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CALMS Study

Computer-Aided Learning for Managing Stress (CALMS Study)

A new and experimental family treatment at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center to help young people with recent changes in their mental health learn to lower the stress they experience.

Principal Investigator: Kristen A. Woodberry, MSW, Ph.D. (kwoodber@bidmc.harvard.edu)

Why Participate in Research?

Why is Mental Health Research Important?

What will happen during the study?

Participating in research helps us learn whether new therapies are helpful and how.

CALMS is designed for two or three people who are important to each other, one of whom is between the ages of 12 and 30. As a participant, you would be asked to:
Sign a consent form indicating your agreement to participate.

Parts of the study:

Screening Interview (3-4 hours) to see if the study is a good fit
Treatment sessions (1 hour each)

Twelve family therapy sessions over 3-4 months
Learning to lower your heart rate while playing video or other games
Learning to interact with your family members to lower stress

3. Four Monthly Assessments (2-2.5 hours each for the youth, 1-1.5 hours each for family members)

Interview and questionnaires
Three-minute resting heart rate
Five-minute audiotape of parent talking about youth (once at beginning)
Ten-minute videotaped interactional task (twice, at beginning and end)

This study takes place at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. Youth participants will be compensated with up to $180 and family members up to $80 for completion of the study. All treatment sessions are free of charge.

Who can participate?

CALMS is a family therapy designed for two people who are important to each other.

One person must be between the ages of 12 and 30 and:

having trouble thinking clearly
having ideas that others may find unusual or too intense
feeling suspicious or uneasy around others
withdrawing from friends and family
having strange feelings or no feelings at all
neglecting personal hygiene and self-care
feeling more sensitive to lights and sounds
mistaking noise for voices or messages

If you answered “yes” to any of the above questions and have a family member willing to participate with you, you may be eligible for CALMS.

For more information, please contact:

Megan Graham at (617) 754-1223

or by email at mgraham@bidmc.harvard.edu

Please click on the link to view the brochure: CALMS Brochure