Zen practice: a training method to enhance the skills of clinical social workers.
Mark J Brenner
Social Work in Health Care 2009 DOI: 10.1080/00981380802589860 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Qualitative study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 10 |
| Population | Experienced clinical social workers who were long-term Zen practitioners |
| Intervention | Zen meditation |
| Topics | Buddhism |
| Key findings | Zen meditation enhances clinical social workers' present-moment awareness, acceptance, and responsibility with clients. |
Abstract
The use of Zen Buddhist meditation in clinical practice has received specific attention from mental health disciplines in the West. A study was undertaken to examine the influence of a personal practice of Zen on the professional work of clinical social workers. Ten experienced clinical social workers who were long-term Zen practitioners were interviewed. Findings from this qualitative study suggest that Zen meditation has direct application to clinical social work in three areas: (1) cultivating Awareness, (2) enhancing Acceptance, and (3) nurturing Responsibility. This article reports on the findings in the area of Awareness. Awareness increases a social worker's focus on the present moment with the client, providing for a suspension of preconceived ideas about the client. Building on the view that social work is both art and science, the author proposes the use of Zen in the training of clinical social workers.
Comparable studies
Other qualitative studies on buddhism, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| The varieties of contemplative experience: A mixed-methods study of meditation-related challenges in Western Buddhists Western Buddhist meditation practitioners and experts in Theravāda, Zen, and Tibetan... | 2017 | Qualitative study with mixed-methods | |
| A phenomenology of meditation-induced light experiences: traditional buddhist and neurobiological perspectives American Buddhist practitioners | 2014 | Qualitative study | |
| Common Core Thesis and Qualitative and Quantitative Analysis of Mysticism in Chinese Buddhist Monks and Nuns Chinese Pure Land and Chan Buddhist monks and nuns | 2011 | Mixed-methods study | n = 139 |
| Anger regulation in traumatized Cambodian refugees: the perspectives of Buddhist monks. Buddhist Cambodian monks in Massachusetts | 2011 | Qualitative study | n = 6 |
| The Lived Experiences of Experienced Vipassana Mahasi Meditators: an Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis Experienced Vipassana Mahasi meditators | 2018 | Qualitative study |
Citations in the library
Cited by 5
- Mindfulness, Self-Care, and Wellness in Social Work: Effects of Contemplative Training Journal of Religion & Spirituality in Social Work Social Thought July 1, 2011
- Zen philosophy of spiritual development: Insights about human development and spiritual diversity for social work education Journal of Religion & Spirituality in Social Work Social Thought September 27, 2018
- Relaxation Therapy and Mindfulness Meditation One-Day Workshop for Nephrology Social Workers: Exploring the Impact of This Training on Professional Practice The Journal of Nephrology Social Work 2015
- Theoretical Foundations to Guide Mindfulness Meditation: A Path to Wisdom June 1, 2019
- Mindfulness in occupational therapy education. Occupational therapy in health care July 2010
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- Meditation and psychotherapy: a rationale for the integration of dynamic psychotherapy, the relaxation response, and mindfulness meditation American Journal of Psychiatry 1985
- Mindfulness in psychotherapy: an introduction Advances in Psychiatric Treatment March 1, 2007
and 4 more in the library