The effectiveness of online mindfulness training for psychologists : a brief report

Objective: Mindfulness training (MT) in healthcare training has been associated with improvement in mental wellbeing and clinical skills such as empathy. Despite this, it is often challenging for professional psychology programs to include MT in the curriculum due to competing coursework demands and staffing requirements. The current study aimed to determine whether changes in mindfulness, self-compassion and tolerance of uncertainty were equivalent for those completing MT face-to-face on campus or online. Method: Ninety-eight professional psychology trainees completed pre-post measures of Mindfulness, Self-compassion, and Tolerance of Uncertainty. Fifty-eight participants completed it on campus and 40 participants completed it online. Results: A series of one-way ANOVAs found no significant differences in change between the two delivery mode groups on seven of the eight variables. There was a very small significant difference for self-compassion with those in the campus group showing slightly higher increases compared to the online group. Conclusion: Changes in mindfulness and related variables appear to be similar whether MT occurs face-to-face or via online delivery. Thus, providing online MT may address difficulties related to staffing and timetabling that previously prohibited its inclusion in coursework.