)

Nil Known

Source(s) of Monetary Support

Yourtown - Kids Helpline

Secondary Sponsor(s)

Yourtown - Kids Helpline

Ethics review

Status: Approved
Approval date:
Contact:

The University of Sydney