HomelessnessHoPimNCT07847931
People Experiencing Homelessness and Integrative Medical Care: Implementing Music Therapy, Art Therapy and Mindfulness Meditation Sessions in a Low-Threshold Day-in Center in Lausanne for Greater Health Equity
A study testing Music therapy, Art therapy and Mindfulness Meditation in people with Homelessness, run by Center for Primary Care and Public Health (Unisante), University of Lausanne, Switzerland at 1 site in Switzerland.
Trial summary
The goal of this study is to evaluate the feasibility and acceptability of implementing group sessions of music therapy, art therapy and mindfulness meditation in real-life setting in a specific context (in a low threshold day-center for people experiencing homelessness in Lausanne "L'Espace"). Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 18 years and older
- Conditions the study is for
- Homelessness
- What is being tested?
- Music therapy, Art therapy and Mindfulness Meditation
- Type of treatment
- Lifestyle or therapy programme
- Could I receive a placebo?
- No, everyone receives an active treatment
- How many people
- 30 participants
- Where
- 1 siteSwitzerland
- Study dates
- 1 Oct 2026to 1 Oct 2028
- Phase
- Interventional
Key requirements
Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.
- Ages 18 years and older
- All sexes
- No healthy volunteers
- Adult, Older adult
Who may be able to join
- Being ≥18;
- Being fluent in the languages known by the practitioners (English and French for music therapy and art therapy, Franch for mindfulness meditation);
- Planning to stay in Lausanne for the next 10 months;
- Agreeing to participate in group sessions;
- Being homeless according to the categories 1, 2, 3, or 5 of the ETHOS Light typology.
Who cannot join
- Being unable to provide an informed consent.
- For all interventions: having an unstable mental health issue (actively suicidal depression, active PTSD, decompensated bipolar, acute psychotic episode).
- For the mindfulness meditation blocks only: being in psychological decompensation (including schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, addictive disorders, and suicidal thoughts); suffering from epilepsy, complex trauma or unstable PTSD.
Trial locations and contacts
1 site in 1 country. Contact the study team or a site near you to ask about taking part.
Switzerland1 site
Center for Primary Care and Public Health
Lausanne, Canton of Vaud, 1011
About this study
The goal of this study is to evaluate the feasibility and acceptability of implementing group sessions of music therapy, art therapy and mindfulness meditation in real-life setting in a specific context (in a low threshold day-center for people experiencing homelessness in Lausanne "L'Espace"). The second aims consists of exploring participants' experience of these implemented approaches and describe participants' trajectories in terms of health-related QoL, psychological distress, perception of pain, self-esteem and relation to others over time.
The sessions will be implemented sequentially in three blocks:
- Music therapy: 8 biweekly 2 hours sessions over 4 months (group of 8-12 participants);
- Art therapy: 8 biweekly 2 hours sessions over 4 months (group of 8 12 participants);
- Mindfulness meditation: two consecutive 8-week program (weekly 2 hours sessions, group of 8-12 participants).
Read the detailed description
Participants who provide informed written consent will complete questionnaires at baseline (T0; inclusion), one month (T1), at the end of the sessions' block (T2) and at 8 months (T3). The questionnaire will assess secondary endpoints outlined above. Questionnaires will be hetero-administrated. A T2, semi-structured interviews will be conducted with participants and practitioners to explore perceived benefits, acceptability and implementation experience.
- Conditions
- Homelessness
- Being tested
- Music therapy, Art therapy, Mindfulness Meditation
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
Music therapyBehavioural
The music therapy sessions will offer sensory workshops of immersive musical listening, digital and acoustic music creation and shared improvised music.
Art therapyBehavioural
Art therapy sessions will include activities combining painting, modeling, and movement based on an initial theme.
Mindfulness MeditationBehavioural
Mindfulness meditation sessions will involve foundational practices designed to enhance participants' ability to focus attention on a chosen object, such as the breath, while observing when the mind wanders and gently bringing attention back to the object of focus.
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| Music therapy, Art therapy, Mindfulness Meditation | Experimental | Participants will sequentially receive three interventions: music therapy, art therapy, and mindfulness meditation. The interventions will be implemented in a low-threshold drop-in center for people experiencing homelessness in Switzerland. Feasibility and acceptability of implementing these interventions in a real-life setting will be evaluated. Receives: Behavioral: Music therapy; Behavioral: Art therapy; Behavioral: Mindfulness Meditation |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
Acceptance rate
The acceptability (acceptance rate) will be assessed in terms of recruitment rate (#people included/#people invited).
Measured: Throughout the recruitment period, up to 1 month
Attendance rate
The feasibility of implementing music therapy, art therapy, and mindfulness meditation in a real-life setting will be assessed in terms of attendance at intervention sessions (number of sessions attended/total number of sessions offered).
Measured: From enrollment through 4 months for music therapy and art therapy; and from enrollment through 2 months for mindfulness meditation
Secondary outcomes (4)
Health related quality of life
Health related quality of life will be assessed with a subscale of the World Health Organization Quality of Life - Brief Version, Physical Health Domain (WHOQOL-BREF); range 0-100, with higher scores indicating better health-related quality of life (better outcome).
Questionnaires will be administered at T0 (baseline), T1 (1 month), T2 (4 months) for music therapy and art therapy; and at T0 (baseline), T1 (1 month), T2 (2 months) for mindfulness meditation
Measured: Baseline, 1 month, and 4 months for music therapy and art therapy; baseline, 1 month, and 2 months for mindfulness meditation
Relatedness to others
Relatedness to others will be assessed with a subscale of the Basic Psychological Need Satisfaction Scale (BPNSS); range 1-7, with higher scores indicating greater psychological need satisfaction (better outcome).
Questionnaires will be administered at T0 (baseline), T1 (1 month), T2 (4 months) for music therapy and art therapy; and at T0 (baseline), T1 (1 month), T2 (2 months) for mindfulness meditation
Measured: Baseline, 1 month, and 4 months for music therapy and art therapy; baseline, 1 month, and 2 months for mindfulness meditation
Psychological distress
Psychological distress will be assessed with the Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K6); range 0-24, with higher scores indicating greater psychological distress (worse outcome).
Questionnaires will be administered at T0 (baseline), T1 (1 month), T2 (4 months) for music therapy and art therapy; and at T0 (baseline), T1 (1 month), T2 (2 months) for mindfulness meditation
Measured: Baseline, 1 month, and 4 months for music therapy and art therapy; and baseline, T1 (1 month), T2 (2 months) for mindfulness meditation
Self-esteem
Self-esteem will be assessed using the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (RSES); range 0-30, with higher scores indicating higher self-esteem (better outcome). Questionnaires will be administered at T0 (baseline), T1 (1 month), and T2 (4 months) for music therapy and art therapy, and at T0 (baseline), T1 (1 month), and T2 (2 months) for mindfulness meditation.
Measured: Baseline, 1 month, and 4 months for music therapy and art therapy; baseline, 1 month, and 2 months for mindfulness meditation
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted29 Sep 2026
- Study start1 Oct 2026 (estimated)
- Primary completion1 Oct 2027 (estimated)
- Study completion1 Oct 2028 (estimated)
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Publications (8)Papers the sponsor has linked to this study.
- Other trials for HomelessnessStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
- What the trial phases meanHow a treatment moves from first tests in people to approval.
More details
For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.
Study design
- Study type
- Interventional
- Phase
- Phase N/A
- Primary purpose
- Other
- Allocation
- Not applicable
- Intervention model
- Single group
- Model description
- This is a single-group pilot study evaluating the feasibility and acceptability of implementing three sequential interventions: music therapy, art therapy, and mindfulness meditation, among people experiencing homelessness at a low-threshold drop-in center in Switzerland. All participants will receive the three interventions sequentially.
- Masking
- None (open label)
- Enrolment
- 30 participants (estimated)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- Center for Primary Care and Public Health (Unisante), University of Lausanne, Switzerland
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Responsible party
- Sponsor
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT07847931
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- 2026-00812
- Other IDs
- 6071.19
- Acronym
- HoPim
- Status last verified
- Sep 2026
- First submitted
- 1 Sep 2026
- Last updated
- 29 Sep 2026
- Results posted
- No
- Data monitoring committee
- No
- FDA-regulated drug
- No
- FDA-regulated device
- No
- Individual data sharing
- No: For confidentiality issues and due to the small sample planned in this feasibility pilot study, we do not plan to share data.
Publications
Maddock A, Hevey D, Eidenmuller K. Mindfulness training as a clinical intervention with homeless adults: A pilot study. International Journal of Mental Health Addiction. 2017;15:529-544.
Grazioli VS, Hangartner E, Bodenmann P, Schaad L, Grosjean L, Nikles J, Campbell DJT, Hyvert L, Varela TA, Collins SE, Leblanc C, Loignon C, Berna C. Complementary medicine among individuals experiencing homelessness in Switzerland: a quantitative and qualitative descriptive study. BMC Complement Med Ther. 2025 May 6;25(1):166. doi: 10.1186/s12906-024-04727-4.
PubMed 40329247Stadler, G., et al., Diversified innovations in the health sciences: Proposal for a Diversity Minimal Item Set (DiMIS). Sustainable Chemistry and Pharmacy, 2023. 33.
Vallieres EF, Vallerand RJ. Traduction Et Validation Canadienne-Française De L'échelle De L'estime De Soi De Rosenberg. Int J Psychol. 1990;25(2):305-16. doi:10.1080/00207599008247865
Furukawa TA, Kessler RC, Slade T, Andrews G. The performance of the K6 and K10 screening scales for psychological distress in the Australian National Survey of Mental Health and Well-Being. Psychol Med. 2003 Feb;33(2):357-62. doi: 10.1017/s0033291702006700.
PubMed 12622315Gagné M. The Role of Autonomy Support and Autonomy Orientation in Prosocial Behavior Engagement. Motiv Emot. 1 sept 2003;27(3):199-223. doi:10.1023/A:1025007614869
Deci EL, Ryan RM. The " What " and " Why " of Goal Pursuits: Human Needs and the Self-Determination of Behavior. Psychol Inq. 1 oct 2000;11(4):227-68. doi:10.1207/S15327965PLI1104_01
Skevington SM, Lotfy M, O'Connell KA; WHOQOL Group. The World Health Organization's WHOQOL-BREF quality of life assessment: psychometric properties and results of the international field trial. A report from the WHOQOL group. Qual Life Res. 2004 Mar;13(2):299-310. doi: 10.1023/B:QURE.0000018486.91360.00.
PubMed 15085902