The Impact of a Mindfulness-Gestalt Based Counseling Group on Undergraduate College Students

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of a Mindfulness-Gestalt-based Counseling Program on students’ mindfulness skills and aspects of well-being. Gestalt psychotherapy considers mindfulness as part of its thera- peutic model, both of which contribute to the development of awareness. A growing number of studies of Mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) have shown positive outcomes for students’ mental health and well-being. An in- tervention program was conducted on a sample of 208 undergraduate stu- dents who completed four self-report questionnaires: the Mindfulness, Atten- tion, and Awareness Scale (MAAS), the Positive and Negative Affect Scale (PANAS), the Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS), and the Subjective Happi- ness Scale (SHS). Two assessments were conducted one week before and one week after the completion of the ten-week intervention program. One hun- dred forty-seven (147) participants took part in the “Personal Development” intervention program and sixty (60) formed the control group. The groups did not differ on any of the pretest measures. The results suggest that the Mindfulness-Gestalt-based Personal Development Group program had a pos- itive impact on the participants’ levels of awareness, positive effect, life satis- faction, and subjective happiness. These findings could contribute to both the outcomes of mindfulness gestalt-based interventions and the development of future interventions to support students’ academic lives. Keywords