The Importance of Mindfulness and Self-Compassion in Clinical Training: Outcomes Related to Self-Assessed Competency and Self-Efficacy in Psychologists-in-Training
Chelsea Latorre
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Quantitative survey study |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 192 |
| Population | Counseling and clinical psychology doctoral trainees |
| Measures | Professional Competencies Scale-Revised |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Citations | 2 |
| Key findings | Higher mindfulness was associated with greater self-compassion, and higher self-compassion with greater counselor self-efficacy and self-assessed professional competency. The authors suggest self-compassion may mediate the relationship between mindfulness and both outcome variables. |
Abstract
The release of the APA (2011) Revised Competency Benchmarks used for evaluation of doctoral-level psychology trainees calls for literature to examine competencies in this population with use of appropriate instrumentation. The recent publication and validation of the Professional Competencies Scale-Revised (Taylor, 2015) allows for researchers to explore factors associated with trainee competencies as it relates to the benchmark system. Previous literature suggests a strong relationship between counselor self-efficacy and professional competency (e.g., Constantine, 2002), suggesting that interventions that can foster these constructs may lead to enhanced counseling performance. This study examined the predictive value of mindfulness and self-compassion for self-assessed professional competency and counselor self-efficacy in a sample of counseling and clinical psychology doctoral trainees (n = 192). The relationships among mindfulness, self-compassion and training year were also explored. The results of stepwise linear regression analyses revealed that higher levels of mindfulness were associated with greater levels of self-compassion, and higher levels of self-compassion were associated with greater levels of counselor self-efficacy and self-assessed professional competency. Findings also indicated potential mediating effects that self-compassion has on the relationship between mindfulness and outcomes variables (counselor self-efficacy and self-assessed professional competency). This study provides relevant information to operationalize self-compassion and mindfulness as contrasting, yet similar, constructs. In addition, similarities and differences between counselor self-efficacy and perceived competency are highlighted. Implications for educational programs and training sites are discussed, as well as strengths and limitations of the study and suggestions for future research.
Comparable studies
Other cross-sectional and survey studies on meditation, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Construct Validity of the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire in Meditating and Nonmeditating Samples Experienced meditators and nonmeditating comparison groups | 2008 | Cross-sectional study | |
| Neural Correlates of Dispositional Mindfulness During Affect Labeling Adult participants | 2007 | Observational cross-sectional | n = 27 |
| Assessing mindfulness in children and adolescents: Development and validation of the Child and Adolescent Mindfulness Measure (CAMM). School-aged children and adolescents | 2011 | Cross-sectional validation study | n = 1,413 |
| Mindfulness and self-compassion as predictors of psychological wellbeing in long-term meditators and matched nonmeditators Experienced meditators and demographically matched nonmeditators | 2012 | Cross-sectional study | n = 152 |
| Mechanisms of Action in the Inverse Relationship Between Mindfulness and Psychological Distress Undergraduates | 2008 | Cross-sectional, correlational |
Citations in the library
Cites 22
- The benefits of being present: Mindfulness and its role in psychological well-being. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 2003
- Using Self-Report Assessment Methods to Explore Facets of Mindfulness Assessment January 27, 2006
- Mechanisms of mindfulness Journal of Clinical Psychology December 29, 2005
- Mind the Hype: A Critical Evaluation and Prescriptive Agenda for Research on Mindfulness and Meditation Perspectives on Psychological Science October 10, 2017
- Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction for Health Care Professionals: Results From a Randomized Trial. International Journal of Stress Management May 1, 2005
and 17 more in the library