Self-compassion training for graduate students in the helping profession

This study explored the benefits of providing 8 weeks of self-compassion training to graduate students working in helping professions. The single-participant multiple baseline across individuals design included two measures, the Self-Compassion Scale (SCS) and the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS). Sixteen volunteer graduate students were asked to fill out online measures 2 weeks prior to the intervention, weekly throughout the 8-week trainings, and again at 1 week and 1 month after the conclusion of the intervention. Participants were also asked to complete a one-time background questionnaire to extract personal demographic and current stress-related information utilizing the Holmes and Rae scale. The results suggested a functional relationship between the teaching of self-compassion and the decrease in perceived stress of the participants. These effects continued to show marked decreases, especially in the last half of SCI training, and remained below baseline levels during follow-up. Self-Compassion Scale scores improved after the initial training. The results of this study suggest that participants who are taught self-compassion can experience decreased stress and increased well-being. Training in self-compassion shows promise as a technique for helping graduate students who are experiencing high levels of stress.