Skip to main content

Advertisement

Log in

Nurturing Positive Mental Health: Mindfulness for Wellbeing in Counseling

  • ORIGINAL ARTICLE
  • Published:
International Journal for the Advancement of Counselling Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

As increasing attention has been given in the past decade to positive psychology, this has likewise been directed toward understanding methods of nurturing positive mental health. These methods have moved toward empowering clients in the development of skills to enhance their own sense of wellbeing (Khong, Counseling and Spirituality, 25, 67–84, 2006). Advances in neurosciences are adding to this understanding, especially through the power of neuroimaging. Mindfulness training and self-compassion are key practices undergoing development for empowering clients in ways to nurture their own positive mental health. Counselors who become familiar with these practices and ways in which they promote positive mental health can gain new understanding and methods for assisting clients and thereby extend their therapeutic effectiveness. Counselors can teach clients practices that can serve to enhance coping capabilities and to reduce suffering.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Aggs, C., & Bambling, M. (2010). Teaching mindfulness to psychotherapists in clinical practice: the Mindful Therapy Programme. Counselling and Psychotherapy Research, 10, 278–286. doi:10.1080/14733145.2010.485690.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Barry, M. M. (2009). Addressing the determinants of positive mental health: concepts, evidence and practice. International Journal of Mental Health Promotion, 11, 4–17.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bowlby, J. (1988). A secure base: Parent-child attachment and healthy human development. New York: Basic Books.

    Google Scholar 

  • Carruthers, C., & Hood, C. D. (2011). Mindfulness and wellbeing. Therapeutic Recreation Journal, 3, 171–189.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cattalino, L. I., & Frederickson, B. L. (2011). A Tuesday in the life of a flourisher: the role of positive emotional reactivity in optimal mental health. Emotion, 11, 938–950. doi:10.1037/a0024889.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cattaneo, L., & Rizzolatti, G. (2009). The mirror neuron system. Archives of Neurology, 66, 557–560.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Coggins, K. (1990). Alternative pathways to healing: The recovery medicine wheel. Deerfield Beach: Health Communications.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cozolino, L. (2010). The neuroscience of psychotherapy. New York: Norton.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dhammarakkhita, V. (2001). Metta bhavana-Loving-kindness meditation. Ampur Muang: Dhammodaya Meditation Centre.

    Google Scholar 

  • Doidge, N. (2007). The brain that changes itself: Stories of personal triumph from the frontiers of brain science. New York: Penguin.

    Google Scholar 

  • Edward, K., & Warelow, P. (2006). Resilience: when coping is emotionally intelligent. Journal of the American Psychiatric Nurses Association, 11, 101–102. doi:10.1177/1078390305277526.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Etkin, A., Pittenger, C., Polan, H. J., & Kandel, E. R. (2005). Toward a neurobiology of psychotherapy: basic science and clinical applications. The Journal of Neuropsychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences, 17, 145–158.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Fleischman, P. R. (1986). The therapeutic action of Vipassana: Why I sit. Kandy: Buddhist Publication Society.

    Google Scholar 

  • Frederickson, B. L., Cohn, M. A., Coffey, K. A., Pek, J., & Finkel, S. M. (2008). Open hearts build lives: positive emotions, induced through loving-kindness meditation, build consequential personal resources. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 95, 1045–1062.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Garmezy, N. (1993). Children in poverty: resilience despite risk. Psychiatry, 56, 127–136.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Garrett, M. (1998). Walking on the wind: Cherokee teachings for harmony and balance. Santa Fe: Bear & Co.

    Google Scholar 

  • Germer, C. K. (2005). Mindfulness: What is it? Does it matter? In C. K. Germer, R. D. Siegel, & P. R. Fulton (Eds.), Mindfulness and psychotherapy (pp. 3–27). New York: Guilford.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gilbert, P. (2007). Evolved minds and compassion in the therapeutic relationship. In P. Gilbert & R. Leahy (Eds.), The therapeutic relationships in the cognitive behavioral psychotherapies (pp. 106–142). New York: Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Goleman, D. (2006). Social intelligence: The new science of human relationships. New York: Bantam.

    Google Scholar 

  • Greason, P. B., & Cashwell, C. S. (2009). Mindfulness and counseling self-efficacy: the mediating role of attention and empathy. Counselor Education and Supervision, 49, 2–19.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Greeson, J. M. (2009). Mindfulness research update: 2008. Complementary Health Practice Review, 14, 10–18.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Greeson, J. M., & Brantley, J. (2009). Mindfulness and anxiety disorders: Developing a “wise relationship” with the inner experience of fear. In F. Didonna (Ed.), Clinical handbook of mindfulness (pp. 171–188). New York: Springer.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Greimel, E., Schulte-Ruther, M., Fink, G. R., Piefke, M., Herpertz-Dahlmann, B., & Konrad, K. (2010). Development of neural correlates of empathy from childhood to early adulthood: an fMRI study in boys and adult men. Journal of Neural Transmission, 6, 781–791.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Grepmair, L., Mitterlehner, F., Loew, T., Bachlor, E., Rother, W., & Nickel, M. (2007). Promoting mindfulness in psychotherapists in training influences the treatment results of their patients. Psychotherapy and Psychsomatics, 76, 332–338.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Heartmath, L. L. C. (2006). Applied appreciation. (E-book in empowerment series). Boulder Creek: Institute of HeartMath.

    Google Scholar 

  • Holaday, M., & McPhearson, R. W. (1997). Resilience and severe burns. Journal of Counseling and Development, 75, 346–356.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • James, W. (1891). The principles of psychology. London: Macmillan.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jha, A. P., Stanley, E. A., Kiyonaga, A., Wong, L., & Gelfand, L. (2010). Examining the protective effects of mindfulness training on working memory capacity and affective experience. Emotion, 10, 54–64. doi:10.1037/a0018438.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Keyes, C. L. M. (2007). Promoting and protecting mental health as flourishing: a complementary strategy for improving national mental health. American Psychologist, 62, 95–108. doi:10.1037/0003-066X.62.2.95.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Keyes, C. L. M. (2010). The next steps in the promotion and protection of positive mental health. The Canadian Journal of Nursing Research, 42, 17–28.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Keysers, C. (2008). The mirror neuron system: new frontiers. Social Neuroscience, 3, 193–198.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Khong, B. S. L. (2006). Putting the “P’s” back in psychology: philosophy, people, personal growth. Counseling and Spirituality, 25, 67–84.

    Google Scholar 

  • Khong, B. S. L. (2009). Expanding the understanding of mindfulness: seeing the tree and the forest. Humanistic Psychologist, 37, 117–136. doi:10.1080/08873260902892006.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kostanski, M., & Hassed, C. (2008). Mindfulness as a concept and a process. Australian Psychologist, 43, 15–21. doi:10.1080/00050060701593942.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Luthar, S. S., & Zigler, E. (1991). Vulnerability and competence: a review of research on resilience in childhood. The American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 61, 6–22.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Marci, C., Ham, J., Moran, E., & Orr, S. P. (2007). Physiologic correlates of perceived therapist empathy and social-emotional process during psychotherapy. Nervous and Mental Disease, 195, 103–111.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McCraty, R. (2003). The energetic heart: Bioelectricmagnetic interactions between and among people. Boulder Creek: Institute of HeartMath.

    Google Scholar 

  • McCraty, R., & Childre, D. (2010). Coherence: bridging personal, social, and global health. Alternative Therapies, 16, 10–24.

    Google Scholar 

  • Morris, S. M. (2010). Achieveing collective coherence: group effects on heart rate variability coherence and heart rhythm synchronization. Alternative Therapies, 16, 62–72.

    Google Scholar 

  • Neff, K. D. (2003). The development and validation of a scale to measure self-compassion. Self and Identity, 2, 223–250.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Neff, K. D. (2008). Self-compassion: Moving beyond the pitfalls of a separate self-concept. In H. E. Waymount & J. Bauer (Eds.), Transcending self-interest: Psychological explorations of the quiet ego (pp. 95–105). Washington: American Psychological Association.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Neff, K. D. (2009). The role of self-compassion in development: a healthier way to relate to oneself. Human Development, 52, 211–214.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Neff, K. D., & McGehee, P. (2010). Self-compassion and psychological resilience among adolescents and young adults. Self and Identity, 9, 225–240. doi:10.1080/15298860902979307.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Neff, K. D., Rude, S. S., & Kirkpatrick, K. L. (2007). An examination of self-compassion in relation to positive psychological functioning and personality traits. Journal of Research in Personality, 41, 908–916.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Nyklicek, I., & Kuijpers, K. F. (2008). Effects of mindfulness-based stress reduction intervention on psychological well-being and quality of life: is increased mindfulness indeed the mechanism? Annals of Behavioral Medicine, 35, 331–340. doi:10.007/s12160-008-9030-2.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Peres, J. F. P., McFarlane, A., Nasello, A. G., & Moore, K. A. (2008). Traumatic memories: bridging the gap between functional neuroimaging and psychotherapy. The Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry, 42, 478–488.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Pfeiffer, J. H., & Dapretto, M. (2009). “Mirror, mirror in my mind”: empathy, social competence, and the mirror neuron system. In J. Decety & W. Ickes (Eds.), The social neuroscience of empathy (pp. 183–197). Cambridge: MIT Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Richards, K. C., Campenni, C. E., & Muse-Burke, J. L. (2010). Self-care and wellbeing in mental health professionals: the mediating effects of self-awareness and mindfulness. Journal of Mental Health Counseling, 32, 247–264.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rizzolatti, G., & Fabri-Destro, M. (2008). The mirror neuron system and its role in social cognition. Current Opinion in Neurobiology, 18, 179–184.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Robinson, J. W., Herman, A., & Kaplan, B. J. (1982). Autonomic responses correlate with counselor-client empathy. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 29, 195–198.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rybak, C., & Decker-Fitts, A. (2009). Understanding Native American healing practices. Counseling Psychology Quarterly, 22, 1–10.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rybak, C., Lakota Eastin, C., & Robbins, I. (2004). Native American healing practices and counseling. Journal of Humanistic Counseling Education and Development, 43, 25–32.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Schulte-Ruther, M., Markowitsch, H. J., Fink, G. R., & Piefke, M. (2007). Mirror neuron and theory of mind mechanisms involved in face-to-face interactions: a functional magnetic resonance imaging approach to empathy. Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience, 19, 1354–1372.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Semple, R. J., Lee, J., Rosa, D., & Miller, S. F. (2009). A randomized trial of mindfulness-based cognitive therapy for children: promoting mindful attention to enhance social-emotional resiliency in children. Journal of Child and Family Studies, 19, 218–229. doi:10.1007/s10826-009-9301-y.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Shapiro, S. L., Brown, K. W., & Biegel, G. M. (2007). Teaching self-care to caregivers: effects of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction on the mental health of therapists in training. Training and Education in Professional Psychology, 1, 105–115. doi:10.1037/1931-3918.1.2.105.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Siegel, D. J. (2007). The mindful brain: Reflection and attunement in the cultivation of wellbeing. New York: Norton.

    Google Scholar 

  • Stack Sullivan, H. (1953). The interpersonal theory of psychiatry. New York: W.W Norton & Company.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tirch, D. D. (2010). Mindfulness as a context for cultivation of compassion. International Journal for Cognitive Therapy, 3, 113–123.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Turner, K. (2009). Mindfulness: the present moment in clinical social work. Clinical Social Work Journal, 37, 95–103.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wang, S. (2005). A conceptual framework for integrating research related to the physiology of compassion and the wisdom of the Buddhist teachings. In P. Gilbert (Ed.), Compassion: Conceptualization, research and use in psychotherapy (pp. 75–120). New York: Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Williams, V., Ciarochi, J., & Deane, F. P. (2010). On being mindfully aware, emotionally aware, and more resilient: longitudinal pilot study of police recruits. Australian Psychologist, 45, 274–282. doi:10.1080/00050060903573197.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Yalom, I., & Leszcz, M. (2005). The theory and practice of group psychotherapy (5th ed.). New York: Basic Books.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Christopher Rybak.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Rybak, C. Nurturing Positive Mental Health: Mindfulness for Wellbeing in Counseling. Int J Adv Counselling 35, 110–119 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10447-012-9171-7

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10447-012-9171-7

Keywords

Navigation