The Trans-Led Care (TLC) Study

Overview:
Investigators from Illinois Tech are testing a new mutual-help group called “the TLC program” for transgender folks who use substances or are recently in recovery. The TLC Program is based on Acceptance and Commitment Therapy or “ACT” which is a type of mental health counseling that focuses on using mindfulness skills to connect a person to their values and improve their mental health. 

The TLC Program was developed by transgender and gender diverse community members, mental health providers, and researchers. We performed an initial test of the program with 16 transgender adults. Now we’re ready to test the TLC Program with 20-30 participants. 

Over 6-8 months, participation will involve:
-Brief (5 min) weekly online surveys for 16-22 weeks
-3 online (1hr) Survey Visits filled out with trained study staff on Zoom
-Attending the TLC Program on Zoom: a peer-led, mutual-help group (2 hours, weekly, 12 weeks). TLC Program sessions will be audio-recorded for quality assurance purposes and deleted at the end of the study.
-Participants can earn up to $230 in Visa Gift Cards for all study activities completed
-Participation is confidential and completely voluntary

Study Type:
Mixed Methods

IRB Approved:
Yes

Target Sample Size:
30

Target Audience:
Transgender adults with past year substance use problems

How to Apply:
Participants fill out an eligibility screening survey online: https://www.craft-research.org/research-projects/tlc

Study Contact:
craftresearchteam@iit.edu