Field Education in the Present Moment: Evaluating a 14-Week Pedagogical Model to Increase Mindfulness Practice

Social work practitioners increasingly use mindfulness techniques, and research into the impact of this practice is being explored by multiple related disciplines, such as psychology and education. Cultivating the potential benefits of mindfulness at multiple practice levels necessitates curricular integration of mindfulness training. This article reports on the evaluation of a 14-week mindfulness-based pedagogical model implemented in two sections of social work field seminars. Using a pretest and posttest survey design that included an existing five-dimension mindfulness scale, students exhibited significant change in three facets of mindfulness: observing, nonjudgment of inner experience, and nonreactivity to inner experience. Implications for social work education and directions for future research are explored.