According to Garland (2013), there is skepticism about mindfulness as an effective intervention. Often, because of its philosophical roots in Buddhism, practitioners and scholars equate mindfulness with “New Age” beliefs. As a result, some may wonder how effective mindfulness interventions are. Recall from Week 1 that it is important to answer the question about the effectiveness of interventions by using empirical evidence rather than experiences or intuition.
You may not have experienced or practiced mindfulness. After you listen to the recordings found on the website listed in the Learning Resources, reflect on some of the following questions: (1) What did you notice? (2) What were you thinking while you were listening? (3) What were you feeling while you were listening? (4) How was your body reacting while listening? (5) How did you feel after you practiced mindfulness?
In this Discussion, you will experience an example of mindfulness and also determine whether mindfulness has scientific support.
Learning Resources
Required Readings
Turner, F. J. (Ed.). (2017). Social work treatment: Interlocking theoretical approaches (6th ed.). Oxford University Press.
• Chapter 20, “Mindfulness and Social Work” (pp. 325–337)
• Chapter 37, “Trauma-Informed Social Work Treatment and Complex Trauma” (pp. 553–573)
Garland, E. L. (2013). Mindfulness research in social work: Conceptual and methodological recommendations. Social Work Research, 37(4), 439–448. https://doi.org/10.1093/swr/svt038
Russo-Netzer, P., & Moran, G. (2018). Positive growth from adversity and beyond: Insights gained from cross-examination of clinical and nonclinical samples. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 88(1), 59–68. https://doi.org/10.1037/ort0000224
Vis, J.-A. & Boynton, H. M. (2008). Spirituality and transcendent meaning making: Possibilities for enhancing posttraumatic growth. Journal of Religion & Spirituality in Social Work, 27(1/2): 69–86.
UCLA Health. (n.d.). Free guided meditations: Quick links. https://www.uclahealth.org/marc/audio
Note: For Discussion 2, listen to a guided meditation by selecting a link on this website.
Required Media
Sommers-Flanagan, J., & Sommers-Flanagan, R. (2014c). Existential therapy. In Irish Luck Productions (Producer), J. Sommers-Flanagan (Director), & R. Sommers-Flanagan, (Director), Counseling and psychotherapy theories in context and practice [Video]. Psychotherapy.net.
Optional Resources
Knight, C. (2015). Trauma-informed social work practice: Practice considerations and challenges. Clinical Social Work Journal, 43(1), 25–37. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10615-014-0481-6
Lynn, R., & Mensinga, J. (2015). Social workers’ narratives of integrating mindfulness into practice. Journal of Social Work Practice, 29(3), 255–270. https://doi.org/10.1080/02650533.2015.1035237
To Prepare
• Listen to a recording from those found at this website listed in the Learning Resources: UCLA Health. (n.d.). Free guided meditations: Quick links. https://www.uclahealth.org/marc/audio
• Read this article listed in the Learning Resources: Garland, E. L. (2013). Mindfulness research in social work: Conceptual and methodological recommendations. Social Work Research, 37(4), 439–448. https://doi.org/10.1093/swr/svt038
• Conduct one research study about the effectiveness of mindfulness as an intervention for the client in the case study you have been using in order # 371844659 . Remember, when looking for studies, take into account your client’s age, developmental stage, and presenting problem.
Post a response to the following:
• Describe your experience practicing this technique and how this experience influences your choice on whether to use it with a client during practice.
o Connect your own reaction to the mindfulness exercise with how a client might respond.
o Provide the reference for the study you found, and be sure to use citations in the body of your post using APA guidelines.
• In 1–2 sentences, briefly summarize the methodological context (i.e., research method, how data was collected, and the instruments used) of the studies and the findings.
• Analyze the findings in terms of their validity and applicability for the client.
