Peer coaching to support teens with eating disorders
Official title: Development and Testing of a Peer-Coaching Model for the Treatment of Eating Disorders
Run by Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai · NCT05562258 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This trial will test whether adding 12 weeks of phone-based coaching for either parents or patients alongside usual therapy helps parents feel less emotionally taxed and helps teens build recovery skills.
Quick facts
| Study type | Interventional |
|---|---|
| Ages | 12 Years to 18 Years |
| Sex | All |
| Enrollment | 70 (estimated) |
| Sponsor | Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai Academic / other |
| Locations | 1 site (New York, New York) |
| Status | Recruiting |
| Started | May 1, 2023 |
| Main results expected | October 2027 |
| Study ends | October 2027 |
| Registry record updated | September 8, 2026 |
| Trial ID | NCT05562258 on ClinicalTrials.gov |
Is this trial a fit for you?
✓Likely a good fit
Ideal candidates are English-speaking adolescents aged 12–18 with a DSM-5 eating disorder who are enrolled in treatment at the Mount Sinai Center of Excellence for Eating and Weight Disorders and have a parent/caregiver willing to participate and phone access.
✕Probably not a fit
Patients with a current or lifetime learning or developmental disorder, those at acute suicide risk, or those not enrolled in the Mount Sinai program are not expected to benefit from or be eligible for this protocol.
A plain-English reading of the study's rules. Only the study team can confirm whether you qualify.
What this trial studies
This randomized controlled trial will enroll 70 adolescents (ages 12–18) with DSM-5 eating disorders and one parent/caregiver each, all receiving treatment at a single eating disorders center. Participants are randomized to one of two 12-week arms: parent coaching plus patient educational materials, or patient coaching plus parent educational materials. Coaching participants can make brief (about 15-minute) calls with a designated coach outside regular therapy, while the education arm receives weekly online videos and follow-up questions; engagement with coaching calls will be tracked. Outcomes include measures of parent and patient self-efficacy, quality of life, illness-related distress/impairment, and changes in eating disorder symptoms and severity.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, adding brief coaching could reduce caregiver emotional burden and help patients strengthen skills that support recovery.
How similar studies have gone: Some peer-support and coaching approaches in mental health have shown promise, but applying a peer-coaching model specifically to adolescents with eating disorders is relatively novel and has limited prior data.
Who can join: the full rules
Show full inclusion / exclusion criteria
Inclusion Criteria: * Ages 12 to 18 at entry to the study * DSM-5 Diagnosis of an eating disorder * Enrollment in treatment at the Center of Excellence for Eating and Weight Disorders Speak English * Have access to a phone with WiFi or a data plan * Parent and child/patient both willing to participate Exclusion Criteria: * Current or lifetime history of learning disorder or developmental disorder * Acute suicide risk
Where it's running
-
Department of Psychiatry, Eating and Weight Disorders Program
New York, New York, United States Recruiting
Study contacts
- Principal investigator: Tom Hildebrandt, PsyD — Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
- Study coordinator: Tom Hildebrandt, PsyD
- Email: tom.hildebrandt@mssm.edu
- Phone: 212-659-8673
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How to take part
- Review the eligibility criteria above with your treating physician.
- Check the official listing on ClinicalTrials.gov for the latest contact details and recruitment status.
- Contact the study coordinator or principal investigator to ask for pre-screening. Pre-screening is free and never obligates you to enroll.