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A Study of Meaning-Centered Psychotherapy for Caregivers to People With Cancer

Meaning-Centered Psychotherapy to Meet Palliative Care Needs of Cancer Caregivers

Who can join

Ages 18 and older · All sexes · Healthy volunteers welcome

Inclusion Criteria:

* Age 18 or over;
* As per self-report, a current caregiver to a patient with Stage III or IV solid tumor cancer currently receiving medical care of any kind (e.g., curative, palliative);
* Experiences distress as evidenced by a score of 4 or greater on the Distress Thermometer (DT) and an indication that this distress is associated with caregiving;
* As per self-report, can read and understand English;
* As per self-report, residing in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, or Florida, or have the ability to complete sessions while complying with current telehealth regulations.

Exclusion Criteria:

* Participant does not have a reasonable understanding of the study activities by the judgment of the consenting professional;
* Engagement in regular individual psychotherapeutic support that the participant is unable or unwilling to put on hold for the course of treatment.

About the study

Participants will complete 1 set of questionnaires about 2 weeks before beginning their Meaning-Centered Psychotherapy for Caregivers/MCP-C or standard Supportive Psychotherapy for Caregivers/SP-C sessions. These questionnaires will ask about participants' sense of meaning and purpose in life, spiritual well-being, depression and/or anxiety, and social support. Participants will then be assigned to receive either MCP-C or SP-C for 7 sessions. Participants will complete additional sets of questionnaires about 2 weeks, 6 months, and 12 months after their last session of MCP-C or SP-C. It will take between 35 and 50 minutes to complete each set of questionnaires.

After participants complete the MCP-C or SP-C sessions and all 4 sets of questionnaires, their participation in this study will end. If participants decide not to complete all 7 sessions, they may still choose to complete the questionnaires.

Participants may remain in the study and continue to receive all 7 sessions of MCP-C or SP-C even if their loved one passes away.

What is being tested

• Meaning-Centered Psychotherapy for Caregivers (behavioral)
• Supportive Psychotherapy for Caregivers (behavioral)

Sponsor: Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai · Participants: 200 · Started: Mar 13, 2024

Contact the study team

• Allison Applebaum, PhD, FAPOS · Phone: 212-241-8561
• Morgan Loschiavo, MPH · Phone: 646-888-0225

Official record on ClinicalTrials.gov — NCT06307535

Locations in the U.S.

From ClinicalTrials.gov, data retrieved Sep 30, 2026. Each study sets its own eligibility; the study team decides who can join.