Mindfulness & Meditation in Psychotherapeutic Practice

Despite its more recent popularity, mindfulness and meditation have likely been in practice since long before recorded history. However, the inclusion of these practices in modern psychotherapy is a newly burgeoning phenomenon. Because psychotherapists have traditionally been trained to maintain emotional distance and strict boundaries, many have been hesitant to embrace integrative interventions such as meditation, body psychotherapy, and aromatherapy. More recently, a plethora of research studies has provided the scientific backbone, which supports the inclusion of these techniques in psychotherapeutic practice, empowering clinicians to broaden their minds as well as their skill sets.

This is an introductory course in the use of mindfulness and meditation in psychotherapeutic practice. The course includes review of thirteen (13) documents: six articles, two videos, and four brief audio recordings (transcripts provided for videos and sudios). The academic articles and videos are interspersed with opportunities to sample a variety of meditative practices. Additional resources and references are provided for further study, but they are not part of the course.

Disclaimer: This course is purely educational and does not intend to serve as a license (or permission) to mental health professionals to prescribe or practice any of the approaches discussed in this course unless they fall within the scope of practice of your profession. Check with your licensing board about the scope of practice of your profession to make sure you practice within that scope.It also does not serve as a permission to title yourself in any specific way.