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NCT Number: NCT07478393

Readiness and Progress in Emotion Regulation Therapy

This study is an open trial designed to examine individual changes that occur before, during, and after 6 modules of Emotion Regulation Therapy (ERT) delivered via telehealth for individuals in New York State who are experiencing elevated worry, rumination, or self-criticism.

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Key information

Conditions

Rumination Anxiety Anxiety Disorders Behavior Behavioral Symptoms Depression Digestive System Diseases Distress, Emotional Emotional Regulation Feeding and Eating Disorders Gastrointestinal Diseases Mental Disorders Rumination Syndrome Self-Control Self-Criticism Social Behavior Worry

Age range

18 year–65 year

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

Teachers College, Columbia University

New York, 10027, United States

Location status: Recruiting

Location contact

Douglas S Mennin, PhD

CONTACT

[email protected]

212-678-6609

About this study

The main questions this study aims to answer are to:

  • Examine temporal patterns of ERT-specific treatment mechanisms (attention regulation, metacognitive regulation, motivation regulation, and valued living), relationships between these mechanisms and negative self-referential processing (NSRP; i.e., rumination, worry, and self-criticism) severity over time, and changes in these mechanisms in response to specific intervention strategies/modules.
  • Investigate the effect of concordance and/or discordance between therapists and clients regarding skill acquisition, treatment goals, and case conceptualizations on treatment mechanisms as well as measures of treatment outcome and satisfaction.
  • Demonstrate the preliminary efficacy of a 6-module, time-variable version of ERT in reducing symptoms of psychological distress (e.g., anxiety, depression, worry, rumination, self-criticism), changing ERT-specific treatment mechanisms (e.g., attention regulation), and improving quality of life and overall functioning.

Participants will:

  • Fill out an online pre-screening questionnaire and complete a structured clinical interview via Zoom Healthcare
  • Be enrolled as a patient at the Dean Hope Center for Educational and Psychological Services (DHCEPS), located at Teachers College
  • Attend between 12-22 once-weekly telehealth ERT sessions
  • Complete between 18-28 weekly questionnaires online via Qualtrics (two before starting treatment, 12-22 during each week of treatment, and 4 after ending treatment).

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: No

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

Inclusion criteria

  • Between the ages of 18 and 65
  • Fluent in English (and therefore able to provide consent)
  • Currently living in New York State
  • Access to at least one device with internet and video-conferencing capabilities
  • High self-reported worry, rumination, and/or self-criticism
  • Meet Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders - Fifth Edition (DSM-5) criteria for at least one, current psychological disorder

Exclusion criteria

  • Active suicidal ideation or intent
  • Substance dependence disorder, schizophrenia, bipolar-I disorder, or a primary DSM-5 diagnosis of borderline or narcissistic personality disorder
  • Currently in therapy or receiving any type of psychosocial treatment
  • Individuals taking psychotropic mediation that has not been stabilized for a period of at least 3 months
  • Current students at Teachers College, Columbia University

Treatment and study plan

Emotion Regulation Therapy via Telehealth

Behavioral

The initial stage of treatment focuses on psychoeducation about anxiety/depression, the impact that these cognitions/behaviors/emotions have on recent situations, and self-monitoring of worry/anxiety/depression. The sessions focus on the development of skills that help understand and regulate one's emotional experience (i.e., recognizing emotions when they are happening, identifying the meaning of a given emotion experience, soothing oneself in the context of negative emotional experiences). Following the development of these skills, sessions focus on the application of somatic awareness and emotion regulation skills while imagining emotionally evocative themes. The remaining session focuses on terminating therapy, relapse prevention, and future goals. An Internet-based online platform will be used to promote engagement with and increase accessibility to between-session skills practice and treatment-related activities (e.g., self-monitoring, session summaries, worksheets).

Other names: Emotion Regulation Therapy (ERT)

Primary outcomes

  1. Weekly Assessment of Change in Attentional Control

    Time frame: Weekly from Baseline (2 weeks) through Treatment (12-22 weeks) and Follow-Up (4 weeks)

    The Attentional Control Scale (ACS) is a 21-item measure used to measure difficulties with concentration associated with problems regulating emotions. The focusing and shifting subscales of the ACS align with the two attention emotion regulation (ER) skills taught in ERT.

  2. Weekly Assessment of Change in Decentering

    Time frame: Weekly from Baseline (2 weeks) through Treatment (12-22 weeks) and Follow-Up (4 weeks)

    The decentering subscale of the Experiences Questionnaire (EQ-D) is an 11-item subscale assessing one's ability to distance themselves from their emotional experience, which is one metacognitive ER skill taught during ERT. Higher scores on this subscale indicate better ability to distancing oneself from one's emotional experience.

  3. Weekly Assessment of Change in Reappraisal

    Time frame: Weekly from Baseline (2 weeks) through Treatment (12-22 weeks) and Follow-Up (4 weeks)

    The reappraisal subscale of the Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (ERQ) is a 6-item measure of the ability to regulate emotions, using the strategy of reappraisal. Higher scores on this subscale indicate a better ability to regulate emotions using the strategy of reappraisal.

  4. Weekly Assessment of Change in Valued Living/Action

    Time frame: Baseline, 1st Treatment Session, Follow-Up (4 weeks)

    The Valuing Questionnaire (VQ) is a 10-item measure of the degree to which patients live by their values in daily life. It uses a 7-point Likert scale (0-6) to assess progress and obstructions to valued living. Higher scores on this measure indicate more valued living.

  5. Weekly Assessment of Change in Clarity of Approach-Avoidance Motivation

    Time frame: Baseline, 1st Treatment Session, Follow-Up (4 weeks)

    The Mental Representation of Approach Avoidance Questionnaire (MRAAQ) is a 42-item self-report assessment designed to capture the mental representation of approach-avoidance motivation.

  6. Weekly Assessment of Change in Rumination

    Time frame: Weekly from Baseline (2 weeks) through Treatment (12-22 weeks) and Follow-Up (4 weeks)

    The Rumination-Reflection Questionnaire (RRQ) is a 12-item measure that assesses past-focused rumination with specificity regarding the types of rumination that people may experience. Higher scores on this measure indicate greater rumination.

  7. Weekly Assessment of Change in Worry

    Time frame: Weekly from Baseline (2 weeks) through Treatment (12-22 weeks) and Follow-Up (4 weeks)

    The Penn State Worry Questionnaire - Past Week (PSWQ-PW) is an adapted version of the original PSWQ, contains 15 items (rated on a 0-6 scale), and assesses the extent to which worry has been excessive, uncontrollable, and pervasive in the past week. Higher scores on this measure indicate greater worry in the past week.

  8. Weekly Assessment of Change in Self-Criticism

    Time frame: Weekly from Baseline (2 weeks) through Treatment (12-22 weeks) and Follow-Up (4 weeks)

    The self-judgment subscale of the Self-Compassion Scale (SCS) contains 5-items and assesses the tendency to self-criticize. Higher scores on this measure indicate greater self-criticism.

Secondary outcomes

  1. Weekly Assessment of Change in Depression Severity

    Time frame: Baseline, 1st Treatment Session, Follow-Up (4 weeks)

    The Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS) Item Bank v. 1.0 - Emotional Distress - Depression - Short Form 8a will be administered to assess for depression severity. Higher scores on this measure indicate greater depression severity.

  2. Weekly Assessment of Change in Anxiety Severity

    Time frame: Baseline, 1st Treatment Session, Follow-Up (4 weeks)

    The Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS) Item Bank - Emotional Distress - Anxiety - Short Form 8a will be administered to assess for anxiety severity. Higher scores on this measure indicate greater anxiety severity.

Other outcomes

  1. Weekly Assessment of Change in Disability/Impairment

    Time frame: Baseline, 1st Treatment Session, Follow-Up (4 weeks)

    The Sheehan Disability Scale (SDS) is a 4-item scale which assesses impairment in work, social life/leisure activity, family life/home responsibilities, and overall functioning. Higher scores on this measure indicate greater impairment.

  2. Weekly Assessment of Change in Life Satisfaction

    Time frame: Baseline, 1st Treatment Session, Follow-Up (4 weeks)

    The Brief Multidimensional Students' Life Satisfaction Scale (BMSLSS) is a 5-item scale assessing a participant's satisfaction within a number of domains regarding their social and occupational functioning. Higher scores on this measure indicate greater life satisfaction.

  3. Weekly Assessment of Change in Behavioral Dysregulation

    Time frame: Baseline, 1st Treatment Session, Follow-Up (4 weeks)

    The Behavior Dysregulation Scale (BDRS) is a 9-item self-report measure of behavioral emotion dysregulation.

Study contacts

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

Douglas S Mennin

CONTACT

[email protected]

212.678.6609

Moises Hernandez

CONTACT

[email protected]

212.678.6609

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

Teachers College, Columbia University

Other

Registry information

Important dates

Study start
2025
Primary completion
2028
Study completion
2028
First posted
Mar 17, 2026
Registry last updated
Mar 17, 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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