ACT Together: Implementing a Web-Based Program With Brief Coaching for Parents of Children With Disabilities in Pediatric Outpatient Clinics
University of South Florida
Summary
The goal of this clinical trial is to evaluate the feasibility, usability, and preliminary benefits of implementing ACT Together for parents of children with disabilities in pediatric outpatient clinics. ACT Together includes six self-paced, web-based modules and brief weekly one-on-one coaching sessions led by a trained occupational therapist. The program is based on acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), which teaches practical skills to help people handle stress and difficult thoughts or feelings while taking steps toward what matters to them. The main questions this study aims to answer are: * Can parents and occupational therapists complete the study activities as planned (e.g., module completion, coaching sessions, and surveys)? * Is the program usable and acceptable/appropriate/feasible to implement in this setting? * Do parents show improvements in mental health and coping-related outcomes after participating in the program? * What are the experiences and perspectives of parents and therapists regarding the program? Parents as participants will: * Complete six self-paced web-based modules and brief weekly individual phone coaching sessions with a trained occupational therapist working in pediatric outpatient clinics. * Complete online questionnaires before starting and after completing the program. * Take part in one online interview about their experiences and perspectives on the program. Occupational therapists as participants will: * Complete therapist training materials and deliver brief individual phone coaching sessions to parent participants, including completing a post-session checklist. * Complete brief online questionnaires before starting and after delivering the program. * Take part in one online interview about their experiences and perspectives on the program.
Description
Parents of children with disabilities often experience elevated psychological distress and may face barriers to accessing timely, evidence-based support. ACT Together is a research-developed program designed to support parents' coping and psychological well-being in a scalable format that can be implemented in pediatric outpatient clinic settings. This study will be a one-group, pretest-posttest mixed-methods pilot to evaluate the feasibility and implementation of ACT Together when delivered as (1) six self-paced, web-based acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) modules and (2) six brief phon…
Eligibility
- Age range
- 18+ years
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- No
Inclusion Criteria (Parents of children with disabilities): 1. Community-dwelling adults (aged ≥18 years) with primary caregiving responsibility for a child with disabilities (aged \<18 years) who is enrolled in a participating clinic; 2. Expected to use services at the participating clinic at least once per week over the next three months; 3. Willing to learn strategies to cope with emotions and thoughts; and 4. Have access to a web-enabled device (e.g., smartphone, tablet, laptop, or desktop) with reliable internet access at home or in a public space (e.g., library). Exclusion Criteria (Pa…
Interventions
- BehavioralACT Together
ACT Together includes six self-paced, weekly web-based ACT modules and six brief phone coaching sessions delivered after each module by a trained occupational therapist.
Location
- University of South FloridaTampa, Florida