Building in the Research: Mindfulness as a Core Clinical Intervention in a Hospital-Based Outpatient Psychiatric Treatment Group

Abstract

St. Joseph‘s General Hospital Adult Day Therapy Program is a heterogeneous outpatient psychiatric program with mindfulness-based practices as a core clinical intervention. A mixed methods approach to research is used to look quantitatively at participant‘s level of mindfulness, symptoms of stress, anxiety and depression as well as their satisfaction with life. Qualitatively a series of questions are proposed to inquire about participant‘s perception of program effectiveness, with an emphasis on mindfulness-based practices. Demographic information was gathered in order to increase knowledge of who is accessing the service. The program is examined in the context of current trends and initiatives in Canadian health care and psychotherapeutic approaches. Implications for clinical practice, assumptions, limitations and biases of this study are also discussed.