TPC-Journal-V5-Issue1

39 The Professional Counselor Volume 5, Issue 1, Pages 39–52 http://tpcjournal.nbcc.org © 2015 NBCC, Inc. and Affiliates doi:10.15241/mjs.5.1.39 Mark J. Schwarze, NCC, is an Assistant Professor at Appalachian State University. Edwin R. Gerler, Jr. is a Professor at North Carolina State University. Correspondence can be addressed to Mark J. Schwarze, Reich College of Education, Department of Human Development and Psychological Counseling, 151 College Street, Appalachian State University, Box 32075, Boone, NC 28608-2075, schwarzem@appstate.edu. Mark J. Schwarze Edwin R. Gerler, Jr. Using Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy in Individual Counseling to Reduce Stress and Increase Mindfulness: An Exploratory Study With Nursing Students The purpose of this exploratory study was to investigate the effectiveness of a modified mindfulness-based cognitive therapy intervention using individual counseling sessions to reduce stress and increase levels of mindfulness among nursing students. An AB single-subject experimental design replicated three times was implemented. Results indicated reduced stress in two out of three participants and increased mindfulness levels in all participants. Implications for college counselors and counselors working with clients in high-stress occupations are provided. Additionally, the results show promise for the use of mindfulness-based cognitive therapy in individual counseling. Keywords : mindfulness, mindfulness-based cognitive therapy, stress, college counselors, nursing, single-subject experimental design Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) has been described as part of a third generation of cognitive therapies (Harrington & Pickles, 2009). Along with dialectical behavioral therapy and others like it, MBCT has integrated the construct of mindfulness with standard cognitive-behavioral paradigms. MBCT found its origins in the work of Kabat-Zinn’s (1990) mindfulness-based stress reduction program. This 8-week group-based program consisted of Buddhist mindfulness mediation practices to help chronic pain sufferers reduce their stress associated with illness. MBCT has incorporated elements of mindfulness-based stress reduction and cognitive- behavioral therapy to help individuals become more aware of thoughts and feelings and put them into context as mental events rather than self-defining constructs (Teasdale et al., 2000). Seeing a need for an intervention to help patients who had repeatedly relapsed into depression, Segal, Williams, and Teasdale (2002) formalized MBCT as a standardized program of therapy. Designed as an 8-week program with specific guidelines for each session, MBCT was originally conceived as a group modality. Clients are placed in classes to learn the mindfulness and cognitive-behavioral (Beck, Rush, Shaw, & Emery, 1979) skills needed to regulate emotions and thoughts. MBCT involves training the mind to avoid judgmental reactions to events, thoughts, feelings and body sensations and to practice nonjudgmental awareness and acceptance (Ma & Teasdale, 2004). The key component of MBCT is mindfulness. Mindfulness, once an abstract concept in the counseling field, is reaching mainstream awareness and gaining more attention in the literature (Brown, Marquis, & Guiffrida, 2013). Derived from Zen Buddhism, mindfulness has been described as a commitment to bringing awareness back to the present moment (Harrington & Pickles, 2009). Brown and Ryan (2003) defined mindfulness as “the state of being attentive to and aware of