Teaching Note―Practicing Presence: A Curriculum for Integrating Mindfulness Training Into Direct Practice Instruction

Mindfulness training is increasingly being recommended as a vehicle for fostering clinical skill development across the helping professions. This teaching note introduces a curriculum for integrating mindfulness training into a foundational social work practice course. Research supporting the potential efficacy of applying mindfulness to social work training and practice is reviewed, and the application of the curriculum is described in detail. Student responses to the training are integrated with a description of relevant exercises, and implications for social work education are considered.