Grief Therapy Approaches for Bereaved Parents
This study is looking at three different support programs for parents who have lost a child to cancer. The programs are called Meaning-Centered Grief Therapy, Supportive Psychotherapy, and Enhanced Usual Care. Researchers want to see how these programs affect your grief and depression symptoms. You may be able to join if you are a parent (biological, adoptive, step-parent, or legal guardian) aged 18 or older, from anywhere in the United States, who lost a child diagnosed with cancer at least six months ago. The study will measure changes in your grief and depression scores over about 10 months to see which approach is most helpful. The current recruitment status is unclear.
- Study design
- This interventional study plans to enroll 415 participants. It compares three different behavioral therapy approaches.
- What's involved
- Supportive Psychotherapy involves 16 sessions, about once a week. Meaning-Centered Grief Therapy provides a workbook via mail or email. Enhanced Usual Care includes standard support plus additional resources.
- Compensation
- Not stated in the trial record.
- Follow-up
- Participants' grief and depression symptoms will be measured for up to 10 months.
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NCT05142605
Evaluation of Grief Therapy Approaches for Bereaved Parents
Recruiting
NAAges 18+InterventionalTreatmentUniversity of MiamiInvestigator-initiated
~415 participants
Updated 2026-07-01 on ClinicalTrials.gov
What's tested:Meaning-Centered Grief TherapySupportive PsychotherapyEnhanced Usual Care
At a glance
Recruiting sites
4 of 5 listed sites are recruiting right now
RecruitingSuspended, closed, or not yet open
What they're measuring
Change in Prolonged Grief Disorder-13-R (PG-13-R) scores
Measured over Baseline up to 10 months
+1 more outcome measured
Conditions
Where it's being run
5 sites across 5 statesCalifornia1
Florida1
New York1
Pennsylvania1
Tennessee1
Study leadership
- Wendy G. Lichtenthal, PhD · PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR · University of Miami
Who to contact
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Do you actually qualify for this trial?
Add a private profile and we'll compare every criterion below against your situation — and tell you which ones are met, uncertain, or excluding.
Eligibility criteria
Inclusion
A biological, adoptive, step-parent or legal guardian from across the United States who lost a child diagnosed with cancer as indicated by self-report
Age 18 or older as indicated by self-report
Experienced the loss of a child diagnosed with cancer at least 6 months prior to enrollment as indicated by medical record or self-report
Elevated prolonged grief (PG) symptoms (PG-13-R scores of 30 or above)
Resides in a state in which a study clinical supervisor is licensed to permit telepsychology practice or otherwise able to comply with current telehealth regulations as indicated by self-report
English-speaking as per the language assessment items below and willing to receive the intervention in English
What is the participant's preferred language?
How well does the participant speak English?
Very well (PARTICIPANT IS ELIGIBLE)
Well (PARTICIPANT is NOT ELIGIBLE)
Not well (PARTICIPANT is NOT ELIGIBLE)
Not at all (PARTICIPANT is NOT ELIGIBLE)
Individuals who are pregnant per self-report are eligible to participate
Must be age 18 or over as indicated by self-report
Has been identified by the bereaved parent participant as a support or someone important to bereaved parent
Resides in a state in which a study clinical supervisor is licensed to permit telepsychology practice or otherwise able to comply with current telehealth regulations as indicated by self-report
English-speaking as per the language assessment items below and willing to receive the intervention in English
What is the participant's preferred language?
How well does the participant speak English?
Very well (PARTICIPANT IS ELIGIBLE)
Well (PARTICIPANT is NOT ELIGIBLE)
Not well (PARTICIPANT is NOT ELIGIBLE)
Not at all (PARTICIPANT is NOT ELIGIBLE)
Individuals who are pregnant per self-report are eligible to participate.
A biological, adoptive, step-parent or legal guardian from across the United States who lost a child diagnosed with cancer as indicated by self-report
Age 18 or older as indicated by self-report
Experienced the loss of a child diagnosed with cancer at least 6 months prior to enrollment as indicated by medical record or self-report
Resides in a state in which a study clinical supervisor is licensed to permit telepsychology practice or otherwise able to comply with current telehealth regulations as indicated by self-report
English-speaking as per the language assessment items below and willing to receive the intervention in English
What is the participant's preferred language?
How well does the participant speak English?
Very well (PARTICIPANT IS ELIGIBLE)
Well (PARTICIPANT is NOT ELIGIBLE)
Not well (PARTICIPANT is NOT ELIGIBLE)
Not at all (PARTICIPANT is NOT ELIGIBLE)
Individuals who are pregnant per self-report are eligible to participate.
A biological, adoptive, step-parent, or legal guardian from across the United States as indicated by self-report
Age 18 or older as indicated by self-report
Experienced the loss of a child at least 6 months prior to enrollment as indicated by medical record or self-report
Score of 29 or below on the PG-13-R OR lost a child to a cause other than cancer OR child's additional guardian has consented as a Parent Participant and has not provided permission to share participation status OR past participants who indicate an interest in serving as a training case and, in the judgment of the Principal Investigator, would be appropriate to enroll as a training case
Resides in a state in which a study clinical supervisor is licensed to permit telepsychology practice or otherwise able to comply with current telehealth regulations as indicated by self-report
English-speaking as per the language assessment items below and willing to receive the intervention in English
What is the participant's preferred language?
How well does the participant speak English?
Very well (PARTICIPANT IS ELIGIBLE)
Well (PARTICIPANT is NOT ELIGIBLE)
Not well (PARTICIPANT is NOT ELIGIBLE)
Not at all (PARTICIPANT is NOT ELIGIBLE)
Individuals who are pregnant per self-report are eligible to participate.
Must be age 18 or over as indicated by self-report
Has been identified by the bereaved parent training case participant as a support or someone important to bereaved parent
Resides in a state in which a study clinical supervisor is licensed to permit telepsychology practice or otherwise able to comply with current telehealth regulations as indicated by self-report
English-speaking as per the language assessment items below and willing to receive the intervention in English
What is the participant's preferred language?
How well does the participant speak English?
Very well (PARTICIPANT IS ELIGIBLE)
Well (PARTICIPANT is NOT ELIGIBLE)
Not well (PARTICIPANT is NOT ELIGIBLE)
Not at all (PARTICIPANT is NOT ELIGIBLE)
Individuals who are pregnant per self-report are eligible to participate.
Exclusion
Significant psychiatric disturbance sufficient, in the investigator/study staff's judgment, to preclude completion of the assessment measures, interview or informed consent
Inability to access a functional device for videoconferencing and declines offer to use a study loaner device as indicated by self-report
Prisoners
Participants unable to consent
Significant psychiatric disturbance sufficient, in the investigator/study staff's judgment, to preclude informed consent
Inability to access a computer with Internet as indicated by self-report
Prisoners
Participants unable to consent
Significant psychiatric disturbance sufficient, in the investigator/study staff's judgment, to preclude informed consent
Inability to access a computer with Internet as indicated by self-report
Prisoners
Participants unable to consent
Significant psychiatric disturbance sufficient, in the investigator/study staff's judgment, to preclude completion of the assessment measures, interview or informed consent
Inability to access a functional device for videoconferencing and declines offer to use a study loaner device as indicated by self-report
Prisoners
Participants unable to consent
Significant psychiatric disturbance sufficient, in the investigator/study staff's judgment, to preclude informed consent
Inability to access a computer with Internet as indicated by self-report
Prisoners
Participants unable to consent
What this trial measures
- Change in Prolonged Grief Disorder-13-R (PG-13-R) scoresBaseline up to 10 months
The Prolonged Grief-13-Revised (PG-13-R) is a 13-item self-report scale evaluating the proposed symptoms of prolonged grief disorder. The PG-13-R assesses the severity of 10 grief-related symptoms using a 5-point Likert-type scale. Additional items evaluate the experience of a significant loss, symptom duration, and functional impairment. The PG-13-R yields a score between 10 and 50, where a higher score indicates that a person experiences higher levels of prolonged grief.
- Change in Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale - Revised (CESD-R) scoreBaseline up to 10 months
The Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale-Revised (CESD-R) is a 20-item self-report measure assessing the frequency of depressive symptoms in the past week on a 4-point scale. Total scores range from 0 to 60, with scores above 16 indicating possible clinically significant depression levels.