Implementation ResearchMINCT07639736
Teen Helpline Motivational Interviewing Study
A study testing Motivational Interviewing Training in people with Implementation Research and Help Seeking, run by San Diego State University at 1 site in United States.
Trial summary
The proposed study will establish a foundation for research within peer-delivered helplines for teens. It aims to evaluate the impact of a Motivational Interviewing training at peer-to-peer helpline. Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 13 years and olderHealthy volunteers can take part
- Conditions the study is for
- Implementation Research, Help Seeking
- What is being tested?
- Motivational Interviewing Training
- Could I receive a placebo?
- No, everyone receives an active treatment
- How many people
- 206 participants
- Where
- 1 siteUnited States
- Study dates
- 28 Aug 2025to 31 Oct 2029
- 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 13 years and older
- All sexes
- Healthy volunteers accepted
- Child, Adult, Older adult
Who may be able to join
- Teen Helpers
- Current helpline peer helpers
- Aged 14-19 years.
- Provides assent and documented parental consent (when applicable).
- Completes study measures prior to the first Motivational Interviewing (MI) training session.
- Attends and completes assigned MI training activities.
Show all 14Show fewer
- Has access to technology required for online participation (computer, tablet, or smartphone with internet access; videoconferencing capability if needed).
- Plans to continue helpline activities throughout the study period.
- Teen Users
- Aged 13-19 years.
- Current U.S. resident.
- Has engaged in at least 20 back-and-forth text exchanges with a helpline volunteer.
- Demonstrates active communication and engagement on the helpline platform.
- Has access to technology required to complete online surveys and, if selected, interviews (computer, tablet, or smartphone with internet access).
Who cannot join
- Teen Helpers
- Plans to discontinue helpline activities within the next 8 months.
- Teen Users
- Identified as currently experiencing acute suicide risk (i.e., assigned a "high-risk" flag by the helpline algorithm or identified as high risk by helpline staff).
- Requires immediate crisis intervention or emergency services that could be disrupted by participation in the research study.
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, 1 recruiting
- Recruiting
San Diego State University
San Diego, California, 92182-8000
Sylvanna M. Vargas, MPH, PhD, 3057614632, svargas3@sdsu.edu
About this study
Official title: Using Performance Feedback and Facilitation to Integrate Motivational Interviewing in Teen Helpline Services
The proposed study will establish a foundation for research within peer-delivered helplines for teens. It aims to evaluate the impact of a Motivational Interviewing training at peer-to-peer helpline. The study will leverage emerging technologies to surmount the challenges of providing tailored training to a large and diverse mental health workforce at scale.
Aim 1: Adapt Motivational Interviewing (MI) strategies for use in a teen peer-delivered text-based digital helpline.
Read more
Aim 2: Co-design performance feedback (PF) and facilitated practice (FP) processes to support MI adherence among peer helpers.
Aim 3: Examine feasibility, acceptability, and initial outcomes in a pilot feasibility trial. Peer helpers (N=50) will be randomized to receive MI training or MI training + PF-FP.
Read the detailed description
This study will adapt and implement Motivational Interviewing (MI) within Teen Talk App, a text-based teen-to-teen helpline, with the goal of increasing real-world help-seeking among youth users. Using human-centered design methods, teen helpers, supervisors, and users will participate in focus groups, interviews, and iterative prototyping activities to adapt MI for brief text-based interactions and to refine an implementation strategy consisting of performance feedback and facilitated practice (PF-FP). Stakeholder input will be used to ensure the intervention and implementation strategy are acceptable, feasible, and fit within existing helpline workflows.
Following adaptation, a pilot feasibility trial will evaluate the implementation strategy among Teen Talk peer helpers. Helpers who enroll in the study (N=50) will be randomized to receive either training as usual or enhanced training consisting of monthly performance feedback and facilitated practice sessions over a 6-month period. Teen Talk users (N=100) will also be recruited to assess clinical outcomes, including help-seeking behaviors and mental health symptoms. The study will provide preliminary data on implementation outcomes, helper MI skill use, and user outcomes to inform a future fully powered effectiveness-implementation trial.
- Conditions
- Implementation Research, Help Seeking
- Being tested
- Motivational Interviewing Training
- Keywords
- Adolescent mental health, Implementation Science, Motivational Interviewing, Mental health helplines
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
Motivational Interviewing TrainingOther
All participants will receive Motivational Interviewing training through an educational workshop. Participants in the intervention arm will receive performance feedback and facilitated practice (implementation strategy). Those in the control arm will receive training as usual.
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| Performance feedback and facilitated practice | Experimental | Helpline volunteers randomized into this study arm will receive additional MI training through feedback and practice (they will receive standard helpline training and MI training). Receives: Other: Motivational Interviewing Training |
| Training as usual | No intervention | Helpline volunteers randomized into this study arm will not receive additional MI training through feedback or practice (they will receive standard helpline training only). |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
General Help Seeking Questionnaire
Measure of help seeking behavior. Minimum score = 10; Maximum score = 70. Higher scores indicate greater intentions or willingness to seek help.
Measured: 11 months (consent to post 6-month follow up)
Patient Health Questionnaire-8
Measure helpline user distress. Minimum score = 0; Maximum score = 24. Higher scores indicate greater depressive symptom severity.
Measured: 11 months (consent to post 6-month follow up)
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted10 Jun 2026
- Study start28 Aug 2025
- Primary completion31 Oct 2029 (estimated)
- Study completion31 Oct 2029 (estimated)
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Other trials for Implementation ResearchStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
- 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
- Health services research
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- None (open label)
- Enrolment
- 206 participants (estimated)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- San Diego State University
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Collaborators
- National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)
- Responsible party
- Principal investigator, Sylvanna Vargas, San Diego State University
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT07639736
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- IRB-24-0310
- Other IDs
- K23MH137387
- Acronym
- MI
- Status last verified
- Jun 2026
- First submitted
- 5 Jun 2026
- Last updated
- 25 Jun 2026
- Results posted
- No
- Data monitoring committee
- Yes
- FDA-regulated drug
- No
- FDA-regulated device
- No
- Individual data sharing
- Yes: Quantitative Data. De-identified, clinical self-report questionnaires from the pilot trial (Aim 3) will be shared via the National Institute of Mental Health Data Archive (NDA). Qualitative data will not be shared to protect participant confidentiality.
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 25 Jun 2026. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- Using Performance Feedback and Facilitation to Integrate Motivational Interviewing in Teen Helpline Services
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT07639736
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- MI / IRB-24-0310
- Conditions
- Implementation Research, Help Seeking
- Keywords
- Adolescent mental health, Implementation Science, Motivational Interviewing, Mental health helplines
- Study type
- Interventional
- Recruitment status
- Recruiting
- Enrolment
- 206 participants (estimated)
- Lead sponsor
- San Diego State UniversityUniversity, hospital or other
- Collaborators
- National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)
- Study start
- 28 Aug 2025 (actual)
- Primary completion
- 31 Oct 2029 (estimated)
- Study completion
- 31 Oct 2029 (estimated)
- First posted
- 10 Jun 2026 (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 proposed study will establish a foundation for research within peer-delivered helplines for teens. It aims to evaluate the impact of a Motivational Interviewing training at peer-to-peer helpline. The study will leverage emerging technologies to surmount the challenges of providing tailored training to a large and diverse mental health workforce at scale.
Aim 1: Adapt Motivational Interviewing (MI) strategies for use in a teen peer-delivered text-based digital helpline.
Aim 2: Co-design performance feedback (PF) and facilitated practice (FP) processes to support MI adherence among peer helpers.
Aim 3: Examine feasibility, acceptability, and initial outcomes in a pilot feasibility trial. Peer helpers (N=50) will be randomized to receive MI training or MI training + PF-FP.
Detailed description
This study will adapt and implement Motivational Interviewing (MI) within Teen Talk App, a text-based teen-to-teen helpline, with the goal of increasing real-world help-seeking among youth users. Using human-centered design methods, teen helpers, supervisors, and users will participate in focus groups, interviews, and iterative prototyping activities to adapt MI for brief text-based interactions and to refine an implementation strategy consisting of performance feedback and facilitated practice (PF-FP). Stakeholder input will be used to ensure the intervention and implementation strategy are acceptable, feasible, and fit within existing helpline workflows.
Following adaptation, a pilot feasibility trial will evaluate the implementation strategy among Teen Talk peer helpers. Helpers who enroll in the study (N=50) will be randomized to receive either training as usual or enhanced training consisting of monthly performance feedback and facilitated practice sessions over a 6-month period. Teen Talk users (N=100) will also be recruited to assess clinical outcomes, including help-seeking behaviors and mental health symptoms. The study will provide preliminary data on implementation outcomes, helper MI skill use, and user outcomes to inform a future fully powered effectiveness-implementation trial.
Study design
- Primary purpose
- Health services research
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- None (open label)
- Number of arms
- 2
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| Performance feedback and facilitated practice | Experimental | Other: Motivational Interviewing TrainingHelpline volunteers randomized into this study arm will receive additional MI training through feedback and practice (they will receive standard helpline training and MI training). |
| Training as usual | No intervention | –Helpline volunteers randomized into this study arm will not receive additional MI training through feedback or practice (they will receive standard helpline training only). |
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 13 years and older
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Accepted
- Age groups
- Child, Adult, Older adult
Key inclusion criteria (14 listed)
- Teen Helpers
- Current helpline peer helpers
- Aged 14-19 years.
- Provides assent and documented parental consent (when applicable).
- Completes study measures prior to the first Motivational Interviewing (MI) training session.
Key exclusion criteria (5 listed)
- Teen Helpers
- Plans to discontinue helpline activities within the next 8 months.
- Teen Users
- Identified as currently experiencing acute suicide risk (i.e., assigned a "high-risk" flag by the helpline algorithm or identified as high risk by helpline staff).
- Requires immediate crisis intervention or emergency services that could be disrupted by participation in the research study.
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Motivational Interviewing TrainingAll participants will receive Motivational Interviewing training through an educational workshop. Participants in the intervention arm will receive performance feedback and facilitated practice (implementation strategy). Those in the control arm will receive training as usual. | Other | Performance feedback and facilitated practice |
Primary outcome
General Help Seeking Questionnaire
Time frame: 11 months (consent to post 6-month follow up)
Measure of help seeking behavior. Minimum score = 10; Maximum score = 70. Higher scores indicate greater intentions or willingness to seek help.
Patient Health Questionnaire-8
Time frame: 11 months (consent to post 6-month follow up)
Measure helpline user distress. Minimum score = 0; Maximum score = 24. Higher scores indicate greater depressive symptom severity.
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 25 Jun 2026.
- Individual participant dataSharing planned: Yes. Quantitative Data. De-identified, clinical self-report questionnaires from the pilot trial (Aim 3) will be shared via the National Institute of Mental Health Data Archive (NDA). Qualitative data will not be shared to protect participant confidentiality.
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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.
1 site in 1 country: see every site and its status.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
A study testing Motivational Interviewing Training in people with Implementation Research and Help Seeking, run by San Diego State University 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 14 inclusion and 5 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: looking for participants now, as of the sponsor's last update on 25 Jun 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?
Each site lists its own contact: choose the nearest one under Trial locations. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.
What does the primary outcome measure?
General Help Seeking Questionnaire (time frame: 11 months (consent to post 6-month follow up)). The study lists 2 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 25 Jun 2026; AzTrials last refreshed its copy on 26 Oct 2026.