Harnessing Optimism and Perseverance in the Face of Long COVID-Español

Harnessing Optimism and Perseverance in the Face of Long COVIDEspañol (HOPE-LCEspañol)

The Harnessing Optimism and Perseverance in the Face of Long COVID (HOPE-LC) program, created by Drs. Eric Watson and Amelia Hicks, is a group therapy model designed to foster resilience, adjustment, and coping skills for those living with chronic Long COVID. HOPE-LC~Español provides a culturally and linguistically adapted version for Spanish-speaking individuals in Queens, developed with input from Spanish-speaking clinicians, Long COVID experts, and people with lived experience. Partnering with H+H/Elmhurst and H+H/Queens, the project aims to recruit 25 participants and evaluate program feasibility and preliminary efficacy.

The Harnessing Optimism and Perseverance in the Face of Long COVID (HOPE-LC) program, developed by Drs. Eric Watson (PI) and Amelia Hicks (co-I), is a 12-week online group therapy program tailored specifically to living with Long COVID as a chronic condition. HOPE-LC provides community and hope; fostering resilience, adjustment, and critical coping strategies in the face of this debilitating chronic condition. Since its inception in 2024, the HOPE-LC groups have engaged 20 patients, emphasizing the need for chronic Long COVID therapeutic interventions.

Through HOPE-LC-Espanol the researchers will translate and adapt the HOPE-LC program into Spanish and expand HOPE-LC's reach to underserved Spanish-speaking communities in Queens and NYC. The aims are: (1) To translate and culturally adapt the HOPE-LC program for Spanish-speaking patients in collaboration with the Advisory Board of Spanish-speaking clinicians, Long COVID experts, and individuals with Long COVID lived experience; (2) In collaboration with the partners at H+H/Elmhurst and H+H/Queens, to conduct targeted recruitment to ensure the researchers are engaging specifically with local Hispanic/Latinx communities in Queens; and (3) To complete the HOPE-LC~Español program for 25 Spanish-speaking individuals experiencing Long COVID within the local Queens community. The researchers will evaluate program feasibility and treatment success to inform future scalability and sustainability as a clinical program.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Age 18 years or older.
• Speaks and understands Spanish at a level that allows active participation in group-based study procedures.
• Self-reported history of Long COVID/post-COVID condition of any severity or duration, including ongoing emotional or cognitive symptoms affecting daily functioning or a medical professional has diagnosed you with a Long COVID/post-COVID condition of any severity or duration, including ongoing emotional or cognitive symptoms.
• Ability to participate in group sessions either in-person or via telehealth (Zoom).
• Willingness and capacity to provide informed consent.

Exclusion Criteria:

• Presence of severe psychiatric conditions that would preclude participation in group therapy (e.g., active psychosis, suicidal intent requiring immediate intervention).
• Inability to communicate in Spanish sufficiently to engage meaningfully in group sessions.
• Cognitive or physical impairments prevent participation in group sessions or completion of surveys, without available accommodations.
• Concurrent participation in another conflicting interventional trial targeting Long COVID symptoms.