Study Results
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Basic Information
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COMPLETED
NA
204 participants
INTERVENTIONAL
2018-09-29
2020-09-30
Brief Summary
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The objective of this project is to analyze the influence of a mindfulness and compassion based intervention (MCBI) applied to psychotherapists, on the empathy perceived by their patients, the therapeutic alliance and their symptomatology.
This study is a randomized clinical trial of an intervention based on MBSR and adapted to the population of psychotherapists, including in the last two sessions the practice of compassion, called Mindfulness and Compassion Based Intervention (MCBI). The subjects (n = 63) were randomly assigned to MCBI (n = 33) or to a Waiting List group in which they fill in a self-record of their own feelings, thoughts, etc. in therapy for 8 weeks (n = 30). Participants in the MCBI intervention condition were asked to meet weekly during a two-hour session for two months. Pre / post-intervention and five-month evaluations were performed as a follow-up.
Mindfulness measures (FFMQ) will be taken for the evaluation of psychotherapists, Self-compassion (SCS-SF), negative symptomatology (DASS-21), empathy (EUS-T, TECA), personal therapist style (EPT-C) and mindfulness instructional style (MIQ).
For the evaluation of patients, measures of mindfulness (FFMQ), self-compassion (SCS-SF) will be taken - to try to control without these skills they can be vicariously modified without being directly trained-, subjective well-being (PHI), psychological well-being (BSI), therapeutic alliance (WATOCI, ENAT) and perceived empathy (EUS-P).
Detailed Description
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Among the variables that favor the link, the empathy of the psychotherapist has been widely studied, and has proven to be highly related to the benefits of psychological interventions.
Therefore, the development of healthy empathy is one of the most important variables on which the benefits of psychotherapy are based. It facilitates a true understanding of the vital situations of the patients and is essential in establishing the therapeutic link.
The influence of the latter on the results of psychological interventions has meant that empathy training is one of the basic objectives to follow in the training of clinical and health psychologists, increasing research on effective strategies for this, among which mindfulness and compassion based interventions (MCBI) stand out.
In recent years, the MCBI have established themselves as a very useful intervention in the healthcare field, and several authors suggest the advantages of their application in psychotherapists, pointing out their beneficial influence on the therapeutic relationship and the psychotherapeutic process.
The MCBI are structured interventions in which a series of attitudes and mental states associated with mindfulness and compassion are trained through different meditation techniques. You also learn to generalize these states in the way we relate to the experiences we live. Based on this, the MCBI can be an especially useful strategy to train a series of skills that beneficially influence the therapeutic link and the results of psychotherapy. In relation to the above, it has been seen that MCBI have a beneficial effect on the levels of self-reported empathy of clinical and health psychologists. In addition, an interesting association has been observed between the levels of mindfulness and self-reported empathy in psychotherapists, and between these variables and the therapeutic alliance established with their patients. An association has also been found between the results of the therapeutic alliance measures between therapists and patients after a Mindfulness-based Intervention (MBI). Finally, it has been seen that the application of an MCBI in psychotherapists indirectly influences the evolution of their patients, helping to reduce their symptoms and increase their levels of well-being.
These results imply important support for the advantages of including the MCBI in the training of clinical and health psychologists, in order to increase their levels of empathy and the effectiveness of their interventions. However, there are many limitations we find in these results.
First, the studies that have analyzed the influence of MCBI on empathy only include a self-reported evaluation of psychotherapists on this variable. In addition, this evaluation does not give us information about whether the MCBI affects the empathy that patients perceive in their therapists, which prevents us from assessing whether these benefits exert a real influence on the therapeutic relationship and the psychotherapeutic process.
On the other hand, studies that have established a relationship between levels of mindfulness and direct results in therapeutic alliance include only mindfulness-based interventions (MBI), not including compassion training in a manner explicit. We are interested in observing whether a MCBI significantly influences the perception of the therapeutic alliance by patients.
Finally, in Grepmair's study in which the benefits of applying an MCBI in psychotherapists on the evolution of their patients have been observed, the mediating variables that could explain these results were not evaluated. The objective of this project is to identify the mechanisms of action of the MCBI and its effect on the different variables that could be influencing the results of psychotherapy, such as the empathy of the psychotherapist and the therapeutic alliance established with their patients.
Conditions
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Study Design
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RANDOMIZED
PARALLEL
SUPPORTIVE_CARE
NONE
Study Groups
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MCBI Group
Training in mindfulness and compassion (MCBI) is facilitated in eight weekly sessions of 2 hours. With a didactic format, through theory, class discussions, and guided meditation practices.
MCBI
The topics covered in the sessions are: Week 1: Introduction to mindfulness and attention to breathing. Week 2. Open awareness of bodily sensations. Week 3: Work with thoughts, introductory theory and practice in attention to sounds. Week 4: Working with thoughts, advanced theory and practice in mental landscape. Week 5: Introductory theory and practice in labeling emotions. Session 6: Advanced theory in working with emotions and practice in difficult emotions. Week 7: Introductory theory on self-compassion and compassion. Practice in self-compassion. Week 8: Practice in compassion and active compassion (acts of kindness and shared humanity).
Active-Wait List Group
Completion of a record during these 8 weeks. Active work of introspection about one's own sensations, thoughts, distractions, judgments, etc. in therapy sessions. Registered after each session.
Active Comparator
Free observation of the psychotherapist's own feelings, thoughts, distractions, biases and behavior in general for 8 weeks. Observations of these variables are recorded during psychotherapy sessions with patients participating in the research.
Interventions
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MCBI
The topics covered in the sessions are: Week 1: Introduction to mindfulness and attention to breathing. Week 2. Open awareness of bodily sensations. Week 3: Work with thoughts, introductory theory and practice in attention to sounds. Week 4: Working with thoughts, advanced theory and practice in mental landscape. Week 5: Introductory theory and practice in labeling emotions. Session 6: Advanced theory in working with emotions and practice in difficult emotions. Week 7: Introductory theory on self-compassion and compassion. Practice in self-compassion. Week 8: Practice in compassion and active compassion (acts of kindness and shared humanity).
Active Comparator
Free observation of the psychotherapist's own feelings, thoughts, distractions, biases and behavior in general for 8 weeks. Observations of these variables are recorded during psychotherapy sessions with patients participating in the research.
Eligibility Criteria
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Inclusion Criteria
* Be able to read and write using the Spanish language.
* Be doing therapy with at least one patient.
Eligible participants were contacted through the main psychotherapeutic schools and university centers to invite them to an explanatory meeting of the study.
* Be between 18 and 75 years old.
* Be able to read and write using the Spanish language.
Eligible participants were contacted by their personal psychotherapist, either by a phone call or regular therapy appointment to invite them to participate in the study.
Exclusion Criteria
* Use mindfulness in therapy with your patients.
* Do not engage in clinical psychology or psychotherapy
* Serious active mental disorders (schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, psychotic disorders) • Disorders due to active substance use (if consumed in the last year)
* Cognitive impairment
* Take more than 2 and a half years in therapy with the same therapist
25 Years
75 Years
ALL
Yes
Sponsors
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University of Valencia
OTHER
Responsible Party
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Ausias Cebolla
Full professor
Principal Investigators
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Elena Garrote Caparrós, Student
Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR
Universitat de València
Miguel Bellosta Batalla, Dr.
Role: STUDY_DIRECTOR
Universitat de València
Locations
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Universitat de València
Valencia, , Spain
Countries
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References
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Other Identifiers
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168021
Identifier Type: -
Identifier Source: org_study_id