Efeitos do mindfulness sobre as habilidades de psicólogos e desfechos terapêuticos

Abstract

The aim of this assignment was to investigate the effects of mindfulness-based interventions on the therapeutic skills of psychologists and psychology students in training and on the therapeutic outcomes of their patients. A systematic review of literature was carried out in 7 databases in English and Portuguese using the descriptors “mindfulness therapist”, “mindfulness psychotherapist”, “mindfulness trainee psychotherapy”. In total, 125 studies were found, but only 8 were included in the sample. The information was grouped into the following categories: characteristics of the samples, methods of the studies, characteristics of the interventions, study variables and effects on therapeutic skills and therapy outcomes. Results showed that the practice of mindfulness by the therapist seems to be associated with the presence of mindfulness during the sessions, the quality of the therapeutic relationship and the symptoms and interpersonal functioning of the patient. However, the results should be interpreted with caution as most of the studies included in the sample were not randomized and did not control for intervening variables such as therapists' levels of stress, depression and anxiety. It is concluded that mindfulness-based interventions can be useful to improve the therapeutic skills and clinical outcomes of psychologists and students, requiring further studies to clarify the underlying mechanisms of change.