Introducing mindfulness and compassion-based interventions to improve verbal creativity in students of clinical and health psychology

Objectives In the field of psychotherapy, verbal creativity has been suggested as an important aspect in psychotherapists' training. In the present study, the effects of a mindfulness and compassion-based intervention (MCBI) on verbal creativity are analysed in students of clinical and health psychology (N = 90). Design Students were randomly assigned to an experimental group (n = 37), in which an MCBI was applied, and a waiting list group (n = 26) with no intervention. We also assessed a non-randomized active control group (n = 27), in which students received training in basic psychotherapy skills. Methods Verbal creativity (fluency, flexibility, and originality) was evaluated in a pre-, post-, and follow-up assessment. Results Results indicated a significant increase in fluency (p = .001, d = .64), flexibility (p = .017, d = .67), and originality (p = .004, d = .72) in the experimental group, relative to the waiting list group, in the post-assessment. Fluency (p = .010, d = .64) and flexibility (p = .033, d = .62) were also found to be higher in the follow-up assessment. In addition, results indicated a significant increase in flexibility (p = .034, d = .74) in the experimental group, relative to the active control group, in the follow-up assessment. Conclusions Introducing MCBI in the university education of psychotherapists seems to be a useful strategy to improve their verbal creativity, which could positively influence their ability to explore and appropriately respond to their patients' needs. Practitioner points Mindfulness and compassion-based interventions (MCBIs) could be a useful strategy to improve verbal creativity in the university education of psychotherapists. After the MCBI, students of clinical and health psychology increased the number of ideas they produced when facing a specific situation, as well as their variety and originality.