The Role of Mindfulness in Addressing Counseling Students’ Self-Efficacy and Stress

Abstract

Counselors-in-training (CIT) often experience high levels of stress and anxiety during the process of becoming professional counselors. Left unchecked, the complex demands on CIT can produce pronounced distress, which can diminish clinical performance and contribute to counselor burnout. In response, mindfulness is an innovative avenue to diminish the often-damaging effect of stress and enhance CIT development by increasing counselor self-efficacy (CSE). Mindfulness training could enhance novice counselors' ability to be present and attentive to clients as they learn to manage the stresses and challenges of becoming a professional counselor.

This study explored the relationships between mindfulness, stress, anxiety, and counselor self-efficacy in a sample of CIT. Building upon the existing literature, the first aim was to explore the multivariate pattern of relationships among mindfulness, counselor self-efficacy, stress, and anxiety in CIT. The second aim was to determine whether the amount of direct clinical experience (i.e., pre-practicum, practicum, internship) was associated with significant variance in mindfulness, counselor self-efficacy, stress, and anxiety in counselors-in-training.

An online survey gathered information from CIT on their self-perception of mindfulness, counselor self-efficacy, stress, and anxiety. Research variables were measured by the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire, the Counselor Activity Self-Efficacy Scales, the Perceived Stress Scale, and the Generalized Anxiety Disorders Scale. Multivariate statistical procedures (canonical correlation and descriptive discriminant analyses) answered the two research questions: (1) Are there significant relationships between mindfulness, stress, anxiety, and counselor self-efficacy in this sample of counselors-in-training? (2) Will the pattern of relationships between mindfulness, stress, anxiety, and counselor self-efficacy vary based on the amount of clinical experience?

The results found that mindfulness accounted for significant variance in counselor self-efficacy as well as stress and anxiety. Counselors-in-training (CIT) with higher mindfulness also tended to have higher self-efficacy and lower stress. There was no difference in mindfulness, stress, or anxiety based on amount of clinical experience; however, CIT enrolled in internship had higher counseling self-efficacy. Implications address the potential benefits of integrating mindfulness training and practice into counselor education.