Mindfulness Practices in Supervision: Training Counselors’ Experiences

The purpose of this qualitative study was to develop a descriptive understanding of couple and family counseling trainees’ experiences of using mindfulness techniques in their group supervision course. Counselor educators have called for additional research on the topic of mindfulness in counseling training programs because the current literature shows differing outcomes. The six trainees who participated in this study had completed between 1 and 2 years of coursework at the graduate level and were beginning their practicum requirements through the University’s counseling center. The counseling trainees participated in a focused mindfulness activity as a way to transition from their busy everyday routines to discussing and reflecting on their client’s progress, as well as their own experience within the therapy setting. Themes from the trainee’s responses highlighted a positive experience to learning mindfulness. Some trainees, however, expressed concern with using mindfulness in the therapy room until they felt more practiced in the techniques. Overall, our findings indicate that the use of mindfulness as a supervisory tool produced many benefits in the course of training. Implications for both training practices and future research on mindfulness with trainees are discussed.