The development and evaluation of a flexible training course: "Understanding and developing compassion"
Abstract
and has been linked to better education and employment outcomes. Higher education can be a stressful period and is often a time when mental wellbeing difficulties develop. The aim of this study was to develop and evaluate a compassion focused therapy training course for use within the higher education context. The course was evaluated in the short and medium term using self-report questionnaires measuring self-compassion, self-criticism, academic self-efficacy, and psychological distress, as well as interviews. A small sample size (n=9) limited the interpretation of findings. Improvements in self-compassion, self-criticism, and academic self-efficacy were observed both immediately, at a six-month follow-up. However, a small increase in psychological distress was also observed. The training course was acceptable to all participants, with practice and feedback from all participants being the elements cited as most useful. Further research, with a larger sample size, which examines the impact of compassion focused training on academic grades and wellbeing is required.
Citation
Laidlaw , A H , Hunter , J , Turvey , T , Stillman , M , Warren , R & Ozakinci , G 2014 , ' The development and evaluation of a flexible training course: "Understanding and developing compassion" ' , Journal of Evidence-Based Psychotherapies , vol. 14 , no. 2 , pp. 149-157 .
Publication
Journal of Evidence-Based Psychotherapies
Status
Peer reviewed
ISSN
2360-0853Type
Journal article
Description
The study was funded by a Teaching Development Award from the University of St Andrews.Collections
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