Evaluating Mindfulness: Self Care for the Caretaker Group Intervention

Mindfulness is described as a psychological process which enables the individual to bring specific attention to the present moment in order to achieve greater focus and centering (Kabat-Zinn, 2013). Evidence suggests that use of mindfulness-based practice is effective at reducing anxiety in a wide variety of population groups (Stahl and Goldstein, 2010). Mindfulness: Self Care for the Caretaker is a new educational group being offered through GA Family Services’ Foster Care Program. The group is designed to help foster parents reduce anxiety and provide them with important coping skills to deal with potentially stressful situations. The group operates over six, two-hour sessions which take place over the course of a few weeks. Prior to participation, foster parents are asked to complete a questionnaire describing their perceived anxiety and ability to cope with it. This study will evaluate the effectiveness of this mindfulness-based group intervention using experimental design. Recommendations for improvements to the mindfulness group will also be provided