Course Description:

Prerequisite: previous knowledge of and experience with the principles and practices of mindfulness are required to benefit from this course.

Mindfulness training offers an evidence-based treatment approach for promoting patient well-being, stress self-regulation, and symptom relief and management. Applicable to a wide range of clinical conditions and beneficial to patients of any functional level, mindfulness training offers broad therapeutic applications to patient-centered care. This course provides you with basic strategies to introduce mindful awareness to patients. Research on the role of mindfulness training in the treatment of a range of medical conditions is reviewed. Guidelines for introducing the calm observation of sensations, thoughts, and emotions are presented, and the practice of self-regulation is introduced. Instructing a patient in mindful breathing, body scan, movement, and walking is demonstrated. The role of your own mindfulness practice in successfully teaching these skills to patients is highlighted. Combining lecture, demonstration, and a patient interview, this course is applicable to healthcare professionals, including physical therapists, occupational therapists, speech-language pathologists, athletic trainers, and registered nurses, serving patients in both inpatient and outpatient settings who would benefit from sensible, effective stress and symptom self-management strategies.