Teacher Competence in Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy for Depression and Its Relation to Treatment Outcome
Mindfulness January 12, 2017 M. Huijbers, R. Crane, W. Kuyken et al.
In a multi-centre trial of mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) for recurrent depression, teacher competence—assessed using the Mindfulness-Based Interventions: Teaching Assessment Criteria (MBI:TAC)—showed no significant association with patient adherence, potential mechanisms of change (rumination, cognitive reactivity, mindfulness, self-compassion), or key outcomes (depressive symptoms post-treatment and depressive relapse/recurrence over 15 months). The authors suggest several possible explanations, including the standardized delivery of MBCT, the emphasis on self-reliance in the learning process, participant-related factors, challenges in assessing teacher competence, and the limited sample of videotaped sessions. Further research is needed to explore these explanations.