Helping caregivers get children into mental health care
Official title: The Caregiver-Informed Treatment Engagement (CITE) Program: a Pilot Trial of a Youth Mental Health Treatment Engagement Intervention
Funded at Johns Hopkins University · NIH-11290726 · Data updated 2026-11-12
A short virtual group program helps caregivers of children ages 0–11 who were referred for mental health services connect with and stick to care that fits their needs.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Johns Hopkins University NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Baltimore, United States) |
| Project start | February 21, 2025 |
| Project end | November 30, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $236,458 |
| NIH project number | 5R34MH133617-02 |
| Project ID | NIH-11290726 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Caregivers of children aged 0–11 who have been referred to mental health services from a community pediatric primary care center (particularly in Baltimore) are ideal candidates.
✕Less likely to help
This program is not intended for adolescents over 11, families whose children were not referred to mental health services, or children requiring immediate inpatient or emergency psychiatric care, and it may not help caregivers without reliable internet access.
What this research studies
You and other caregivers from a Baltimore pediatric clinic will help design and then try a brief online group program to make it easier to start and continue mental health care for children. A community steering committee of caregivers and local mental health and primary care providers will guide the program and create interview questions to learn what families need. Researchers will conduct in-depth interviews with caregivers and providers, use that feedback to build the virtual group sessions, and pilot the sessions with caregivers of referred children. The project focuses on practical, caregiver-focused supports to improve access and engagement in children's mental health services.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, more children could start and stay in effective mental health treatment sooner, potentially reducing symptoms and risk of crises.
How similar studies have gone: Past caregiver-focused engagement programs have shown promise in increasing treatment uptake, but brief virtual group pilots for very young children are relatively new and remain understudied.
Where this research is happening
-
Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Young, Andrea S — Johns Hopkins University
- Study coordinator: Young, Andrea S
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About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.