Mindfulness: A Primrose Path for Therapists Using Manualized Treatments?
Abstract
During the past 2 decades, the popularity of mindfulness as a desirable patient characteristic has increased considerably. Described as the tendency to be attentive to and aware of what is occurring in the moment, mindfulness is incorporated into several established therapeutic techniques, with some impressive outcome data. To our knowledge, there have been no treatment studies investigating the effect of therapist mindfulness on therapy outcome. The current study examined the relation between therapist mindfulness and client treatment outcome in a university-affiliated clinic utilizing manualized, empirically supported treatments. Twenty-three doctoral-level trainees provided services to 144 adult clients. Results suggested that higher levels of therapist mindfulness predicted less reduction in client symptom severity at termination. Current findings suggest consideration of possible limitations regarding mindfulness in therapists utilizing manualized therapies.
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There is also a study that demonstrated a negative association of trainee therapists' self-reports of dispositional levels of mindfulness and therapeutic outcomes.
“However, there is also a study that demonstrated a negative association of trainee therapists’ self-reports of dispositional levels of mindfulness and therapeutic outcomes (Stanley et al. 2006).”
From The process-outcome mindfulness effects in trainees (PrOMET) study: Protocol of a pragmatic randomized controlled trial (2015) · cites this paper as Stanley et al. 2006
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- Authors
- Stanley, S., Reitzel, L. R., Wingate, L. R., Cukrowicz, K. C., Lima, E. N., & Joiner, T. E.
- Affiliations
- Florida State University (US)
- Venue
- Journal of Cognitive Psychotherapy
- Publisher
- Springer Publishing Company
- Published
- 2006-09
- Volume
- 20
- Issue
- 3
- Pages
- 327-335
- ISSN
- 0889-8391 (ISSN-L)
- 1938-887X
- OpenAlex
- W2004151863
- Cited by
- 38
- References
- 20
- Citations by year
- 2025: 1 · 2023: 1 · 2020: 1 · 2019: 2 · 2018: 5 · 2017: 2 · 2016: 3 · 2015: 2 · 2014: 1 · 2013: 2 · 2012: 5
- FWCI
- 2.21
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Journal of Cognitive Psychotherapy (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Psychotherapy Techniques and Applications
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Mindfulness and Compassion Interventions
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Counseling Practices and Supervision
- Keywords
- manualized treatment, empirically supported treatments, symptom severity, psychotherapy outcome
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