Progressing compassionate mind training in school settings to improve well-being – An international research programme

Abstract: There is growing evidence that focusing on the cultivation of compassion-based emotions has important effects on mental states and well-being. Very recently, compassion based initiatives have begun to be embraced within wider public sectors e.g. health, education, business. Yet, within education, no rigorous evaluation of these interventions has been progressed. Consequently, as part of an international large-scale study we are assessing the feasibility of conducting compassion-based interventions in educational settings, as well as evaluating their efficacy. In this talk, I will provide an introduction to the work we are doing and why, as well as an overview of our 6 module staff curriculum. This curriculum has now been trialled with over 350 staff working within education across the UK and Portugal. Preliminary results concerned with implementation efficacy, and the effects of compassionate mind training on indicators of psychological and physiological wellbeing will be presented. I’ll further overview some of the difficulties in conducting applied research in such settings, but why such research is invaluable when progressing and evaluating any new initiative in the public sector.