Efficacy and feasibility of a transdiagnostic augmentation therapy for improving interpersonal skills using the Kiesler Circle Training (KCT)

• Applicant: Privatdozentin Dr. Anne Guhn
• Subject Area: Personality Psychology, Clinical and Medical Psychology, Methodology ; Clinical Psychiatry, Psychotherapy, Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
• Term: since 2022
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 457376358

Interpersonal problems represent a central transdiagnostic risk factor for the development and maintenance of various mental disorders. The GRIPS study (GRoup Intervention for Improving InterPersonal Skills) investigates the effectiveness and feasibility of the Kiesler Circle Training (KCT), a structured transdiagnostic group intervention aimed at improving interpersonal skills as an adjunct to individual cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). In this randomized controlled study, 156 outpatients with a primary diagnosis of a depressive or anxiety disorder (according to DSM-5) and clinically significant interpersonal problems are being examined. All participants receive individual CBT; the experimental group additionally participates in 12 weekly KCT group sessions. The KCT program comprises five modules targeting interpersonal awareness as well as nonverbal and verbal communication, conflict resolution, and empathy. The primary outcomes are the reduction of interpersonal problems and the improvement of disorder-specific symptoms. Childhood maltreatment is examined as a moderator of treatment trajectories. The study began on May 1, 2023, with a planned duration of 36 months and an initial sample size of N = 124 participants. Based on recommendations from the review panel, two adaptations were implemented at the beginning of the project: (1) the power analysis was corrected and the sample size increased to N = 156, and (2) an additional assessment time point was introduced to allow for a more differentiated examination of change and mediation processes during treatment. To date, four of the five milestones have been achieved: recruitment was completed in December 2025. The follow-up assessments (fifth milestone) will take place in July 2026. To ensure the completion of data collection, a bridging period of three months until July 31, 2026 is therefore requested. This extension is necessary to (1) complete the follow-up assessments for the enlarged and adequately powered sample, (2) finalize data collection within the expanded longitudinal design including the additional assessment time point, and (3) cover the resulting additional case-related, monitoring-related, and coordination-related efforts. The increased sample size and the additional assessment time point lead to higher expenditures for participant compensation, intervention therapists, student research assistants, and for monitoring and data management processes conducted by the Clinical Trial Office (CTO). In addition, increased workload arises in study coordination, which plays a central role in ensuring quality assurance and protocol adherence due to the blinded study design.

• DFG Programme: Clinical Trials
• Co-Investigator: Professorin Dr. Eva-Lotta Brakemeier