Mindfulness and Relaxation Interventions in Individual Psychotherapies for Children and Adolescents

The Impact of Session-introducing Mindfulness and Relaxation Interventions in Individual Training Psychotherapies for Children and Adolescents: a Randomized Controlled Trial.

The study 'Mindfulness and Relaxation interventions in Individual Training Psychotherapies for Children and Adolescents' (MARS-CA) aims to examine the effects of short session-introducing interventions with mindfulness elements (SIIME) on juvenile patients' psychopathological symptomatology and therapeutic alliance at the beginning of the first 24 therapy sessions.

Short session-introducing interventions with mindfulness elements (SIIME) shall be compared with session-introducing relaxation interventions (SIRI) and no session-introducing interventions (treatment as usual, (TAU)). Patients between 11 and 19 years and a primary diagnosis of hyperkinetic disorder, depressive disorder or anxiety disorder are invited to participate. Psychotherapy will be conducted by trainee therapists at a trainee outpatient clinic for children and adolescents. It is hypothesized that psychopathological symptomatology and therapeutic alliance improve more in the mindfulness condition than in the relaxation condition and TAU, and that mindfulness moderates the relationship between therapeutic alliance and psychopathological symptomatology stronger than the relaxation condition and TAU.

Inclusion Criteria:

• A primary hyperkinetic disorder, depressive disorder or anxiety disorder diagnosis
• treatment at the Center for Psychological Psychotherapy, University of Heidelberg

Exclusion Criteria:

• age below 11 or above 19
• insufficient German language skills
• psychotic disorder
• acute suicidality