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NCT Number: NCT05384808

Canine-assisted Psychotherapy Motivation Alliance

The aim of the study is to investigate the needed extent and the way a dog is integrated into psychotherapeutic interventions for them to be motivating and alliance building for children and adolescents with psychiatric disorders aged 9 to 17 years old. Specifically, we want to elaborate if the dog needs to be integrated into the therapy in a form that it is part of the therapeutic context or if the presence of the dog without being part of the therapeutic context per se is beneficial.

Recruiting

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Key information

Conditions

Motivation Alliance, Therapeutic

Age range

9 year–17 year

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

University of Basel

Basel, Switzerland

Location status: Recruiting

Location contact

Karin Hediger, Prof. Dr.

CONTACT

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: No

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

Inclusion criteria

for children and adolescents: :

  • Age between 9 and 17 years
  • Children are seeing the therapist for the first time
  • Basic knowledge of child and parents in either German or English to be able to fill in questionnaires
  • Informed consent given by legal guardian
  • Positive or neutral attitude towards dogs

Exclusion criteria

for children and adolescents: :

  • acute psychosis; early childhood autism
  • diagnosed developmental disorder or intellectual delay; if not diagnosed, exclusion when questionnaires cannot be completed due to development level
  • fear of dogs
  • allergic reactions to dogs
  • reported aggressive behavior towards animals in the past

Inclusion criteria

for therapists:

  • working with an own therapy dog
  • completed therapy training or if not completed far advanced therapy training under supervision
  • working with children and adolescents aged 9 to 17 years

Exclusion criteria

for therapists:

  • not working with an own therapy dog
  • no completed or far advanced therapy training
  • not working with children and adolescents aged 9 to 17 years

Treatment and study plan

Standard Psychotherapy

Behavioral

Participants receive a standard psychotherapy session with no dog being present.

Canine-assisted psychotherapy with dog actively integrated.

Behavioral

A dog is present and actively integrated into the therapeutic narrative.

Canine-assisted psychotherapy with dog passively integrated.

Behavioral

A dog is present but not actively integrated into the therapeutic narrative.

Primary outcomes

  1. Therapeutic alliance of patients

    Time frame: 9 weeks

    Patient's reported therapeutic alliance is measured after the first, the third and the fifth therapy session of a newly began psychotherapy using the german adaptation of the "Therapeutic Alliance Scales for Children" (TASC)". The TASC consists of 12 items, answered with a 4 point likert scale. The questionnaire assesses the therapeutic alliance from the perception of the child. Four weeks after the fifth therapy session children will be asked to fill in the questionnaire again as follow-up measurement.

  2. Motivation of patients

    Time frame: 9 weeks

    Patient's reported motivation is measured after the first, the third and the fifth therapy session of a newly began psychotherapy using the "Situational Motivation Scale for children (SMS-15)". The SMS-15 consists of 15 items answered with a 7 point likert scale. Four weeks after the fifth therapy session, children will be asked to fill in the questionnaire again as follow-up measurement.

Secondary outcomes

  1. Treatment satisfaction of patients

    Time frame: 4 weeks

    Treatment satisfaction of children is measured after the fifth therapy session as well as four weeks after as follow up using the "treatment assessment questionnaire (FBB)". The FBB consists of 20 items answered with a 5 point likert scale.

  2. Number of missed sessions

    Time frame: 5 weeks

    Number of missed sessions and drop-outs will be documented for each child participating in the study.

Study contacts

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

Karin Hediger, Prof. Dr.

CONTACT

[email protected]

(+41) 61 207 69 58

Wanda Arnskötter, Msc.

CONTACT

[email protected]

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

University of Basel

Other

Registry information

Official study title

Effects of the Inclusion of a Dog in Psychotherapy on Children's Alliance and Treatment Motivation

Acronym: CAP

Important dates

Study start
2022
Primary completion
2025
Study completion
2028
First posted
May 20, 2022
Registry last updated
Jul 18, 2024

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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