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NCT Number: NCT07218250

A Study of a One-Time Counseling Session to Help Reduce Depression, Anxiety, and Distress in People With Breast Cancer

The purpose of this study is to see if a Single Counseling Session for Cancer can help reduce psychosocial distress and improve quality of life in people with breast cancer who are waiting to receive ongoing counseling services (outpatient psychotherapy services). The Single Counseling Session for Cancer-which I will refer to as the "study counseling" during this call-is a one-session, 60-minute counseling program designed to reduce anxiety and depression symptoms in people with cancer who are waiting to receive outpatient psychotherapy services. The researchers will look at whether the study counseling is effective in participants and practical (feasible) for them to complete.

Recruiting

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Key information

Age range

18 year and older

Sex eligibility

Female

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

Memorial Sloan Kettering Basking Ridge (Consent Only), Basking Ridge, New Jersey, United States

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Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: No

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

Inclusion criteria

  • Patient must have pathologically confirmed breast cancer (per EMR).
  • Patient with localized or advanced cancer (per EMR).
  • Patient is on a waitlist of at least 2 weeks or more for MSK Counseling Center intake and will not complete a New Visit with a clinical psychologist prior to intervention (these patients will be replaced) (per EMR, patient's care team, or self-report)
  • Has not had and is not scheduled to have an appointment with an MSK psychiatrist or MSK Counseling Center advanced practice provider (per EMR, patient's care team, or self-report)
  • Female (per EMR)
  • Age ≥ 18 (per EMR)
  • English fluency - Per self-report: How well do you speak English?
  • Agrees to be audio-recorded (per self-report) NOTE: Participants who report Very well are considered fluent.
  • Lives in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, or Florida (per self-report).
  • Has no significant psychiatric disturbance sufficient to preclude completion of the assessment measures, interview, or informed consent (i.e., acute psychiatric symptoms which require urgent or extended individual treatment) (per EMR, patient's care team, or study team).
  • Has no presence of cognitive impairment disorder (i.e., delirium, dementia, or traumatic brain injury) sufficient to preclude meaningful informed consent and/or data collection (per EMR, patient's care team, study team, or per self-report of BOMC cognitive test).
  • Has no current active or passive suicidal ideation ((per EMR, patient's care team, study team, per item 9 of the PHQ-9, or the CSSRS).

Treatment and study plan

Single Counseling Session

Behavioral

The one-time counseling session will be a problem-solving focused program that will try to strengthen the belief in the ability to manage the challenges of the cancer diagnosis and treatment

American Cancer Society booklet

Other

called "After Diagnosis: A Guide for Patients and Families" for review. Again, this booklet includes information about cancer, living with cancer, making treatment decisions, talking to others about cancer, cancer treatment, and questions for the cancer care team. It will be given in person or by email.

Primary outcomes

  1. Acceptability (SSC-C participants)

    Time frame: up to 3 months

    Participants will complete a satisfaction survey after completing the SSC-C intervention. A 5-item, investigator- initiated, face-valid satisfaction survey will assess the degree with which participant found SSC-C helpful in developing an action plan to address their concerns, their perceived utility of the action plan, the degree with which they believe they will use the action plan, their motivation to do so, and the extent to which they will recommend SSC-C to other patients.

  2. Acceptability (PPSB participants)

    Time frame: up to 3 months

    Participants will complete a satisfaction survey after receiving PPSB intervention materials. A 6-item, investigator- initiated, face-valid satisfaction survey will assess the degree with which participants found PPSB intervention helpful in developing an action plan to address their concerns, their perceived utility of the booklet, the degree with which they believe they will use the booklet, their motivation to do so, and the extent to which they will recommend the booklet materials to other patients.

Secondary outcomes

  1. Psychosocial distress

    Time frame: up to 3 months

    The Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) will assess symptoms of anxiety (7 items, range 0-21) and depression (7 items, range 0-21).

Study contacts

Contact information is provided by the study sponsor or research team.

Devika Jutagir, PhD

CONTACT

[email protected]

646-888-8361

Francesca Gany, MD, MS

CONTACT

646-888-8054

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center

Other

Collaborators

  • The City College of New York

Registry information

Official study title

Piloting Single Session Consultation for Cancer (SSC-C) to Alleviate Distress Among Breast Cancer Patients

Important dates

Study start
2026
Primary completion
2027
Study completion
2027
First posted
Oct 20, 2025
Registry last updated
Jun 8, 2026

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

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