Mindfulness and Mental Health Practice: Benefits for Clinicians and Clients

In this course, Dr Robert Shwartz, Ph.D., PCC-S, Professor of Counselor Education and Supervision at the University of Akron, makes the case for understanding and incorporating mindfulness into work with clients. Noting that mindfulness is necessary in our increasingly complicated, competitive world, Dr Shwartz lists common therapeutic approaches, such as ACT and DBT, which are based on mindfulness. He details the difference between eastern and western cultural principles, displaying symbols of each to suggest the values embraced by the respective societies. Dr Shwartz warns that mental health practitioners cannot expect to teach mindfulness to clients if they do not regularly practice it themselves, and offers a simple exercise to engage mindfulness through breathing.