Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40831028›Full record

ArticleBJPsych open2025

Feasibility and acceptability of the Community Outpatient Psychotherapy Engagement Service for Self-harm (COPESS): randomised controlled trial.

Pooja Saini, Anna Hunt, Caroline Clements, Mark Gabbay, Catherine Mills, Kari Kvamme-Mitchell, Naheed Tahir, Helen Mulholland, Cecil Kullu, Mark Hann and 4 more

Registry-linked trialAbstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in BJPsych open, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT04191122 (Community Outpatient Psychotherapy Engagement Service for Self-harm), which is not on this map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

NCT04191122 naunknown statusnot on this map

Community Outpatient Psychotherapy Engagement Service for Self-harm (COPESS): A Feasibility Study

TypeinterventionalSponsorLiverpool John Moores UniversityRan2020 to 2022Enrolled60ConditionsSelf-Harm, DepressionArmsCOPESS
3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Trial
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

14 authors.

Pooja SainiSchool of Psychology, Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool, UK.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4981-7914
Anna HuntSchool of Psychology, Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool, UK.
Caroline ClementsManchester Self-Harm Project, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4735-6728
Mark GabbayInstitute of Population Health Sciences, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK.
Catherine MillsMersey Care NHS Foundation Trust, Liverpool, UK.
Kari Kvamme-MitchellMersey Care NHS Foundation Trust, Liverpool, UK.
Naheed TahirApplied Research Collaboration North West Coast, University of Liverpool, UK.
Helen MulhollandInstitute of Population Health Sciences, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK.
Cecil KulluLiaison Psychiatry, Greater Manchester Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust, Manchester, UK.
Mark HannDivision of Population Health, Health Services Research and Primary Care, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK.
Rui DuarteInstitute of Population Health Sciences, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6485-7415
Andrea MurphyWoolton House Medical Centre, Liverpool, UK.
Else GuthrieSchool of Medicine, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5834-6616
Peter TaylorDivision of Population Health, Health Services Research and Primary Care, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1407-0985

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundSelf-harm is widespread and often occurs in the community without resulting in hospital presentation. Individuals with depressive symptoms are at elevated risk. There are limited self-harm interventions designed for community and primary care settings. The Community Outpatient Psychological Engagement Service for Self-harm (COPESS) is a brief talking therapy intervention for self-harm based in community settings.

aimsTo assess the feasibility of evaluating the COPESS intervention in a community setting in relation to participant recruitment, retention, data collection and the acceptability of the intervention.

methodWe used a mixed-method approach and a single-blind randomised controlled trial design with 1:1 allocation to either COPESS plus treatment as usual or treatment as usual alone. Adults with depressive symptoms and self-harm in the past 6 months were recruited from general practices. Secondary outcome measures were assessed at baseline and 1 month, 2 months and 3 months after randomisation. The trial was pre-registered on clinicaltrials.gov (NCT04191122) on 9 December 2019.

resultsFifty-five people were randomised (of an initial target of 60). Retention rates at follow-up assessments were high (>75%), as was attendance by all participants for all therapy sessions (93%). At 3 months, there were trends towards lower levels of self-harm urges, depressive symptoms and distress in the COPESS group compared with controls. Fidelity to the manualised COPESS therapy was moderate to high.

conclusionsAll progression criteria were met, supporting further evaluation of the intervention in a full-scale efficacy and/or cost-effectiveness trial. These findings add to the growing evidence base supporting the utility of brief psychological interventions for self-harm. COPESS has potential as a brief primary-care-based intervention for those struggling with self-harm.

Indexed as

clinical trialdepressive symptomsprimary carepsychological therapySelf-harm

Identifiers

PMID40831028
PMCPMC12451733

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Registered trials

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.