Teaching Emotional and Behavioral Self-Management
through Cognitive-Behavioral Science and The Stop & Think Social Skills
Program
Don’t We Really Just Want Students to “Stop &
Think”? [Part I of III]
Dear Colleagues,
Introduction
It is a simple fact
that how students feel, feel about themselves, behave, and get along with
others strongly predicts their interactions and even their achievement in
school.
Indeed:
* If students feel
pressured, bullied, or unsafe, they focus more on these emotional conditions
than on academic instruction and learning.
* If they are
unsure of themselves, lack self-confidence, or are self-conscious, they may not
believe that they can succeed.
* If they do not
have the behavioral skills to pay attention, work independently, or organize
themselves, their academic work may suffer.
* If they cannot
relate to others, work cooperatively in a group, and prevent or resolve conflicts,
they will not socially survive.
_ _ _ _ _
We have also known for
decades that students’ social, emotional, and behavioral competency and
self-management in school is essential to their academic and interpersonal
success. And that a
cognitive-behavioral approach that uses instruction grounded by social
learning theory (Teach, Model, Provide Feedback, and Apply the Training to
Real-life) is the best social, emotional, and behavioral approach when (a)
teaching all students interpersonal and interactional skills, and (b) addressing
the serious, extreme, and complex needs of emotionally disturbed and behaviorally
disruptive students.
This
science-to-practice approach has not
changed in its school and clinical use and effectiveness.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
And yet . . . The
Mindfulness Bandwagon Persists
Despite established
and effective cognitive-behavioral approaches (like social skills training—see
below), districts and schools across the country continue to jump on the Mindfulness
bandwagon.
Moreover, they
continue this pattern despite knowing (and, presumably, valuing) the
importance of implementing scientifically- and research-based practices in
our schools.
I have tried to
assist by reviewing the Mindfulness research, and by documenting my concerns
about the Mindfulness “wave of popularity.”
Specifically,
I have discussed Mindfulness and . . .
* Its lack of
research support
* The number of
schools wasting precious professional development and classroom time and money on
this fad
* The potential
harm to students—who need an evidence-based approach to address their social,
emotional, and behavioral needs—who are getting this approach instead
. . . in three previous Blogs:
June 4, 2017. “Effective School-wide Discipline Approaches:
Avoiding Educational Bandwagons that Promise the Moon, Frustrate Staff, and
Potentially Harm Students
Implementation Science and Systematic Practice versus Pseudoscience,
Menu-Driven Frameworks, and ‘Convenience Store’ Implementation”
_ _ _ _ _
January 30, 2016. “Reviewing Mindfulness and Other Mind-Related
Programs: Have We Just Lost our Minds? (Part I)
Why
Schools Sometimes Waste their Time and (Staff) Resources on Fads with Poor
Research and Unrealistic Results”
_ _ _ _ _
February 13,
2016. “Reviewing Mindfulness and Other
Mind-Related Programs: More Bandwagons that Need to be Derailed? (Part II)
Why are
Schools Wasting their Time and Resources on Fads with Poor Research and
Unrealistic Results?
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Psychoeducational Researchers
Continue to Caution Against the Large-Scale Use of Mindfulness
On October 11, 2017
(less than three weeks ago), an article in Scientific American (“Where’s
the Proof that Mindfulness Meditation Works?”) referenced an article published
the day before in Perspectives on Psychological Science, as well as
other research and psychologists, stating:
The concept of
mindfulness involves focusing on your present situation and state of mind. This
can mean awareness of your surroundings, emotions and breathing—or, more
simply, enjoying each bite of a really good sandwich. Research in recent
decades has linked mindfulness practices to a staggering collection of possible
health benefits.
Yet many
psychologists, neuroscientists and meditation experts are afraid that hype is
outpacing the science. In an article
released this week in Perspectives
on Psychological Science, 15 prominent psychologists and cognitive
scientists caution that despite its popularity and supposed benefits,
scientific data on mindfulness is woefully lacking. Many of the studies on
mindfulness and meditation, the authors wrote, are poorly designed—compromised
by inconsistent definitions of what mindfulness actually is, and often void of
a control group to rule out the placebo effect.
The new paper
cites a 2015 review published in American
Psychologist reporting that only around 9 percent of research into
mindfulness-based interventions has been tested in clinical trials that
included a control group. The authors also point to multiple large
placebo-controlled meta-analyses concluding that mindfulness practices have
often produced unimpressive results. A 2014 review of 47 meditation trials,
collectively including over 3,500 participants, found essentially no evidence
for benefits related to enhancing attention, curtailing substance abuse, aiding
sleep or controlling weight.
Lead author of the
report Nicholas Van Dam, a clinical psychologist and research fellow in
psychological sciences at the University of Melbourne, contends potential
benefits of mindfulness are being overshadowed by hyperbole and oversold for
financial gain. Mindfulness meditation and training is now a $1.1-billion
industry in the U.S. alone. “Our report does not mean that mindfulness
meditation is not helpful for some things,” Van Dam says. “But the scientific
rigor just isn’t there yet to be making these big claims.”
He and his
co-authors are also concerned that as of 2015, less than 25 percent of
meditation trials included monitoring for potential negative effects of the
intervention, a number he would like to see grow as the field moves forward.
Van Dam acknowledges
that some good evidence does support mindfulness. The 2014 analysis found
meditation and mindfulness may provide modest benefits in anxiety, depression
and pain. He also cites a 2013 review published in Clinical Psychology Review for mindfulness-based therapy
that found similar results.
_ _ _ _ _
This article echoes
virtually all of the concerns that I have addressed in previous Blogs.
But a few more
points are important:
* Those studies
that have shown “good evidence” have focused on the treatment of clinically
significant mental health issues (anxiety, depression, and pain).
Sound research
demonstrating that Mindfulness prevents these issues (for example, at
Tier 1 in schools) has not yet been established. Moreover, there is virtually no research
that has differentially investigated Mindfulness versus Cognitive-Behavioral
Therapy approaches in controlled, randomly-selected, and double-blind samples.
_ _ _ _ _
* As noted above, most
of the Mindfulness research has either not been methodologically sound, or
it has not produced objective and demonstrable success.
Thus, rather than
use the few studies that have shown “good evidence” to rationalize the use of
Mindfulness in schools (or worse, someone’s personal testimony), educators need
to look at the substantial body of research that contraindicates its
consideration—much less use.
By way of analogy,
college football players do not win the Heisman Trophy based on one or two
exemplary games. They win the award
based on a consistent “body of work” or evidence of excellence over an entire
football season.
_ _ _ _ _
* Finally, most of
studies that have shown “good evidence” have focused on adults, not on school-aged
students.
BUT. . . a
recent article has again summarized the research on Mindfulness with students .
. . once again, questioning the efficacy of this approach.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Recent Research—With
Students—Again Debunks Mindfulness
Yet another Scientific
American article (“Mindfulness Training for Teens Fails Important Test”),
published this week on October 31, 2017, began as follows:
Over the past
several decades, the practice of mindfulness has evolved into a booming billion-dollar
industry, with growing claims that mindfulness is a panacea for host of
maladies including stress, depression, failures of attention, eating disorders,
substance abuse, weight gain, and pain.
Not all of these
claims, however, are likely to be true. A recent critical
evaluation of the adult literature on mindfulness identifies a number of
weaknesses in the extant research, including a lack of randomized control
groups, small sample sizes, large attrition rates, and inconsistent definitions
of mindfulness.
Moreover, a systematic review of
intervention studies found insufficient evidence for a benefit of mindfulness
on attention, mood, sleep, weight control, or substance abuse.
That said, there
is empirical evidence
that mindfulness offers a moderate benefit for anxiety, depression, and pain,
at least in adults.
_ _ _ _ _
This article then asks
whether Mindfulness can effectively address depression and anxiety in
teens. It notes that some research
suggests that Mindfulness can be useful, but it again reinforces the critique
above regarding the shortcomings in the research.
Finally, the
article summarizes a large-scale study with 308 middle and high school students
who were randomly assigned to a Mindfulness training or Control group (published
in Behavior Research and Therapy in 2016).
The students were
enrolled in 17 different classes across 5 different schools. Students opted in
to the study, and were randomly assigned to the control group or the
mindfulness training group. Students in the control group received no
mindfulness training but instead participated in community projects or received
lessons in pastoral care. Students in the mindfulness group completed 8 weeks
of training in the.b (“Dot be”) Mindfulness in Schools curriculum, which is
based on the “gold standard” Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR)
intervention for adults.
The training sessions
varied in length from 35 to 60 min and were administered once a week. All
mindfulness training was conducted by the same certified instructor. Beyond the
weekly training sessions, teens in the mindfulness group were encouraged to
practice mindfulness techniques at home and were given manuals to assist in
this practice.
All participants
were assessed at three different time points: a baseline taken one week before
the intervention, a post-test measure taken a week after the sessions were
over, and a follow-up assessment administered about 3 months later. The study
included measures of anxiety and depression, weight and shape concerns,
well-being, emotional dysregulation, self-compassion, and mindfulness.
Participants were also asked to report their compliance with home practice, and
to provide an evaluation of the intervention. Attrition rates were low (just 16
percent at follow up) and comparable for both groups.
Despite the
numerous outcome measures employed in the study, there was no evidence of any
benefit for the mindfulness group at either the immediate post-test or the
follow up. In fact, anxiety was higher at the follow up for males in the
mindfulness group relative to males in the control group. The same was true for
participants with low baseline depression and low baseline weight concerns;
mindfulness training led to an increase in anxiety in these individuals over
time.
While there were some limitations noted in the students’ Mindfulness
practice at home and the fact that the length and number of sessions needed to
be adapted for school use, the methodological strengths of this study, and
the negative effects are notable.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Cognitive-Behavioral
Interventions and Social Skills Training Still Remain
So . . . given these
consistent cautions and research results, why are districts and schools still
jumping aboard the Mindfulness Express?
And what are the
alternatives?
_ _ _ _ _
The alternative is
a focus on teaching students’ social, emotional, and behavioral self-management
. . . that is, interpersonal, social problem-solving, conflict prevention and
resolution, and emotional control and coping skills.
While this
certainly takes time in the classroom, we recommend that these skills be
embedded in a Health, Mental Health, and Wellness “curriculum” that involves
a preschool through high school scope and sequence of units and
instruction.
Consistent with the
cognitive-behavioral and social learning theory points in the Introduction to
this Blog, research reviews of over 200 studies of school-based programs [CLICK
HERE FOR ABSTRACT] revealed that classroom time spent on addressing the
social, emotional, and behavioral skills and needs of students helped to
significantly increase their academic performance and their social and
emotional skills, and that the students involved were better behaved, more socially
successful, less anxious, more emotionally well-adjusted, and earned higher
grades and test scores.
_ _ _ _ _
And so, while social
skills training is needed by all students in the schools, it also facilitates the
classroom management process for teachers, and it is especially essential for
students demonstrating social, emotional, and behavioral challenges.
Indeed, if the primary goal of a Mindfulness
program is to help students to be more aware and in control of their emotions,
thoughts, and behavior, why would we not focus on the same goals—but use a
research-based approach that has a 30-year track record of success?
_ _ _ _ _
Summary . . . and
Prelude to Part II
When critiquing some
of the current practices in our schools (while also recommending that some be avoided,
and others be discontinued), it is equally important to suggested
well-researched and effective alternatives.
That, in essence,
is what I have tried to do in this Blog.
Indeed, I have
tried to emphasize that we:
* Know and have
well-researched approaches to help children and adolescents progressively
develop social, emotional, and behavioral self-awareness, self-management,
self-evaluation, and self-correction and reinforcement skills;
* Need to invest
our school-based social, emotional, and behavioral training and application
time in approaches that have demonstrated their student-specific benefits—including
academic benefits—and “return on investment”; and
* Need to
discriminate the “marketing, social media, and testimony-based” hype from the “objective,
science-driven, and professionally-refereed” facts that bombard educators, and
make critical decisions more difficult than they need to be.
_ _ _ _ _
In Part II
of this three-part “series,” I will use the evidence-based Stop & Think
Social Skills Program as an exemplar of a social skills approach to
teaching students social, emotional, and behavioral self-management.
In doing this, I
will identify the scientific foundations of a sound social skills program, and
use the Stop & Think Program to provide examples of how that science
is translated into practice.
The Stop &
Think Social Skills Program is written for classroom teachers with
implementation at the preschool to Grade 1, Grades 2/3, Grades 4/5, and Grades
6 through 8. At the same time, the
Program has been implemented strategically at the high school level, in
alternative and juvenile justice facilities with students who are 18 years old
and beyond, and in residential and day treatment programs for students with
emotional and behavioral disabilities.
There also is a Stop & Think Program for parents—to help
guide them on how to teach and reinforce prosocial skills at home from
preschool through early adolescence.
_ _ _ _ _
Meanwhile, I hope
that this review of the recent Mindfulness research and thought has been
helpful to you, and that the information will assist you in making the
sometimes-confusing decisions that are relevant to your school discipline,
classroom management, and student self-management program.
I always look
forward to your comments. . . whether on-line or via e-mail.
If I can help you
in any of the student support and intervention areas discussed in this message,
I am always happy to provide a free one-hour consultation conference call
to help you clarify your needs and directions on behalf of your students.
Best,
Howie
Howie,
ReplyDeleteThanks for drafting this outline of your concerns with mindfulness programs. I recently saw this post that laid out the challenges that researchers are having with mindfulness programs - https://www.mindful.org/science-mindfulness-needs/. It's interesting to see that the field is having a moment of self-reflection as well.
Dr. Ari Yares