Establishing a Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Program at a Residential Substance Rehabilitation Facility in Northeast, Georgia
Abstract
Potter's House (PH) is a residential recovery program tailored for men grappling with chemical addiction. PH residents, entrenched in their battles with addiction, have long struggled to access healthcare. Recognizing this challenge, a team comprising medical students and one physician has stepped forward to offer primary care services weekly. While progress has been achieved in addressing residents' physical health, the program acknowledges a gap in addressing mental health concerns, especially given that half of those with substance use disorders concurrently experience mental health struggles. To bridge this gap, the decision was made to empower PH staff to lead a mindfulness-based stress (MBS) reduction program for residents.
Following a comprehensive stakeholder discussion, a training course in MBS reduction was delivered to 4 PH staff, enabling them to guide residents through the program. The impact of the training was assessed through pre- and post-training questionnaires, and follow-up interviews were conducted to gauge perceived impact on program implementation. Interviews underwent in-depth content analysis by three independent coders.
75% of participants had no prior experience with mindfulness sessions. Before the training, 25% strongly agreed they were comfortable teaching well-being skills to others, while 50% agreed, and 25% disagreed. After the training, 100% of participants strongly agreed they felt more comfortable teaching these skills. Follow-up interviews illuminated that participants found personal wellness benefits after implementing mindfulness practices in their own lives.
In conclusion, participants overwhelmingly praised the MBS session, finding it both beneficial and clear. This sentiment is bolstered by the across-the-board increase in their comfort levels for teaching well-being skills. These findings suggest this program holds the potential to equip participants with the requisite tools to effectively impart mindfulness skills to others. Future studies will aim to determine whether this mindfulness program had a statistically significant impact on program adherence and relapse rates.
Keywords
Primary Care, Addiction Medicine, Mindfulness, Low Resource Settings
Establishing a Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Program at a Residential Substance Rehabilitation Facility in Northeast, Georgia
Potter's House (PH) is a residential recovery program tailored for men grappling with chemical addiction. PH residents, entrenched in their battles with addiction, have long struggled to access healthcare. Recognizing this challenge, a team comprising medical students and one physician has stepped forward to offer primary care services weekly. While progress has been achieved in addressing residents' physical health, the program acknowledges a gap in addressing mental health concerns, especially given that half of those with substance use disorders concurrently experience mental health struggles. To bridge this gap, the decision was made to empower PH staff to lead a mindfulness-based stress (MBS) reduction program for residents.
Following a comprehensive stakeholder discussion, a training course in MBS reduction was delivered to 4 PH staff, enabling them to guide residents through the program. The impact of the training was assessed through pre- and post-training questionnaires, and follow-up interviews were conducted to gauge perceived impact on program implementation. Interviews underwent in-depth content analysis by three independent coders.
75% of participants had no prior experience with mindfulness sessions. Before the training, 25% strongly agreed they were comfortable teaching well-being skills to others, while 50% agreed, and 25% disagreed. After the training, 100% of participants strongly agreed they felt more comfortable teaching these skills. Follow-up interviews illuminated that participants found personal wellness benefits after implementing mindfulness practices in their own lives.
In conclusion, participants overwhelmingly praised the MBS session, finding it both beneficial and clear. This sentiment is bolstered by the across-the-board increase in their comfort levels for teaching well-being skills. These findings suggest this program holds the potential to equip participants with the requisite tools to effectively impart mindfulness skills to others. Future studies will aim to determine whether this mindfulness program had a statistically significant impact on program adherence and relapse rates.
