NCT07188155

Adapting Exposure for Adolescent AN

Recruiting now NA Last updated 8 April 2026

What this trial tests

NA trial testing Exposure Therapy for Anorexia (Exp-AN) in Anorexia Nervosa in 16 participants. Currently enrolling.

Timeline

20 February 2026

Primary endpoint
31 March 2027

30 June 2027

Quick facts

Lead sponsor	Milton S. Hershey Medical Center
Phase	NA
Status	Recruiting now
Study type	INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation	na
Design	single group
Masking	none
Primary purpose	treatment
Enrollment	16
Start date	20 February 2026
Primary completion	31 March 2027
Estimated completion	30 June 2027
Sites	1 location across United States

Drugs / interventions tested

• Exposure Therapy for Anorexia (Exp-AN)

Conditions studied

• Anorexia Nervosa — all drugs for Anorexia Nervosa →

Sponsor

Milton S. Hershey Medical Center

Who can join

Adults 14 to 17, any sex, with Anorexia Nervosa. Patients with the condition only — healthy volunteers not accepted.

Sponsor's own description

This pilot study is evaluating Exposure Therapy (Exp-AN) as a virtual treatment for adolescents (ages 14 - 17 years) with anorexia nervosa (AN) recruited from eating disorder clinic waitlists and clinician referrals at the Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center and the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) (8 participants per site). Adolescents who agree to take part in this study will receive 20 free virtual 40-60 minute weekly Exp-AN sessions at an outpatient level of care. Exp-AN for adolescents will combine individual virtual session time (35-50 min) with parent involvement (10-25 min). Parents will serve as "collaborators," supporting skill development, exposure completion, and treatment goal achievement. Exp-AN sessions will focus on helping participants overcome anxiety about weight gain by encouraging them to do challenging things that increase anxiety in the short term but help them better tolerate anxiety over the long term. Participants will be asked to complete a clinical interview, questionnaires, and labs and vitals testing before they begin the study. Adolescents will also complete questionnaires and participate in 15-min semi-structured interviews, while parents/caregivers will complete separate parallel interviews, at: mid-treatment, end-of-treatment, and 3-month follow-up. To ensure that all participants are receiving the same type of therapy, they will not be able to have any concurrent psychotherapy while receiving this treatment (other forms of care including dieticians, nutritionists, and psychiatrists are allowed).

Exp-AN is designed to target anxiety about weight gain. Exp-AN includes education about the effects of undereating; the importance of overcoming anxiety about weight gain; in-session weight exposures (e.g., stepping on a scale while reading a script describing fears about weight gain); creating a meal plan to help improve eating; reviewing eating behaviors over the past week; conducting in-session and between-session exposures that help participants face fears related to weight gain; and relapse prevention.

Publications & conference data

No peer-reviewed publications indexed yet for this trial.