Handbook of Mindfulness in Education by Kimberly A. Schonert-Reichl & Robert W. Roeser

Author:Kimberly A. Schonert-Reichl & Robert W. Roeser
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Springer New York, New York, NY

Mindfulness-Based Training for Human Service Professionals

In addition to the clinical studies investigating the health benefits of mindfulness training, there is growing interest in the integration of mindfulness-based training for human service professionals. Specifically, there is interest in professional preparation programs such as counseling (Schure, Christopher, & Christopher, 2008; Shapiro, Brown, & Biegel, 2007), nursing (Cohen-Katz et al., 2005), social work (Ying, 2009), dentistry (Lovas, Lovas, & Lovas, 2008), and medicine (Saunders et al., 2007; Shapiro, Astin, Bishop, & Cordova, 2005). Complementing the stress reduction benefits, those studies reveal the professional value of mindfulness training, such as the development of presence in the practitioner. Within such studies, the ability to attend fully to and connect with the client is what Siegel (2007) refers to as attunement, which is essential in the process of developing a therapeutic relationship. The patient’s healing is thus directly responsive to the cultivation of therapists’ disposition of mindfulness.

Such findings are certainly relevant to the teaching profession, if for no other reason, because teachers’ effectiveness is so clearly dependent upon their ability to connect and develop healthy relationships with their students (Hamre & Pianta, 2001; Jennings & Greenberg, 2009; Zins, Weissberg, Wang, & Walberg, 2004). Many Teacher Education programs highlight the importance of classroom climate and teacher-student relationships, often covering a descriptive analysis and approach to these topics. However, few programs provide specific opportunities for developing the competencies that create healthy teacher-student relationships (LeBlanc & Gallavan, 2009; Riley, 2011; Schwartz, 2008). Drawing on existing literature, we can expect mindfulness to enhance teacher presence and in turn positive teacher-student relationships. The current study seeks to uncover additional benefits of mindfulness training in Teacher Education. The next section introduces, MBWE, the program used in this study.

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