Training professionals in mindfulness

the heart of teaching

Susan Lesley Woods

pp. 463-475

in: Fabrizio Didonna (ed), Clinical handbook of mindfulness, Berlin, Springer, 2009

Abstract

There is currently substantial interest in the use of mindfulness-based approaches in clinical practice. This raises a number of interesting questions regarding the training of health professionals. There are a number of treatment modalities utilizing mindfulness but not as yet collective agreement as to the components and characteristics of mindfulness as they relate to the clinical setling. Furthermore, some mindfulness-based clinical programs employ mindfulness practice as the key to their approach, while others use mindfulness as a set of skills. The heart of mindfulness, however, is more than a clinical method or skill set, and because of this presents some atypical challenges for professional training. This chapter will outline the ways in which some mindfulness-based trainings are distinctive from other professional training programs.