Many young people who have experienced traumatic events such as sexual assault, domestic violence, serious accidents, or natural disasters face long waits before they can begin full trauma-focused therapy. During this waiting period, symptoms such as avoidance, anxiety, and distress may worsen, and many youth lose motivation or confidence to start treatment. The Cue-Centered Therapy (CCT)-Informed Single Session Intervention (CISS) was designed to bridge this gap by offering a one-time, 90-minute session that teaches coping and self-understanding skills while youth are still on the waiting list.
This study is a pilot feasibility trial conducted in partnership between Stanford University and the University of Auckland. The purpose of the study is to evaluate whether CISS is a practical, acceptable, and safe intervention for young people aged 13-18 who have been exposed to trauma and are currently waiting for or hesitant to begin full-length therapy within New Zealand Hapai Ora Clinics.
Youth participants will meet once with a trained Hapai Ora clinician who will deliver the 90-minute CISS session. The session combines psychoeducation about trauma cues with skill-building strategies to improve coping, confidence, and readiness to engage in future treatment. Participants will complete short questionnaires before and after the session, and again at 3- and 6-month follow-ups. Measures will assess coping self-efficacy, treatment readiness, posttraumatic stress symptoms, and whether participants eventually begin full-length therapy.
The study will recruit approximately 30-40 adolescents across Hapai Ora clinical sites in Auckland, New Zealand. All clinicians providing the intervention are qualified mental-health professionals trained in both CISS and child-safety protocols. Participation involves minimal risk-similar to discussing difficult topics in a supportive therapy session.
Findings from this pilot study will help researchers understand whether CISS can be feasibly and safely delivered within public mental-health services, and whether it shows promise in helping young people build coping skills, reduce avoidance, and increase readiness to start therapy. The results will guide future larger-scale trials and inform the development of single-session, early-intervention approaches for trauma-exposed youth worldwide.
Age: 13 to 18 years old (adolescents).
None
Single group
Cue-Centered Therapy (CCT)-Informed Single Session Intervention (CISS)
Other interventionCue-Centered Therapy (CCT)-Informed Single Session Intervention (CISS) Arm Description: Participants will receive a single 90-minute CISS session, a structured, therapist-led program based on Cue-Centered Therapy (CCT). The session combines psychoeducation about trauma cues, guided reflection on avoidance and stress reactions, and skills practice to strengthen coping and treatment readiness. Sessions are delivered individually by trained mental-health clinicians (psychologists, psychiatrists, nurses, or social workers) working in Hapai Ora clinics. All clinicians complete CISS training and fidelity supervision before implementation.Each youth completes baseline questionnaires before the session, a brief post-session survey, and follow-up assessments at 3 and 6 months. No control group or randomization is used in this pilot feasibility design.
Feasibility of Implementing CISS within CAMHS Services
Feasibility will be evaluated using quantitative indices, including recruitment rate. Recruitment feasibility will be defined as the proportion of eligible participants who consent and complete the CISS session. Implementation feasibility will be indicated by the proportion of clinicians completing training and achieving ≥85% fidelity on observed sessions. Data will be summarized descriptively to determine whether CISS can be integrated into routine Hapai Ora workflows.
Feasibility of Implementing CISS within CAMHS Services
Feasibility will be evaluated using quantitative indices, including session completion rate. Recruitment feasibility will be defined as the proportion of eligible participants who consent and complete the CISS session. Implementation feasibility will be indicated by the proportion of clinicians completing training and achieving ≥85% fidelity on observed sessions. Data will be summarized descriptively to determine whether CISS can be integrated into routine Hapai Ora workflows.
Feasibility of Implementing CISS within CAMHS Services
Feasibility will be evaluated using quantitative indices, including follow-up completion rate. Recruitment feasibility will be defined as the proportion of eligible participants who consent and complete the CISS session. Implementation feasibility will be indicated by the proportion of clinicians completing training and achieving ≥85% fidelity on observed sessions. Data will be summarized descriptively to determine whether CISS can be integrated into routine Hapai Ora workflows.
Feasibility of Implementing CISS within CAMHS Services
Feasibility will be evaluated using quantitative indices, including clinician fidelity scores. Recruitment feasibility will be defined as the proportion of eligible participants who consent and complete the CISS session. Implementation feasibility will be indicated by the proportion of clinicians completing training and achieving ≥85% fidelity on observed sessions. Data will be summarized descriptively to determine whether CISS can be integrated into routine Hapai Ora workflows.
Change in Posttraumatic Stress Symptoms
The Children's Revised Impact of Event Scale - 8 item (CRIES-8) measures posttraumatic stress symptom severity (intrusion, avoidance, and arousal). Each item is rated on a 4-point scale (0 = Not at all, 5 = Often). Higher scores indicate greater symptom severity. Mean total CRIES-8 score changes will be evaluated from baseline to 3- and 6-month follow-ups as an exploratory clinical outcome.
Mean Change in School Achievement
Description: School achievement was assessed with the Wide Range Achievement Test-Revised Spelling and Math scale score. The spelling subscale was a phonetic test that assessed the degree to which students could encode sounds into written words. The math computation subscale measured students' ability to identify numbers, count, and solve written computational problems. The scores are summed across the subscales and scaled according to the standardized score. A higher score reflects a higher performance. Changes in scores will be assessed between all time points.
Click on the lead sponsor to view all of their trials.
Stanford University
Lead sponsor
University of Auckland, New Zealand
Collaborator
Health New Zealand
Collaborator
This trial is not recruiting at the moment. You can still explore other options:
