Mindfulness as Clinical Training

Mindfulness as Clinical Training: Student Perspectives on the Utility of Mindfulness Training in Fostering Clinical Intervention Skills

ABSTRACT:
Mindfulness training is increasingly being recommended as a strategy for fostering therapeutic effectiveness. We used a qualitative methodology to explore the potential utility of mindfulness training in helping beginning MSW students develop clinical intervention skills. Students reported that the training helped them manage distractions and anxiety, facilitated their ability to attend and respond to the client, and encouraged them to be more self-aware and flexible in their thinking in the classroom and in the field. Mindfulness training may strengthen current cognitive and behavioral training strategies, while providing a means of integrating affective and sensory learning into the training process.