A Pilot RCT Examining the Effectiveness of CMT for Healthcare Staff
ConditionStaff Support
Trial statusRecruiting
Trial phaseNot applicable
Trial typeInterventional
Biological sexAll
Age18-68
SponsorQueen's University, Belfast
About this trial
The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the critical need for evidence-based interventions to support the psychological wellbeing of healthcare staff, particularly within Occupational Health settings. Recent research has documented significant mental health challenges among healthcare professionals, including high rates of burnout and stress. Fostering self-compassion has emerged as a key area for intervention. This study aims to pilot and assess the effectiveness of an online compassion-based intervention for healthcare staff, using a randomised Treatment As Usual (TAU) control group. The intervention will be grounded in Compassion Focused Therapy (CFT) and Compassionate Mind Training (CMT). CFT aims to shift focus from self-blame and shame to self-compassion, while CMT involves specific techniques to cultivate compassionate attitudes.
The four-week online intervention, led by a CMT expert, will include mindfulness practices such as attention training, imagery, and behaviour-based exercises designed to foster an identity grounded in compassion. The sample will consist of healthcare professionals accessing Occupational Health service in Belfast Health and Social Care Trust (BHSCT) for psychological assessment. Participants who meet inclusion criteria will be randomly assigned to either the intervention group or the TAU control group.
Questionnaires will be administered online at four time points: pre-intervention,mid intervention, post-intervention, and at one-month follow-up. The measures will assess mental health, burnout, self-compassion, fear of self-compassion and credibility and expectancy of treatment. Participants will be recruited through BHSCT Occupational Health Service and will be screened to meet inclusion criteria by the clinician completing psychological assessment. If the client agrees to be contacted by the researcher their name will be added to a study spreadsheet by their clinician and they will be contacted by the researcher to provide further information and obtain informed consent. Data will be collected electronically using Microsoft Forms and stored securely on an encrypted Trust-based database.
Eligibility criteria
This trial accepts healthy volunteersQualifiers
Healthcare staff attending the occupational health service for psychological assessment in the BHSCT
Over the age of 18
Good level of English to access and complete the intervention and TAU
Internet access on a suitable device to access the intervention and/or questionnaires
Disqualifiers
Individuals who are engaging in alternative active psychological intervention
Individuals identified as being in active addiction or experiencing Serious Mental Illness, or if this is suspected by the staff member assessing the participant
A CORE-10 score of 25 and above indicating severe psychological distress will also act as exclusion criteria as the intervention has shown to be most beneficial as a low intensity treatment option
Trial design
Design model
Parallel
Treatments tested in this trial
Compassionate Mind Training
Other interventionThe IG will receive an online intervention created, recorded and delivered by a member of the research team, Dr Chris Irons, founder of Balanced Minds and Board Member of the Compassionate Mind Foundation. The content of the intervention is based on the principles of CFT theory (Gilbert, 2009), CMT practices (Irons \& Beaumont, 2017) and research outcomes. The intervention is hosted on the Balanced Minds website by Dr Chris Irons and this will be freely accessible to participants. There is no cost to the research team for using this intervention and Dr Irons will be a named author for his participation. After participants provide consent, complete baseline measures and randomisation takes place, those randomised into the IG will receive an information leaflet detailing how to register on the Balanced Minds website using their provided email address. The intervention will consist of four weekly sessions, containing a 30-minute video, additional audio exercises and reading materials. Part
Staffcare Counselling
Other interventionParticipants who are randomly allocated to the TAUG will be referred to an information leaflet providing usual care following assessment in the Occupational Health Service, as an appropriate intervention for their presenting difficulties as per the stepped care model. This involves referral to Staffcare for 6 weekly counselling sessions through the Employee Assistance Programme (EAP). This treatment is not affiliated with the Occupational Health Service.
Treatment groups
60 Participants
are divided into 2 treatment groupsGroup A: Staffcare CounsellingActive comparator 1 intervention
Group B: Compassionate Mind TrainingExperimental treatment 1 intervention
Trial outcomes
Primary outcomes
1
The Professional Quality of Life (ProQOL) scale
a self-report questionnaire designed by Stamm (2010) to measure the positive and negative aspects of working in helping professions. The ProQOL scale has three subscales: Compassion Satisfaction, Burnout and Secondary Traumatic Stress. Respondents rate how frequently they experience each item on a 5-point Likert scale from 1 "never" to 5 "very often". Respondents' scores on each subscale can provide insight into their overall professional quality of life. Higher scores on the Compassion Satisfaction subscale indicate greater satisfaction and fulfilment, while higher scores on the Burnout and Secondary Traumatic Stress subscales indicate greater levels of distress. Each scale has a minimum score of 10 and a maximum score of 50.
Time frame
Each group is measured at 4 timepoints: IG: Baseline, after 2 sessions of CMT, after 4 sessions of CMT, 4 weeks post treatment. TAUG: Baseline, after approx. 3 sessions of counselling, after approx. 6 sessions of counselling, 4 weeks post treatment.2
The Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS-21),
a 21-item shortened version of the long-form DASS-42 (Lovibond \& Lovibond, 1995). The DASS-21 includes three, 7 item, self-report subscales designed to measure the emotional states of depression, anxiety and stress over the past week e.g. "I felt scared without any good reason", "I felt I had nothing to look forward to", "I found myself getting agitated". Items are rated on a 4-point Likert scale ranging from 0 "did not apply to me at all" to 3 "applied to me very much or most of the time". Scores need to be multiplied by 2 to calculate the full-scale score. Clinical cut offs range from 'Normal' to 'Extremely Severe'.
Time frame
Each group is measured at 4 timepoints: IG: Baseline, after 2 sessions of CMT, after 4 sessions of CMT, 4 weeks post treatment. TAUG: Baseline, after approx. 3 sessions of counselling, after approx. 6 sessions of counselling, 4 weeks post treatment.Secondary outcomes
1
Self Compassion Scale Short Form (SCS-SF)
The SCS-SF is a 12-item shortened version of the 26-item long form (SCS-26), designed to measure self-kindness vs self-judgement, common humanity vs isolation and mindfulness vs overidentification (Neff, 2003). Items are rated on a 5-point Likert scale ranging from 1 "almost never" to 5 "almost always" e.g. "When I fail at something that's important to me, I tend to feel alone in my failure".
Time frame
Each group is measured at 4 timepoints: IG: Baseline, after 2 sessions of CMT, after 4 sessions of CMT, 4 weeks post treatment. TAUG: Baseline, after approx. 3 sessions of counselling, after approx. 6 sessions of counselling, 4 weeks post treatment.2
Fears of Compassion Scale three: Expressing kindness and compassion towards yourself,
This 15 item scale measures fear of expressing kindness and compassion towards oneself e.g. "I fear that if I am too compassionate towards myself, bad things will happen". Items are rated using a 5-point Likert scale from 0 "don't agree at all" to 4 "completely agree".
Time frame
Each group is measured at 4 timepoints: IG: Baseline, after 2 sessions of CMT, after 4 sessions of CMT, 4 weeks post treatment. TAUG: Baseline, after approx. 3 sessions of counselling, after approx. 6 sessions of counselling, 4 weeks post treatment.3
The Credibility Expectancy Questionnaire (CEQ)
) is a 6 item scale that will be used at all timepoints for both the IG and TAUG to assess participant's experiences and perceptions of treatment. The CEQ is used to evaluate how credible the participant believes the treatment is and their expectations for improvement. The responses are aggregated to create an overall credibility score including subscales in confidence in treatment and expectation of success, with a higher score indicating greater perceived credibility and stronger treatment expectancies. The CEQ is useful in studies evaluating new treatments to understand how pre-treatment perceptions might influence treatment outcomes such as efficacy or adherence.
Time frame
Each group is measured at 4 timepoints: IG: Baseline, after 2 sessions of CMT, after 4 sessions of CMT, 4 weeks post treatment. TAUG: Baseline, after approx. 3 sessions of counselling, after approx. 6 sessions of counselling, 4 weeks post treatment.Other outcomes
1
The Clinical Outcomes in Routine Evaluation 10 (CORE-10)
The Clinical Outcomes in Routine Evaluation 10 (CORE-10) is a 10-item assessment measure for common presentations of psychological distress, and is designed to be generic, short, and easy-to-use in primary care mental health settings. Items are rated on a scale from 0 (not at all) to 4 (most or all the time), giving a total score range from 0 to 40. Higher scores indicate greater levels of distress, while lower scores reflect better emotional wellbeing. A score of 25 and above indicates severe psychological distress.
Time frame
Eligibility screening pre studySponsors and contacts
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Source ClinicalTrials.gov