Social Work in Health Care - The Consciousness Library

Evaluation of a Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) Program for Caregivers of Children with Chronic Conditions

Social Work in Health Care May 24, 2006 Holly G. Minor, Linda E. Carlson, Michael J. Mackenzie et al. 166 citations

Caregivers of chronically ill children often experience high chronic stress. A Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) program offered to parents at a large urban children's medical center substantially reduced stress and mood disturbance. Forty-four caregivers, mostly mothers of children with special needs diagnosed an average of 7 years prior, completed the program. Before the intervention, they reported very high stress and mood disturbance. Over the 8-week program, stress symptoms decreased by 32% and total mood disturbance by 56%, both statistically significant. The findings suggest MBSR provides effective relief for this population, though further studies with more rigorous methods are needed.

DOI: 10.1300/j010v43n01_06 Mindfulness-based stress reduction Psychotherapist Clinical psychology Stress management +2

Zen practice: a training method to enhance the skills of clinical social workers.

Social Work in Health Care January 1, 2009 Mark J Brenner

Long-term Zen meditation practice helps clinical social workers stay focused on the present moment with clients, suspend preconceived ideas, and cultivate awareness, acceptance, and responsibility. This qualitative study of ten experienced clinical social workers who were long-term Zen practitioners found that meditation directly applies to clinical work, particularly in enhancing awareness. The author suggests incorporating Zen training into social work education.

DOI: 10.1080/00981380802589860 Full text

Papers

Evaluation of a Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) Program for Caregivers of Children with Chronic Conditions

Zen practice: a training method to enhance the skills of clinical social workers.