A trial examining the effectiveness of school-based humanistic counselling for young people
| ISRCTN | ISRCTN44253140 |
|---|---|
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1186/ISRCTN44253140 |
| Protocol serial number | MIPC1 |
| Sponsor | Metanoia Institute |
| Funders | Metanoia Institute (UK), British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP) (UK) |
- Submission date
- 24/10/2013
- Registration date
- 19/11/2013
- Last edited
- 07/06/2023
- Recruitment status
- No longer recruiting
- Overall study status
- Completed
- Condition category
- Mental and Behavioural Disorders
Plain English summary of protocol
Background and study aims
Young people in the UK are experiencing increasing levels of psychological distress and counselling services have been established in many secondary schools to help them deal with this. Young people tend to be very positive about counselling, but the availability of services varies widely, there is little consistency in the type of therapy offered, and evidence for its effectiveness is limited. This study examines the effectiveness of a standardised school-based counselling intervention - school-based person-centred counselling (SBPCC) - which has been developed on the basis of the best available evidence.
Who can participate?
Young people in years 7, 8, 9, 10 or 12 experiencing moderate or abnormally high levels of emotional distress.
What does the study involve?
The participants will be randomly allocated to either receive counselling (SBPCC) immediately or will be put on a waiting list, to be offered counselling in 9 months. After 9 months, we will look at whether those young people who received counselling are experiencing less psychological distress than those who did not. We will also look at whether the benefits of providing a counselling service justify the costs.
What are the possible benefits and risks of participating?
If SBPCC turns out to be helpful and cost-effective we may be able to make a major contribution to addressing psychological health problems in UK youth. Because of the sensitive issues being
addressed in this study, we will not include any young people at risk of harm, but refer them to specialist support. We will ensure the highest levels of confidentiality for participants. The study team has extensive experience of work and research with young people and mental health.
Where is the study run from?
1. Saint Gabriel’s College (UK)
2. Shooters Hill Post Sixteen (UK)
3. Sydenham Girls School (UK)
When is the study starting and how long is it expected to run for?
The study started in January 2013 and will run until January 2014.
Who is funding the study?
1. Metanoia Institute (UK)
2. British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP) (UK)
Who is the main contact?
Mr Peter Pearce
Peter.pearce@metanoia.ac.uk
Contact information
Scientific
Metanoia Institute
13 North Common Road
Ealing
London
W5 2QB
United Kingdom
 ORCID ID |
0000-0003-0864-0021 |
|---|---|
| Phone | +44 (0)20 8579 2505 |
| Peter.pearce@metanoia.ac.uk |
Study information
| Primary study design | Interventional |
|---|---|
| Study design | Pragmatic randomised controlled trial |
| Secondary study design | Randomised controlled trial |
| Study type | Participant information sheet |
| Scientific title | A pragmatic randomised controlled trial of person-centred, school-based counselling |
| Study acronym | ALIGN |
| Study objectives | For children and young people experiencing emotional distress, weekly counselling will be more effective than waiting list conditions after one school term. |
| Ethics approval(s) | Metanoia Research Ethics Committee, 07/01/2013 |
| Health condition(s) or problem(s) studied | Moderate to abnormal levels of psychological distress |
| Intervention | Following baseline assessment eligible participants will be randomised to either counselling now or to a waiting list, to be offered counselling in 9 months. A blocked, permuted, randomisation procedure is conducted by the assessor via text. School-based person-centred counselling (SBPCC) delivered in up to 12 weekly sessions of approximately 45 minutes each. The intervention will be based on competencies for person-centred and humanistic psychological therapy. Adherence to these competences will be audited using the PCEPS Scale, a validated adherence measure for person centred and experiential therapies. The total duration of treatment was 12 weeks (mapping on to one school term) with 3 follow-up assessments at 6 weeks (mid-point assessment), 12 weeks (end-point assessment), at 6 months (follow-up assessment) and 9 months (follow-up assessment). |
| Intervention type | Other |
| Primary outcome measure(s) |
Psychological distress is measured using the Young persons CORE (YP-CORE) at baseline, 6 and 9 months |
| Key secondary outcome measure(s) |
1. The Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ), Goal Based Outcome Measure (GBOM), Rosenbergs Self-Esteem Inventory (RSEI) at baseline, 6 weeks, 3, 6 and 9 months |
| Completion date | 13/01/2014 |
Eligibility
| Participant type(s) | Patient |
|---|---|
| Age group | Child |
| Sex | All |
| Target sample size at registration | 60 |
| Key inclusion criteria | 1. Young people will be in years 7,8,9,10 or 12 2. Experiencing moderate or abnormally high levels of emotional distress, as indicated by a score of 5 or above on the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) emotional symptoms subscale at assessment 3. Motivated to attend counselling, as indicated during assessment 4. Capable of consenting to participate in research, as indicated by the pastoral care team prior to assessment 5. Good attendance record, greater than 85% attendance at school as indicated by the pastoral care team prior to assessment. |
| Key exclusion criteria | 1. At risk of significant harm to self or other, as indicated by the pastoral care team 2. Involved with other child and young people's mental health agencies, as indicated by the pastoral care team and/ or the young person at assessment 3. Planning/likely to move school during the period of the study, as indicated by the pastoral care team and/ or young person at assessment 4. In year 11 or 13 |
| Date of first enrolment | 03/01/2013 |
| Date of final enrolment | 13/01/2014 |
Locations
Countries of recruitment
- United Kingdom
- England
Study participating centres
London
SW9 6UL
United Kingdom
London
SE18 4LD
United Kingdom
London
SE26 4RD
United Kingdom
Results and Publications
| Individual participant data (IPD) Intention to share | No |
|---|---|
| IPD sharing plan summary | Not expected to be made available |
| IPD sharing plan | This data will not be made available due to data protection stated in the ethics application and in meetings with each school that data would only be stored at Metanoia Institute in a secure, locked, filing room and on a secure encrypted hard drive. |
Study outputs
| Output type | Details | Date created | Date added | Peer reviewed? | Patient-facing? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Results article | results | 01/06/2017 | Yes | No | |
| Participant information sheet | Participant information sheet | 11/11/2025 | 11/11/2025 | No | Yes |
Editorial Notes
07/06/2023: Internal review.
20/09/2016: Results publication added. In addition, the names of the trial participating centres have been added as well as the IPD sharing plan
13/09/2016: No publications found in PubMed, verifying study status with principal investigator.
