Begin Again: Mindfulness, Psychotherapy and the Novice Therapist
Begin Again: Mindfulness, Psychotherapy and the Novice Therapist
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Issue Date
2024-11
Authors
Currier, Jason
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Abstract
In the last few decades, research around mindfulness in psychotherapy has seen exponential growth alongside the integration of mindfulness techniques and principles into numerous therapeutic modalities. With a continually growing body of research supporting their benefits for multiple psychological conditions, mindfulness-based interventions are becoming increasingly standard techniques within the world of psychotherapy (Hofmann & Gómez, 2017; Schumann-Olivier et al., 2020; Zhang et al., 2019). This paper examines the interconnections between mindfulness, psychotherapy and the training of novice therapists. The literature review examines various definitions of mindfulness, provides a brief history of mindfulness in psychotherapy, and offers a limited review of the use of mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) in current therapeutic modalities. It then explores the role of mindfulness in training the novice therapist along two connected paths: mindfulness as self-care for the therapist and the influence of therapist mindfulness on the therapeutic relationship. Following a literature review, this paper concludes with a proposed outline for an eight-week Mindfulness as Self-Care for Novice Therapists group. This group attempts to integrate skills training in mindfulness techniques alongside improved therapist self-care. Gaps in current research will be explored, as well as future research opportunities.
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Keywords
mindfulness , novice therapist , self-care , therapeutic relationship , training