Strengthening relationships through mindfulness practices

From birth onward, child development is shaped by the environmental context in which children are raised and relationships with their primary caregivers. Emotion regulation is a foundational skill that impacts the parent-child relationship. Mindfulness-Based Emotion Regulation (MBER) is one course offered to caregivers focused on strengthening emotion regulation among parents, using mindfulness. Using the Enhanced Critical Incident Technique methodology, individual interviews were conducted with eight participants, who shared their application of the material to their family life. Two research questions were examined, addressing what helped, hindered, and what participants wish in mindfulness education to create healthier relationships to their children. Results showed that the helpful incidents outweighed the number of hindering and wish list incidents. Participants reported feeling motivated to incorporate mindfulness in their relationships, and more confident as a caregiver. The purpose of the current project is to increase our knowledge about using a family-centered approach with our clients.