The Use of Mindfulness Training to Create an ‘Accompanying Place’ for Social Work Students

“According to Lutz et al. (2004), people can diffuse and rid themselves of ill feelings or negativity by augmenting the brain’s gamma waves which can be measured in the lab.”

“Counselors in training who have participated in similar mindfulnessbased interventions have reported significant increases in selfawareness, insights about their professional identity (Birnbaum, 2008), and overall wellness (Rybak & Russell-Chapin, 1998).”

“Available research on contemplative or meditative practices in social work includes studies of social work students (Birnbaum, 2007; Lynn, 2010), social workers (Hick, 2008; Turner, 2009) and clients (Brenner, 2009; Broderick & Metz, 2009; Chan et al., 2006; Coholic et al., 2009; Kane, 2006; Leahy,…”

“…participants in a variety of self-improvement aspects, including increased self-care (Cohen-Katz et al., 2005b); increased feelings of empowerment (Birnbaum, 2008); increased self-reliance, acceptance, and compassion (Birnbaum, 2008; Cohen-Katz et al., 2005b; Shapiro et al., 2005, 2007);…”

“, 2009; Ying, 2009 ), and it has been found to help trainees cope more effectively with their own emotional states and the highly charged emotional states of others (Birnbaum, 2008 ).”

“Birnbaum (2008) found that because of the age of most graduate social work students, many tend to be married and thus experience tension due to role overload from being providers and students (Kremenitzer, 2005; Row land, 2007; Tillman, 2003).”

“Educators are turning to mind–body practices such as meditation not only to help them manage their own stress (Miller & Nozawa, 2002) but also to promote well‐being, stress reduction and better coping in their students (Birnbaum, 2007; Riskin, 2002; Wall, 2005).”

“…(Wilks, 2008), facilitating peer mentoring and support groups (Gelman & Lloyd, 2008), offering students space for processing in a nonevaluative way (Birnbaum, 2008), assigning journaling (Moore, Bledsoe, Perry, & Robinson, 2011, incorporating humor (Moran & Hughes, 2006), teaching mindfulness (Han…”

“Relationship with Others Researchers reported in 11 of the 18 studies that students’ relationships with others, whether classmates, instructors, clients, or friends were impacted by MBIs (Birnbaum 2008; Bond et al. 2013; Crowley and Munk 2017; Felton et al. 2015; Hjeltnes et al. 2015; Kerrigan et al. 2017; Lauricella…”

“There are now more specific accounts emerging about the value of mindfulness (Wong, 2004; Mishna and Bogo, 2007) and mindfulness meditation (Birnbaum, 2005, 2008) in social work education as a more effective tool of self-observation and awareness in the learning process.”

“For example, Birnbaum (2008) found that teaching social work students mindfulness practice resulted in enhanced ability to contain strong emotions that may arise in worker–client interactions.”

“Birnbaum (2008) found Bachelor’s level Social Work (BSW) students appreciative of a place for self-reflection.”

“…reported that Mindfulness is a tool for self-care (Botta et al., 2015); can increase self-awareness by promoting the ability to stay in the moment (Birnbaum, 2008; Pidgeon et al., 2014); can transform individuals (Lynn, 2010); and legitimise self-care and self-compassion (Smeets, Neff, Alberts, &…”

“Each of these challenging experiences, either the classroom or during their field placement, could challenge a student’s sense of self and professional self-concept (Birnbaum, 2008).”

“…lines, evidence suggests that among therapist trainees, meditation-related activities may increase selfawareness and professional-related insights (Birnbaum, 2008), increase social connectedness and emotional intelligence, reduce stress and anxiety (Cohen & Miller, 2009), and increase attention…”

“Social work students, in particular, may well experience significant pressure to do well in their work with clients (Birnbaum, 2008).”

“Mindful eating 6 [12,64,78,67,68,89] Reflection 5 [55,93,94,82,83] Conscious relaxation exercises 5 [78,66,91,88,74] Verbal sharing 5 [55,86,95,81,92] Compassion exercises 3 [48,79,67] Silent retreats 2 [70,81] Visual imagery 2 [82,83] Hearing exercises 1 [65] MINDFULNESS IN ALLIED HEALTH PROFESSIONS EDUCATION 287”

“(Wong, 2004, p. 6) Using gentle relaxation, mindfulness meditation and guided meditation in structured group sessions over eight weeks, Birnbaum (2008) helped social work students to cope, enhance self-awareness and increase emotional support in handling field and academic stressors while…”

“In social work literature, emotional regulation has been discussed both as an important goal for students, as well as in relation to managing student anxiety (Birnbaum, 2008; Katz et al., 2014).”

“Mindfulness training provides students with an opportunity to check in with their own experience, and to integrate sensory and affective information to deepen the nature of the learning process (Birnbaum, 2008; Wong, 2013).”

“strategies in their teaching, and writing about it, for over a decade (Birnbaum, 2008; Bonifas & Napoli, 2014; Gockel, 2010, 2015; Gockel et al., 2013; Goh, 2012; Grant & Kinman, 2012; Kinman & Grant, 2011; Napoli & Bonifas, 2011; Wong, 2004, 2013), but relatively few empirical studies have explored the effects of min…”

“Mindfulness and its contribution to client and human service workers’ well-being has been explored more extensively in recent years—including in social work practice and education (e.g. Birnbaum, 2008; Lynn, 2009).”

“This mirrors previous research that reports student satisfaction with the implementation of self-care activities in teaching such as mindfulness, meditation, yoga, or self-care days (Berceli & Napoli, 2006; Birnbaum, 2008; Lynn, 2010; Moore et al., 2011).”

“Mindfulness and embodied practice A strong case is being made for the use of mindfulness practice in clinical work, although its use in Western social work education is in the formative stages, as potentially creating a more holistic learning environment (Birnbaum, 2008; Gockel, Cain, Malove, & James, 2013; Lynn, 2010…”

“…in mindfulness and meditation has been successful in increasing their self-compassion and clinical skills (Gockel, Burton, James, & Bryer, 2013; Tirch et al., 2016), self-regulation, stress reduction, development of empathy (Thomas, 2017), and exploration of professional identity (Birnbaum, 2008).”

“…linked to characteristics of competent therapists such as empathy (Shapiro & Izett, 2008), self-awareness and insights about professional identity (Birnbaum, 2008), self-compassion (Kingsbury, 2009), and counseling skills (e.g., being more attentive to the therapy process; Schure, Christopher, &…”

“Four publications of the h-classics from the five from Cyprus (Zembylas, 2004, 2007, 2008; Zembylas et al., 2011) are authored by M. Zembylas.”

“Research has found positive results when social work students apply mindfulness practice; it promotes their overall well-being and increases their self-awareness, empathy, professional performance, and capacity (Birnbaum, 2008; Napoli & Bonifas, 2011; Schure, Christopher, & Christopher, 2008).”

“Our findings are consistent with previous studies which show that mindfulness-based intervention can enhance interpersonal relationships with patients experiencing generalized anxiety disorders,(30,31) cultivate the forgiveness of other people among social work students,(32) improve emotional regulation in nurses work…”

“Several authors have pointed out that being a student in higher education can be stressful (Birnbaum, 2008; Darling, McWey, Howard, & Olmstead, 2007; Ying, 2008).”

“To accomplish this, Birnbaum (2008) aimed to create a “broader and richer learning experience that answers students’ emotional needs” (p.”

“Birnbaum (2008) describes a technique that applies mindfulness meditation in a group format in order to create a broader and richer learning experience that answers students’ emotional needs.”

“Emotional regulation is of interest to social work educators who view it as part of self-regulation, although it refers mainly to emotional or affective processes (Birnbaum, 2008; Goh, 2012).”

“As Birnbaum (2008) observes, students are often inclined to turn away from distressing emotions.”

“Mindfulness training is effective with social work students and helping professionals to mitigate stress, reduce the effects of secondary trauma and to prevent ‘burn out’ or compassion fatigue (Birnbaum, 2008; Gockel, Burton, James, & Bryer, 2013).”

“, 2013), offered in an elective class specializing in mindfulness or a related topic (Bonifas & Napoli, 2014; Raheim & Lu, 2014), or provided as an adjunct to the regular curriculum in a workshop or group format (Birnbaum, 2008; Botta et al., 2015).”

“However, some other studies suggested that even shorter 4-week instruction could have a long-lasting positive effect on students’ well-being (Birnbaum, 2008; Dziegielewski et al., 2004; Gockel et al., 2012.”

“The outcomes of mindfulness include self-acceptance, trust, non-judgmentalism and self-awareness (Birnbaum, 2008; Birnbaum & Birnbaum, 2008; Dekeyser, Raes, Leijssen, Leysen & Dewulf, 2008).”

“shows that low levels of confidence and heightened levels of anxiety are familiar companions of students undertaking their first placements (Birnbaum, 2008).”

“The SAA builds upon literature that suggests constructive criticism in a trusting environment encourages risk taking (Birnbaum, 2008; Lazar, 2014).”

“Responding to the Suffering Other The discovery of human connectedness and the development of an ethical stance toward the suffering other (Birnbaum, 2008; Rudolffson & Berggren, 2012; Thorup et al., 2011) inform the response to the suffering other (Figure 1).”

“Moreover, our search criteria may have excluded applicable interventions that did not explicitly detail the role of field education departments (e.g., Birnbaum, 2008; Gockel et al., 2019; Haight et al., 2019) or that were not explicitly trauma-focused (e.g., Lee & Himmelheber, 2016).”

“The outcomes of mindfulness include self-acceptance, trust, non-judgmentalism and self-awareness (Birnbaum, 2008; Birnbaum & Birnbaum, 2008; Dekeyser, Raes, Leijssen, Leysen & Dewulf, 2008).”

“…(Lutovac & Kaasila, 2014; Wong & Trollope-Kumar, 2014); (b) their views of themselves in the profession, including their self-confidence (Birnbaum, 2008; Lutovac & Kaasila, 2018); (c) their self-awareness and relationships with others (Park et al., 2019); and (d) their views of their…”

“A growing literature documents the inclusion of mindfulness in academic and work settings (Birnbaum, 2005, 2008, 2009; Gockel, 2010; Gockel et al., 2013; Haight, 2010; Kessen & Turner, 2012; Kroll, 2010; Lord, 2007; Lynn, 2010; Lynn & Mensinga, 2015; Newsome et al., 2006; Shier & Graham, 2011).”

“Opportunities to learn about mindfulness can also help students to regulate, to reduce the impact of intense emotions; this assists in the development of self-care (Birnbaum, 2005, 2008; Lee & Himmelheber, 2016; Napoli & Bonifas, 2011).”

“For instance, some fi ndings have suggested that students experienced greater reduction in anxiety when they were not expected to practice outside of class (Birnbaum, 2008; Parish, 2011 ) .”

“Mindfulness focuses on efficient therapeutic techniques (Birnbaum, 2008; Gockel & Deng, 2016), for example, breathing techniques, with an absence of body activity and body gestures.”

“Similarly, it has been suggested that social work students tend to avoid difficult emotions, particularly sickness, death, and suicide (Birnbaum, 2008; Gockel & Deng, 2016), similar to the traditional story of the Buddha’s life.”