Mindfulness and Pandemic-Related Stress (1 CE)

Number of Credits: 1

This course is for: Clinical Psychologists, Counselors, and Marriage & Family Therapists

Course By: Ken Springer, PhD

Content By:  Weis, R., Ray, S. D., & Cohen, T. A. (2020). Mindfulness as a way to cope with COVID-19-related stress and anxiety. Counseling Psychotherapy Research, (21), 8-18.

https://doi.org/10.1002/capr.12375

Course Description: Mindfulness-based interventions have been developed for use with college students, but research on the effectiveness of these interventions is limited. The present study explored the effectiveness of a mindfulness-based group therapy intervention for helping undergraduates cope with COVID-19-related stress. This intervention, Koru Mindfulness (KM), was administered to students across four weekly sessions. A second group of students who did not participate in KM served as controls. As the COVID-19 pandemic developed, students who participated in KM showed increases in mindfulness and self-compassion, but no change in emotional distress, while control group students showed no changes in mindfulness and self-compassion, but increases in stress and anxiety. Further analyses indicated that the benefits of KM were related to how much participants increased in mindfulness. These findings have clinical implications for the use of mindfulness-based interventions among college students and other young adults. 

Learning Objectives:

1. Describe the rationale for the study, the mindfulness-based intervention that was used, and the methods by which data were gathered
2. Describe the main findings of the study concerning the short- and long-term impacts of participation in a mindfulness-based group therapy intervention
3. Integrate the strengths and limitations of the study, and summarize the clinical implications for the incorporation of mindfulness into interventions that serve young adults

Course Outline:

• Read and understand Mindfulness as a way to cope with COVID-19-related stress and anxiety
• Review the Course Description and Learning Objectives
• Analyze the findings of prior research on mindfulness-based interventions and how this research informs the present study
• Describe how the mindfulness-based intervention used in this study was implemented and evaluated
• Integrate the study's key findings, strengths, limitations, and clinical implications
• Work through the post-test questions, using the article as the sole basis for your answers

Revisit the article for any missed questions and/or to better understand the impact of a mindfulness-based group therapy intervention on the emotional well being of participants

Approvals: