Can a coach replace a therapist for social anxiety? hong kong trial aims to find out
NCT ID NCT05292612
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026
Summary
This study tests a Chinese-language online therapy for social anxiety disorder in Hong Kong adults. About 110 participants will receive either therapist-guided treatment, coach-guided self-help, or be placed on a waitlist. The goal is to see if the cheaper coach-led option works just as well as the standard therapist-led version.
This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.
Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
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Not a phased trial
Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.
- Participants
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About 110 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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May 2023
- Expected to finish
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Dec 2026
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
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Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
- Ages
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18 to 100 years
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Accepted
You do not need to have the condition being studied to take part.
Show the full entry requirements Hide the full entry requirements
Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion * Meets DSM-5 criteria for SAD (SAD must be generalised, not the 'performance only' subtype) * Considers SAD their main problem * Age 18 or over (no upper age limit) * No current psychotropic mediation, or on a stable dose for at least two months without improvement, and willing to remain at this dose throughout trial * Participant agrees not to start any other forms of treatment during the trial * Chinese resident of Hong Kong * Proficient in written traditional Chinese and spoken Cantonese * Internet access from home Exclusion * current or past psychosis, bipolar disorder, or borderline personality disorder * active suicidality * 'Moderate' or 'Severe' Alcohol Use Disorder or Substance Use Disorder (based on DSM-5) * No current or previous CBT for SAD (defined as at least 5 sessions, and including an exposure component), including internet-CBT studies * Not another current emotional problem that is the participant's main concern (Participant must not be largely absorbed in another emotional problem, for which it would be unethical not to address as a priority)
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Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
How to take part
Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.
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The places running it
1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.
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The official record
ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.
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A doctor treating you
A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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The Chinese University of Hong Kong
RECRUITINGShatin, Hong Kong
More trials for these conditions
Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
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- Can tailored brain stimulation quiet anxiety that drugs Can't?
- Can meditation rewire the anxious social brain?
- One-Size-Fits-All anxiety therapy may be a thing of the past
- Ear-Zapping device may tame social anxiety — trial puts it to the test
- Can an AI coach help therapists treat depression and anxiety online?