1. Implementing Mindfulness Meditation at a College Counseling Center
Acacia G. Cook, MSSA Candidate, Leadership Fellows Program
Case Western Reserve University
Setting
Baldwin Wallace University Counseling Center
Target Population
Young adult students, age 18-22 years old
(undergraduate and graduate) who are experiencing
symptoms of Anxiety and/or Depression
Current Issues
• 50% of college students report significant levels of anxiety and depression1
• 64% of students who have dropped out of college report doing so due to
mental health issues2
• 39% of college students surveyed said that there was on average a 5+ day wait
to see a therapist at their counseling center 2
“A way of paying attention: on purpose, in the present moment and
non‐judgmentally to whatever arises in the field of your experience.”6
Key Components to Mindfulness
• Being Present in the moment
• Openness to the experience
• Non-Judgmental Stance
• Non-Attachment
• Self-Compassion
• “Koru Mindfulness helped me find a more relaxed state and helped me to focus
my thoughts.”
• “I enjoyed being here. The instructor was very friendly and made my experience
a good one.”
• “Koru Mindfulness was very helpful! I was able to direct my focus away from
everything that I have to do.”
Background Information
What is Mindfulness?
Personal Testimonials from BW
Students
Koru Mindfulness
• Koru Mindfulness is a Mindfulness program specifically designed for college-
aged students 4
• Koru Mindfulness teaches mind-body skills such as abdominal breathing,
guided imagery and insight meditation practice 1
• The skills that Koru mindfulness teaches have
been shown to help in stress and
anxiety reduction 3
Koru Mindfulness Curriculum
• The program is 4-5 weeks long and ideally taught in the evenings when clients are finished
with work 4
• It is ideally taught by two highly trained instructors 4
• The ideal amount of students in a class is 12 but the number of students can range from 4-
14 students 4
• Each class is about 75 minutes and includes an opening meditation, a longer meditation and
a closing meditation 4
• The course follows a strict syllabus that includes weekly journaling, and daily mood logs 4
Empirical Evidence
Barriers to Implementation
Recommendations for Future
Implementation
• A 2014 study done using undergraduate students, graduate students and professional students
showed a significant decrease in sleep disturbance, and perceived stress using Koru
Mindfulness 1
• Koru Mindfulness is currently taught in its original format at Duke University
• A study done on college aged students dealing with
depression found that students who had experienced
4 or fewer episodes of depression had drastic positive
results when using mindfulness meditation 5
• Baldwin Wallace University is a small, private school. This was a barrier to implementation
because it made group therapy meetings less successful. Clients worried about
confidentiality, which could not be guaranteed in a group setting.
• Training is expensive and requires multiple workshops to be completed and hours of
supervised training.
• Each session is 75 minutes long, and it is required that each student attend. This is a large
block of time to request of students.
• Practicing Mindfulness in a group setting requires a level of openness that some clients
have a difficult time achieving.
• Advertising for the workshop is very important and if not done in a timely manner can
affect the turnout of the group.
• Pre-test and post-test is given while the instructor is sitting in the room with the client.
Modifications to Implementation
• Class was changed from a two hour time block to a one hour block.
• One client was seen per half hour
• Each session included was conducted as follows:
• Pre-Test Evaluation (1-2 minutes)
• Psycho-education about what Mindfulness is and what it entails
(3-5 minutes)
• Mindfulness Exercise (10 -20 minutes)
• Feedback about exercise (5 minutes)
• Post-Test Evaluation (1-2 minutes)
• Analyzing school size and past successes with group therapies
• Professional training of at least one therapist in Koru Mindfulness
• Shorter time blocks for Mindfulness practice instead of a 75 minute session
• More advertising
• Allowing for privacy when completing the pre-test and post-test to avoid bias
1. Greeson, J. M., Juberg, M. K., Maytan, M., James, K., & Rogers, H. (2014). A randomized controlled trial of koru: a mindfulness program for college students and other emerging adults. Journal of
American College Health, 62(4), 222-233.
2. College Students Speak: A Survey Report on Mental Health. © 2012 by NAMI, the National Alliance on Mental Illness. Written by Darcy Gruttadaro and Dana Crudo Designed by Dana Crudo.
3. Greeson, J. M., Toohey, M. J., & Pearce, M. J. (2015). An Adapted, Four-Week Mind–Body Skills Group for Medical Students: Reducing Stress, Increasing Mindfulness, and Enhancing Self-Care.
Explore: The Journal of Science and Healing, 11(3), 186-192.
4. Rogers, H., & Maytan, M. (2012). Mindfulness for the next generation: Helping emerging adults manage stress and lead healthier lives. OUP USA.
5. Manicavasgar, V., Parker, G., & Perich, T. (2011). Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy vs cognitive behaviour therapy as a treatment for non-melancholic depression. Journal of Affective Disorders,
130(1), 138-144.
6. Ward, S. (2015). What is Mindfulness?. TraderMind: Get a Mindful Edge in the Markets, 1-21.