Therapeutic Presence and Mindfulness: Mediating Role of Self-Compassion and Psychological Distress among Psychologists

Therapeutic presence refers to the capacity to bring one’s whole self into encounters with clients by being present on multiple levels: physically, emotionally, cognitively, and spiritually. It has been suggested that mindfulness influences therapeutic presence in various ways, for example through the fostering of self-compassion or through the reduction of anxiety and depression symptoms in the psychologist. The main objective of this research is to examine the mediating roles of self-compassion and psychological distress in the relationship between mindfulness and therapeutic presence. Questionnaires were administered online to a sample of 178 French-Canadian psychologists. Results show that mindfulness is significantly correlated with self-compassion (r = 0.72) and psychological distress (r = − 0.41), while therapeutic presence is positively correlated with self-compassion (r = 0.54) and negatively correlated with psychological distress (r = − 0.41). Therapeutic presence is significantly correlated to all facets of mindfulness. In the mediation model, the self-compassion pathway indicates the indirect effect of self-compassion (b = 0.184), with a 95% confidence interval (CI = 0.040 to 0.336). The psychological distress pathway shows the indirect effect of psychological distress (b = 0.074), with a 95% confidence interval (CI = 0.004 to 0.163). These results support the mediation model with significant indirect effects. The results also support the link between mindfulness and therapeutic presence in psychotherapists, and offer a better understanding of the ways in which therapeutic presence and mindfulness interact. Avenues for future research are discussed.