The use of Values-Enhanced Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction to increase self-care behaviors and well-being in clinical psychology trainees

Clinical psychologists are likely to experience significant levels of stress and/or stress-related psychological impairment at some point during their careers. Psychologists have reported that personal well-being is fundamental to their professional effectiveness. Self-awareness and acting in accordance with personal values have been identified as important variables in maintaining and enhancing therapist well-being.;Mindfulness is often described as moment-to-moment awareness and acceptance of one's immediate experience. Therefore, training in mindfulness may be a means for clinical psychology trainees to heighten awareness of their functioning and personal values, thereby enhancing well-being and increasing self-care behaviors. The purpose of the present study was to examine the effectiveness of a Values-Enhanced Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (VEMBSR) program in increasing the self-awareness, well-being, and self-care behaviors of developing psychologists.;A multiple baseline across subjects design was used. Nine doctoral candidates in clinical psychology were divided into three groups Each group completed an eight-week intervention phase, a four-week follow-up phase, and a baseline phase that ranged in duration from three- to five-weeks.;The intervention led to increases on the Observing and Describing factors of the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire (FFMQ) in most participants. Increases did not occur on the Acting with Awareness, Nonjudging of Internal Experience, and Nonreactivity to Internal Experience factors of the FFMQ. Thus, mindfulness meditation skills may need to be learned in a developmental sequence. The intervention did not generate increased scores on the Self-Compassion Scale or the Valued-Living Questionnaire. However, most participants' scores decreased on the Perceived Stress Scale and increased on the frequency of self-care behaviors. In addition, the measure of willingness to be open to both positive and negative experiences, as measured the Acceptance and Action Questionnaire, increased in most participants. The aim of acceptance-based treatments is to increase awareness of all experience. This goal may explain why variables associated with emotions typically described as "negative" may not have decreased and emotions typically described as "positive" may not have increased on the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule, as hypothesized.