Facilitating the development of compassionate care for self and others
Summary
The focus of the fellowship was to design and implement a Mindfulness in Education Workshop series to explore the effect of mindfulness training on participant levels of mindfulness and self-compassion. The aim of the fellowship was to identify strategies to support faculty and students in developing mindfulness and self-compassion. To this end the fellowship sought to identify how mindfulness practice and Hartrick Doane and Varcoe’s (2015) 5 ontological capacities of relational inquiry will support the development of relationally compassionate practitioners. Hartrick Doane and Varcoe (2015) defines compassion as “the foundation of relational inquiry” (p. 103). As nurses we enter into this profession with a perception that we are compassionate, though there is always the question of how do become relationally compassionate or “what knowledge or skills do we need to be compassionate?” (Hartirick Doane & Varcoe, 2015, p. 105). This fellowship worked to answer this very important question by examining if mindfulness based practices will support mindful self-compassion in nursing faculty.
Faculty were invited to participate in a series of mindfulness-based workshops held over a period of six-weeks. The purpose of the workshop sessions was to introduce faculty to various mindfulness-based practices that could be incorporated into day-to-day life and into the teaching/learning experience. The AMS/RNAO fellowship experience was transformative in its ability to extend the understanding gained from the first fellowship in this second fellowship.
Description of Overall Learning Goal (Objectives)
The overall learning goal for this fellowship experience was to explore mindfulness training and how this can influence the development of mindfulness, self-compassion and Hartrick Doane and Varcoe’s (2015) five ontological capabilities of relational inquiry. Five learning objectives were developed to support this fellowship experience and the overarching learning goal.
Learning objective 1. To build on my existing knowledge of mindfulness, self-compassion, and relational inquiry in order to gain a stronger understanding of the role of these three constructs as they inform compassionate care. In the work by Hartrick Doane and Varcoe (2015), the five ontological capacities or the 5 C’s of relational inquiry (being compassionate, curious, committed, competent and corresponding) recognize compassion as a foundational element. Hartrick Doane and Varcoe’s (2015) recognize that in order to support the process of being compassionate towards others we need to first be compassionate towards ourselves. It is this understanding that aligns with the focus on how mindfulness can foster self-compassion through the intentional application of evidenced based mindfulness practice strategies. Research demonstrates that even brief moments of mindfulness-based practice will support an increase in self-compassion (Barratt, 2017).
Learning objective 2 and 3. The second and third learning objectives were related to the creation and implementation of a Mindfulness in Education workshop series. The workshop series was implemented following ethical approval and occurred over a six-week period. Data was collected using a mix-method design.
Learning objective 4 and 5. The fourth and fifth learning objectives focused on the research aspect of the study and the data collection methods that were identified to gain an understanding of the effectiveness of the workshops in addressing the research questions. The study’s findings, both qualitative and quantitative will inform future work in integrating strategies to support mindfulness and compassion within the undergraduate nursing program.
Outcomes
Patient/Client Population Outcomes Experienced
In this fellowship experience the client population outcomes focused on building mindfulness and self-compassion within faculty members. The workshop series for faculty worked to support: 1) Knowledge of what is mindfulness, self-compassion and the importance of these constructs on well-being; 2) strategies to integrate mindfulness-based practices into day-to-day life; and 3) explore strategies for integrating mindfulness-based practice into the teaching/learning experience. The workshop experience centred around knowledge development and application of learning as well as seeking to determine the effectiveness of mindfulness-based practices on the development of mindfulness and self-compassion within faculty members.
There exists a plethora of empirical evidence supporting the benefits of mindfulness on individual psychological and physiological well-being (Barnard & Curry, 2011; Barratt, 2014; Finlay-Jones, Kane & Rees, 2016; Neff, 2003; Neff & Costigan, 114; Neff Hsieh & Dejitterat, 2005). The introduction of mindfulness-based programs and their ability to support psychological and physiological well-being is an important consideration for providing quality compassionate interactions with others (Olson & Kemper, 2014). “When confronted with personal failings, practicing mindfulness, realizing our common humanity through suffering, and nurturing self-kindness are critical for cultivating self-compassion (Neff et al. 2017)” (as cited in Hwang, et al, 2019, p. 1694). To be compassionate towards self and others is to be willing to acknowledge moments and suffering and have the desire to alleviate this suffering. This awareness of the common humanity of suffering, the importance of self-kindness and the impact of mindfulness on the development of compassion towards self and others is essential to nursing practice. The introduction of mindfulness-based practices into the classroom will support a student’s ability to seek assistance, ask questions, share ideas while lessening their fear of evaluation and failure (Long & Neff, 2018).
The effects of participating in the Mindfulness in Education workshop series was evaluated using a pre-test/post-test one group design and a post-workshop focus group framed within a narrative inquiry exploration of the workshop experience. To this date the findings from this mix method approach has not been fully analyzed and the hypothesized outcomes as outlined above assessed.
Colleagues/Staff, Organization and Stakeholders Outcomes
The outcomes of the workshop series will guide future curricular decisions and workshops to support mindfulness and self-compassion within faculty, students and community members. The experience in its entirety will be explored through the interpretation of study findings and how these findings can be used to inform future work. The outcomes from the fellowship will be critical in informing future work in addition to assessing the effectiveness of the workshop that was delivered.
The findings from this fellowship will be shared with faculty, community members, and organizational leaders within presentations at meetings, conferences and be the foundation for future publications. It is hypothesized that the intentional integration of mindfulness and self-compassion strategies that arise from this fellowship within undergraduate curriculum will support not only educator and student well-being, but the ability to form student-teacher and practitioner-client caring relationships. In a study by Hwang et al (2019), the researchers identified that mindfulness and self-compassion were positively correlated with increased job satisfaction and decreased levels of perceived stress that supported the development of more positive student-teacher relationships while having an inverse effect on student-teacher conflict (p. 1697). In students there is a positive correlation between self-compassion and academic achievement. Students who are self-compassionate have a higher degree of ability to master goals, stronger internal motivation to complete their programs of study and view failure as a learning opportunity. (Neff, Hseih, & Dejitthirat, 2005). Strategies to support mindfulness and self-compassion will enhance the ability to form relationship while having a positive impact on well-being, academic success, and job satisfaction.
Overall experience
The fellowship experience has provided me with the opportunity to strengthen my research skills while continuing my work on self-compassion in undergraduate curricula. Through the awareness of the need to build capacity and influence change the opportunity to provide a workshop designed to support faculty in mindfulness practice was the moment that helped to bring meaning to my work. The experience has fueled my desire to do more, learn more and to work to integrate my experiences and understanding into effecting change. To achieve this goal, I will be formalizing the findings as they support organizational goals and curricular innovations. In addition, I will work to gain expertise in the field of mindfulness and self-compassion through the process of becoming certified to teach mindful self-compassion. The goal to bring the passion of mindful self-compassion to others and to deepen its understanding in myself, colleagues and students is the prelude to what is to come.
A favorite moment in this fellowship experience was the opportunity to experience the workshops led by a renowned educator and researcher and to work collaboratively with my manager and mentor. The workshops brought to life my understandings as they related to mindfulness in the educational setting.
Recognizing the imperfections of who we are as humans, or the common humanity principle of self-compassion as defined by Neff (2003), allows me to acknowledge that the objectives of this fellowship exceeded what could be accomplished within a 20-week period. Though the completion of the ethical application forms, development of the workshops, recruitment of participants, implementation and evaluation of the workshops were completed data analysis will continue on past this fellowship. Additional objectives of identifying curricular strategies to integrate findings into the undergraduate curriculum will inform future work and my sustainability plan.
References
Barnard, L. K., & Curry, J. F. (2011). Self-compassion: Conceptualizations, correlates, & interventions. Review of General Psychology, 15(4), 289–303.
Barratt, C. (2017). Exploring how mindfulness and self-compassion can enhance compassionate care. Nursing Standard, 31(21), 55-63. doi:10.7748/ns.2017.e10671.
Finlay‐Jones, A., Kane, R., & Rees, C. (2017). Self‐Compassion online: A pilot study of an Internet‐Based Self‐Compassion cultivation program for psychology trainees. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 73(7), 797-816. doi:10.1002/jclp.22375
Hwang, Y.S., Medvedev, O.N., Krageloh, C., Hand, K., Noh, J.E., & Singh, N.N. (2019) The role of dispositional mindfulness and self-compassion in educator stress. Mindfulness, 1692-1702
Long, P., & Neff, K. D. (2018). Self-compassion is associated with reduced self-presentation concerns and increased student communication behavior. Learning and Individual Differences, 67, 223-231.
Neff, K. D. (2003a). Self-compassion: An alternative conceptualization of a healthy attitude toward oneself. Self and Identity, 2, 85-102.
Neff, K. D., & Costigan, A. P. (2014). Self-compassion, wellbeing, and happiness. Psychologie in Österreich, 114-117.
Neff, K. D.& Germer, C. (2017). Self-Compassion and Psychological Wellbeing. In J. Doty (Ed.) Oxford Handbook of Compassion Science, Ch. 27. Oxford University Press.
Neff, K. D., Hseih, Y., & Dejitthirat, K. (2005). Self-compassion, achievement goals, and coping with academic failure. Self and Identity, 4, 263-287.
Olson, K., & Kemper, K. J. (2014). Factors associated with well-being and confidence in providing compassionate care. Journal of evidence-based complementary & alternative medicine, 19(4), 292-296.
