Mindfulness and Counseling Self‐Efficacy: The Mediating Role of Attention and Empathy

This study examined the predictive relationship between mindfulness and counseling self‐efficacy and the potential mediating effects of attention and empathy. Master's‐level counseling interns and doctoral counseling students ( N = 179) were surveyed to determine levels of mindfulness, attention, empathy, and counseling self‐efficacy. Pearson product‐moment correlation coefficients revealed significant pairwise relationships between the 4 variables of interest. A multiple‐mediator path analysis supported the hypotheses that mindfulness is a significant predictor of counseling self‐efficacy and that attention is a mediator of that relationship. Results suggest that mindfulness may be an important variable in the development of key counselor preparation outcomes.