Date of Paper

5-2013

Type of Paper

Clinical research paper

Degree Name

Master of Social Work (M.S.W.)

Department

Social Work

First Advisor

Felicia Sy

Department/School

Social Work

Abstract

Self-care is an essential component to the profession of social work. Introducing mindfulness practices is one way to promote self-care among social workers and social work students. Mindfulness is training your mind to enhance your well-being. This research study utilized a survey of graduate level social workers from the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, MN who participated and completed a course on mindfulness titled Integrative Psychotherapy. Students answered questions regarding the value and importance of taking a graduate level course on mindfulness. The results of this study support prior research regarding the positive outcomes of mindfulness among various populations. An important finding of this study was that the majority of the students found loving kindness to be the most helpful modality which contradicts prior research indicating the most widely used technique is sitting mediation. The results of this study suggested that a course on mindfulness for graduate level social workers was valuable and important and should perhaps even be offered as a course starting at the undergraduate level.

Included in

Social Work Commons

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