Post-Acute COVID-19 SyndromeHOPE-LCNCT07216040
Harnessing Optimism and Perseverance in the Face of Long COVID-Español
A study testing HOPE-LC~Espanol in people with Post-Acute COVID-19 Syndrome, run by Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai at 1 site in United States.
Trial summary
The Harnessing Optimism and Perseverance in the Face of Long COVID (HOPE-LC) program, created by Drs. Eric Watson and Amelia Hicks, is a group therapy model designed to foster resilience, adjustment, and coping skills for those living with chronic Long COVID. Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 18 years and older
- Conditions the study is for
- Post-Acute COVID-19 Syndrome
- What is being tested?
- HOPE-LC~Espanol
- Type of treatment
- Lifestyle or therapy programme
- Could I receive a placebo?
- No, everyone receives an active treatment
- How many people
- 25 participants
- Where
- 1 siteUnited States
- Study dates
- May 2026to 31 Aug 2026
- Phase
- Interventional
- Are there results?
- Not yet: the study is under way
Key requirements
Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.
- Ages 18 years and older
- All sexes
- No healthy volunteers
- Adult, Older adult
Who may be able to join
- Age 18 years or older.
- Speaks and understands Spanish at a level that allows active participation in group-based study procedures.
- Self-reported history of Long COVID/post-COVID condition of any severity or duration, including ongoing emotional or cognitive symptoms affecting daily functioning or a medical professional has diagnosed you with a Long COVID/post-COVID condition of any severity or duration, including ongoing emotional or cognitive symptoms.
- Ability to participate in group sessions either in-person or via telehealth (Zoom).
- Willingness and capacity to provide informed consent.
Who cannot join
- Presence of severe psychiatric conditions that would preclude participation in group therapy (e.g., active psychosis, suicidal intent requiring immediate intervention).
- Inability to communicate in Spanish sufficiently to engage meaningfully in group sessions.
- Cognitive or physical impairments prevent participation in group sessions or completion of surveys, without available accommodations.
- Concurrent participation in another conflicting interventional trial targeting Long COVID symptoms.
Trial locations and contacts
1 site in 1 country. Contact the study team or a site near you to ask about taking part.
United States1 site
Brain Injury Research Center
New York, New York, 10029
Eric Watson, PhD, 2122412221, eric.watson@mountsinai.org
Amelia Hicks, PhD, 2122412221, amelia.hicks@mountsinai.org
About this study
Official title: Harnessing Optimism and Perseverance in the Face of Long COVID~Español (HOPE-LC~Español)
The Harnessing Optimism and Perseverance in the Face of Long COVID (HOPE-LC) program, created by Drs. Eric Watson and Amelia Hicks, is a group therapy model designed to foster resilience, adjustment, and coping skills for those living with chronic Long COVID. HOPE-LC~Español provides a culturally and linguistically adapted version for Spanish-speaking individuals in Queens, developed with input from Spanish-speaking clinicians, Long COVID experts, and people with lived experience. Partnering with H+H/Elmhurst and H+H/Queens, the project aims to recruit 25 participants and evaluate program feasibility and preliminary efficacy.
Read the detailed description
The Harnessing Optimism and Perseverance in the Face of Long COVID (HOPE-LC) program, developed by Drs. Eric Watson (PI) and Amelia Hicks (co-I), is a 12-week online group therapy program tailored specifically to living with Long COVID as a chronic condition. HOPE-LC provides community and hope; fostering resilience, adjustment, and critical coping strategies in the face of this debilitating chronic condition. Since its inception in 2024, the HOPE-LC groups have engaged 20 patients, emphasizing the need for chronic Long COVID therapeutic interventions.
Through HOPE-LC-Espanol the researchers will translate and adapt the HOPE-LC program into Spanish and expand HOPE-LC's reach to underserved Spanish-speaking communities in Queens and NYC. The aims are: (1) To translate and culturally adapt the HOPE-LC program for Spanish-speaking patients in collaboration with the Advisory Board of Spanish-speaking clinicians, Long COVID experts, and individuals with Long COVID lived experience; (2) In collaboration with the partners at H+H/Elmhurst and H+H/Queens, to conduct targeted recruitment to ensure the researchers are engaging specifically with local Hispanic/Latinx communities in Queens; and (3) To complete the HOPE-LC~Español program for 25 Spanish-speaking individuals experiencing Long COVID within the local Queens community. The researchers will evaluate program feasibility and treatment success to inform future scalability and sustainability as a clinical program.
- Conditions
- Post-Acute COVID-19 Syndrome
- Being tested
- HOPE-LC~Espanol
- Keywords
- Post-Acute COVID-19 Syndrome, group therapy, acceptance and commitment therapy, Spanish-speaking
- Medical subject headings
- Post-Acute COVID-19 Syndrome
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
HOPE-LC~EspanolBehavioural
12-week online group therapy program grounded in principles of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and tailored specifically to living with Long COVID as a chronic condition. HOPE-LC provides community and hope; fostering resilience, adjustment, and critical coping strategies in the face of this debilitating chronic condition.
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| Patients Living with Chronic Long-COVID | Experimental | Spanish-speaking patients in the HOPE-LC program. Receives: Behavioral: HOPE-LC~Espanol |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
Recruitment rate
Number of eligible participants screened and enrolled by referral source
Measured: Throughout the study period, 12 weeks
Retention rate
Number of participants completing the intervention (defined as attending at least 8 of 12 sessions)
Measured: Throughout the study period, 12 weeks
Number of sessions participants attended
Feasibility measured via participant attendance
Measured: Throughout the study period, 12 weeks
Number of completed surveys
Feasibility measured via number of surveys completed from participant follow-up and study procedures.
Measured: Throughout the study period, 12 weeks
Patient Satisfaction
Post-treatment survey assessing participant satisfaction with HOPE-LC~Español. Items are on a 5-point Likert Scale evaluated agreement to statements about their experience in the program (e.g., feeling heard, learning practical strategies, and willingness to recommend the program). The total score range is 5 - 40, with higher ratings indicating greater satisfaction.
Measured: Post-treatment (Week 12)
Secondary outcomes (6)
DePaul Symptom Questionnaire
The DePaul Symptom Questionnaire (DSQ) is a validated tool to assess symptoms, frequency and severity of various symptoms of fatigue and other neurological impairment. Total score range 0-100, with higher scores indicating greater symptom severity and functional impairment.
Measured: Baseline; 6 weeks, 12 weeks
Brief Illness Perception Questionnaire (BIPQ)
The BIPQ assesses cognitive and emotional representations of illness in 8 items + 1 open-ended causal item. Total score range is 0-80, higher scores mean a more negative perception of illness.
Measured: Baseline; 6 weeks, 12 weeks
Valued Based Living Questionnaire (VLQ)
Assesses alignment between personal values and daily actions. Two ratings per domain: (1) Importance (1-10) and (2) Consistency with actions (1-10). Total score range is between 4-40. Higher consistency scores reflect greater valued living (better outcome); lower scores reflect minimal valued living (worse outcome).
Measured: Baseline; 6 weeks, 12 weeks
Modified COVID-19 Yorkshire Rehabilitation Scale (C19-YRSm)
The C19-YRSm is a 17-item self-report scale designed to assess the impact of post-COVID symptoms. Items are rated on a scale from 0 (none of this symptom) to 3 (extremely severe level or impact). The scale includes four subscales:
Symptom Severity (Questions 1-10; score range: 0-30) Functional Disability (Questions 11-15; score range: 0-15) Other Symptoms (Question 16; score range: 0-25) Overall Health (Question 17; score range: 0-10)
Full scale from 0-80. Higher scores indicate greater symptom severity and functional impairment.
Measured: Baseline; 6 weeks, 12 weeks
Patient Health Questionnaire-8 Item (PHQ-8)
Patient health questionnaire-8 (PHQ-8) is a multipurpose instrument for screening, diagnosing, monitoring and measuring the severity of depression. PHQ-8 is an 8-item instrument. Each question is rated on a scale of 0 to 3, total score scale from 0 - 24. Lower scores indicate minimal depression (better outcome) and higher scores indicate severe depression (worse outcome).
Measured: Baseline; 6 weeks, 12 weeks
Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 Item (GAD-7)
This is a 7-item measure that asks participants to rate the frequency with which they have been bothered by anxiety symptoms within the past two weeks on a scale ranging from 0 ("not at all") to 3 ("nearly every day"). Total scores range from 0-21, with higher scores indicating greater severity of generalized anxiety symptoms.
Measured: Baseline; 6 weeks, 12 weeks
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted14 Oct 2025
- Study startMay 2026 (estimated)
- Primary completion31 Aug 2026 (estimated)
- Study completion31 Aug 2026 (estimated)
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Other trials for Post-Acute COVID-19 SyndromeStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
- More trials run by Icahn School of Medicine at Mount SinaiThe sponsor's other registered studies.
- What the trial phases meanHow a treatment moves from first tests in people to approval.
More details
For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.
Study design
- Study type
- Interventional
- Phase
- Phase N/A
- Primary purpose
- Treatment
- Allocation
- Not applicable
- Intervention model
- Single group
- Model description
- Single arm pre-post design. Focus is on feasibility with preliminary efficacy as secondary focus.
- Masking
- None (open label)
- Enrolment
- 25 participants (estimated)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Responsible party
- Principal investigator, Eric Watson, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
- Investigators
- Eric Watson, Principal investigator, Icahn School of MedicineAmelia Hicks, PhD, Principal investigator, Icahn School of Medicine
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT07216040
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- STUDY-25-01010
- Acronym
- HOPE-LC
- Status last verified
- Apr 2026
- First submitted
- 9 Oct 2025
- Last updated
- 23 Apr 2026
- Results posted
- No
- Data monitoring committee
- No
- FDA-regulated drug
- No
- FDA-regulated device
- No
- Individual data sharing
- Yes: All of the individual participant data collected during the trial, after deidentification.
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 23 Apr 2026. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- Harnessing Optimism and Perseverance in the Face of Long COVID~Español (HOPE-LC~Español)
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT07216040
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- HOPE-LC / STUDY-25-01010
- Conditions
- Post-Acute COVID-19 Syndrome
- Keywords
- Post-Acute COVID-19 Syndrome, group therapy, acceptance and commitment therapy, Spanish-speaking
- Study type
- Interventional
- Recruitment status
- Not yet recruiting
- Enrolment
- 25 participants (estimated)
- Lead sponsor
- Icahn School of Medicine at Mount SinaiUniversity, hospital or other
- Study start
- May 2026 (estimated)
- Primary completion
- 31 Aug 2026 (estimated)
- Study completion
- 31 Aug 2026 (estimated)
- First posted
- 14 Oct 2025 (actual)
- Results
- Not posted in the source record
Clinical summary
The research question as the sponsor registered it. This describes what the study plans to test, not what it found.
The Harnessing Optimism and Perseverance in the Face of Long COVID (HOPE-LC) program, created by Drs. Eric Watson and Amelia Hicks, is a group therapy model designed to foster resilience, adjustment, and coping skills for those living with chronic Long COVID. HOPE-LC~Español provides a culturally and linguistically adapted version for Spanish-speaking individuals in Queens, developed with input from Spanish-speaking clinicians, Long COVID experts, and people with lived experience. Partnering with H+H/Elmhurst and H+H/Queens, the project aims to recruit 25 participants and evaluate program feasibility and preliminary efficacy.
Detailed description
The Harnessing Optimism and Perseverance in the Face of Long COVID (HOPE-LC) program, developed by Drs. Eric Watson (PI) and Amelia Hicks (co-I), is a 12-week online group therapy program tailored specifically to living with Long COVID as a chronic condition. HOPE-LC provides community and hope; fostering resilience, adjustment, and critical coping strategies in the face of this debilitating chronic condition. Since its inception in 2024, the HOPE-LC groups have engaged 20 patients, emphasizing the need for chronic Long COVID therapeutic interventions.
Through HOPE-LC-Espanol the researchers will translate and adapt the HOPE-LC program into Spanish and expand HOPE-LC's reach to underserved Spanish-speaking communities in Queens and NYC. The aims are: (1) To translate and culturally adapt the HOPE-LC program for Spanish-speaking patients in collaboration with the Advisory Board of Spanish-speaking clinicians, Long COVID experts, and individuals with Long COVID lived experience; (2) In collaboration with the partners at H+H/Elmhurst and H+H/Queens, to conduct targeted recruitment to ensure the researchers are engaging specifically with local Hispanic/Latinx communities in Queens; and (3) To complete the HOPE-LC~Español program for 25 Spanish-speaking individuals experiencing Long COVID within the local Queens community. The researchers will evaluate program feasibility and treatment success to inform future scalability and sustainability as a clinical program.
Study design
- Primary purpose
- Treatment
- Allocation
- Not applicable
- Intervention model
- Single group
- Masking
- None (open label)
- Number of arms
- 1
- Model description
- Single arm pre-post design. Focus is on feasibility with preliminary efficacy as secondary focus.
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| Patients Living with Chronic Long-COVID | Experimental | Behavioral: HOPE-LC~EspanolSpanish-speaking patients in the HOPE-LC program. |
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 18 years and older
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Not accepted
- Age groups
- Adult, Older adult
Key inclusion criteria (5 listed)
- Age 18 years or older.
- Speaks and understands Spanish at a level that allows active participation in group-based study procedures.
- Self-reported history of Long COVID/post-COVID condition of any severity or duration, including ongoing emotional or cognitive symptoms affecting daily functioning or a medical professional has diagnosed you with a Long COVID/post-COVID condition of any severity or duration, including ongoing emotional or cognitive symptoms.
- Ability to participate in group sessions either in-person or via telehealth (Zoom).
- Willingness and capacity to provide informed consent.
Key exclusion criteria (4 listed)
- Presence of severe psychiatric conditions that would preclude participation in group therapy (e.g., active psychosis, suicidal intent requiring immediate intervention).
- Inability to communicate in Spanish sufficiently to engage meaningfully in group sessions.
- Cognitive or physical impairments prevent participation in group sessions or completion of surveys, without available accommodations.
- Concurrent participation in another conflicting interventional trial targeting Long COVID symptoms.
Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening; this overview does not establish that a patient qualifies. Full inclusion and exclusion criteria.
Interventions
| Intervention | Type | Arms |
|---|---|---|
| HOPE-LC~Espanol12-week online group therapy program grounded in principles of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and tailored specifically to living with Long COVID as a chronic condition. HOPE-LC provides community and hope; fostering resilience, adjustment, and critical coping strategies in the face of this debilitating chronic condition. | Behavioural | Patients Living with Chronic Long-COVID |
Primary outcome
Recruitment rate
Time frame: Throughout the study period, 12 weeks
Number of eligible participants screened and enrolled by referral source
Retention rate
Time frame: Throughout the study period, 12 weeks
Number of participants completing the intervention (defined as attending at least 8 of 12 sessions)
Number of sessions participants attended
Time frame: Throughout the study period, 12 weeks
Feasibility measured via participant attendance
Number of completed surveys
Time frame: Throughout the study period, 12 weeks
Feasibility measured via number of surveys completed from participant follow-up and study procedures.
Patient Satisfaction
Time frame: Post-treatment (Week 12)
Post-treatment survey assessing participant satisfaction with HOPE-LC~Español. Items are on a 5-point Likert Scale evaluated agreement to statements about their experience in the program (e.g., feeling heard, learning practical strategies, and willingness to recommend the program). The total score range is 5 - 40, with higher ratings indicating greater satisfaction.
6 secondary outcomes
DePaul Symptom Questionnaire
Time frame: Baseline; 6 weeks, 12 weeks
Brief Illness Perception Questionnaire (BIPQ)
Time frame: Baseline; 6 weeks, 12 weeks
Valued Based Living Questionnaire (VLQ)
Time frame: Baseline; 6 weeks, 12 weeks
Modified COVID-19 Yorkshire Rehabilitation Scale (C19-YRSm)
Time frame: Baseline; 6 weeks, 12 weeks
Patient Health Questionnaire-8 Item (PHQ-8)
Time frame: Baseline; 6 weeks, 12 weeks
Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 Item (GAD-7)
Time frame: Baseline; 6 weeks, 12 weeks
Results and safety
This study is still under way. Results are not available in the source record yet.
Research links
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govLast updated by the sponsor 23 Apr 2026.
- Individual participant dataSharing planned: Yes. All of the individual participant data collected during the trial, after deidentification.
Related trials for Post-Acute COVID-19 Syndrome
Not yet recruitingPhase 1
Phase I Open-Label Safety Trial of Pembrolizumab for Neurological Post- Acute Sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 (PD1-PASC I)
Post-Acute COVID-19 Syndrome
Recruiting
Whole-body Cryotherapy in Those With Chronic Fatigue: A Feasibility Study
ME/CFS, Fibromyalgia (FM)
Not yet recruitingPhase 3
The Study of Brave-LC LDN Treatment Trial
Post-acute COVID-19 Syndrome
Active, not recruitingObservational study
Epigenetic Changes in Long COVID Patients
Long COVID-19 Syndrome, Long COVID Symptoms
Enrolling by invitationPhase 2
Immunotherapy for Neurological Post-Acute Sequelae of SARS-CoV-2
Systemic Inflammation, Neuroinflammation
Referral and contact
AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals. Contact the study team or a site listed below; they decide who can take part.
Eric Watson principal investigator
Icahn School of Medicine
Amelia Hicks, PhD principal investigator
Icahn School of Medicine
1 site in 1 country: see every site and its status.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
A study testing HOPE-LC~Espanol in people with Post-Acute COVID-19 Syndrome, run by Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai at 1 site in United States.
The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.
Who may be eligible to take part?
The sponsor lists 5 inclusion and 4 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.
Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?
The record says: opening soon, as of the sponsor's last update on 23 Apr 2026. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.
Where is the study taking place?
The record lists 1 site in United States. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.
What are the possible benefits and risks?
They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.
Are results available for this study?
This study is still under way. Results are not available in the source record yet.
How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?
Contact Eric Watson, PhD (212-241-2221, eric.watson@mountsinai.org), or a site near the patient. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.
What does the primary outcome measure?
Recruitment rate (time frame: Throughout the study period, 12 weeks). The study lists 5 primary outcomes in all. It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.
Where can I read the original study information?
Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?
No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.
How often is this information updated?
AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 23 Apr 2026.