The effects of compassionate mind training on student psychotherapists
| Published date | 11 September 2017 |
| Pages | 300-312 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/JMHTEP-06-2016-0030 |
| Date | 11 September 2017 |
| Author | Elaine Beaumont,Gillian Rayner,Mark Durkin,Gosia Bowling |
| Subject Matter | Health & social care,Mental health,Mental health education |
The effects of compassionate mind
training on student psychotherapists
Elaine Beaumont, Gillian Rayner, Mark Durkin and Gosia Bowling
Abstract
Purpose –The purpose of this paper is to examine pre and post outcome measures following a
course of Compassionate Mind Training (CMT). Participants were students enrolled on a Post Graduate
Diploma in Cognitive Behavioural Psychotherapy (CBP). The aim of the research was to explore whether
CMT would increase self-compassion, compassion for others, dispositional empathy and reduce
self-critical judgement.
Design/methodology/approach –In total, 21 participants who had enrolled on the CBP programme took
part in the study. Data were collected using the self-compassion scale, interpersonal reactivity index, and the
compassion for others scale.
Findings –Results reveal an overall statistically significant increase in self-compassion scores and
statistically significant reduction in self-critical judgement scores post training. There was no statistically
significant difference post training on the interpersonal reactivity index or the compassion for others scale.
Research limitations/implications –CMT training may help students develop healthy coping strategies,
which they can use to balance their affect regulation systems when faced with organisational, placement,
client, academic, personal and supervision demands. Further research and longitudinal studies, using larger
sample sizes are needed to explore if cultivating compassion whilst on psychotherapy training helps students
build resilience and provide a barrier against empathic distress fatigue, compassion fatigue, secondary
traumatic stress, and burnout.
Practical implications –Incorporating CMT into a CBP programme may bring changes in student levels of
self-compassion and self-critical judgement.
Originality/value –This inaugural study examines whether incorporating CMT into a CBP programme
impactson students levels of compassion,dispositional empathyand self-critical judgement.The findings from
this preliminarystudy suggest the potential benefitsof training students in compassion focused practices.
Keywords Education, Mental health training, Cognitive behavioural psychotherapy,
Compassion focused therapy, Compassionate mind training, Psychotherapy training demands,
Self-compassion
Paper type Research paper
Introduction
Counselling and psychotherapy students face a number of client, organisational, academic,
placement, supervision and personal demands whilst on training (Beaumont, 2016; Beaumont
and Hollins Martin,2016). Without adequateself-care students may experienceemotional distress
that can be both physicallyand psychologically challenging. According to Porter (1995), self-care
serves three main functions; to protect the therapist by reducing occupational hazards such as
burnout,to enhance therapy by modelling healthybehaviour, and to protect clientsby reducing risk
of ethical violations. Self-care and self-reflection is an ethical imperative for psychological
practitioners (Barnett et al., 2007) and can help individuals in the helping professions remain
emotionally fit for purpose (Harris, 2007). Incorporating interventions into psychotherapy training
that assist the flowof compassion may help students care fortheir own well-being. The practice of
self-care has been found to promote psychological and physical health and improve well-being
(Williams-Nickelson, 2001), increase capacity for empathic understanding and lower levels of
anxiety and depression (Schure et al.,2008).
Received 7 June 2016
Revised 29 November 2016
29 March 2017
Accepted 19 June 2017
Dr Elaine Beaumont is a
Lecturer andDr Gillian Rayner is
a Senior Lecturer, bothat the
School of Nursing, Midwifery,
Social Work and Social
Sciences, University of Salford,
Salford, UK.
Mark Durkin is a Research
Assistant at the Department of
Psychology, University of
Bolton, Bolton, UK.
Gosia Bowling is a Lecturer at
the School of Nursing,
Midwifery, Social Work and
Social Sciences, University of
Salford, Salford, UK.
PAGE300
j
THE JOURNAL OF MENTALHEALTH TRAINING, EDUCATION AND PRACTICE
j
VOL. 12 NO. 5 2017, pp.300-312, © Emerald Publishing Limited, ISSN 1755-6228 DOI 10.1108/JMHTEP-06-2016-0030
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