A Novel Mindful-Compassion Art Therapy (MCAT) Supervision

Summary

Background: The need for empathy and the difficulties of coping with morality when caring for the dying and the bereaved pose great psychological and spiritual strains. End-of-Life (EoL) care professionals including doctors, nurses and social workers are particularly prone to burnout given the intense emotional and existential nature of their work. Supervision is one important way to provide adequate support that focuses on both professional and personal competencies in working with death and loss. Previous research has provided strong evidence that support the inclusion of art therapy within supervision for it had effectively reduced burnout and enhanced emotional regulation. Combining the practice of mindfulness in art-therapy based supervision has immense potential to create a dynamic platform for self-care and collegial support, of which could ultimately cultivate sustained resilience, compassion and growth among those immersed the fields of hospice and palliative care.

Methods/Design: A randomized wait-list control trial design. 60 EoL care professionals were randomly allocated into one of two groups: (i) Intervention group (MCAT Supervision), and (ii) Control group (MCAT Supervision will be provided after the intervention group completed all supervision sessions). Both quantitative and qualitative outcomes were assessed at baseline, immediately after intervention, and four weeks post intervention. Primary outcome measure included level of burnout. Secondary outcomes included death attitude and fear of death, emotional awareness and regulation, resilience, compassion, and overall quality of life. Qualitative data were analyzed using Framework method.

Discussion: The integration of art and mindfulness practice to process the needs of professional EoL caregivers for self-care is a scarcely explored area in the field of hospice and palliative care in Singapore and in the international context. This pilot study proposes to develop and test a novel Mindful-Compassion Art Therapy (MCAT) Supervision for professional EoL caregivers. The expected outcome would generate new knowledge contributing to advancements in both theories and practice in hospice and palliative care for Singapore and across the globe.

Conditions

• End-of-life Care

Interventions

BEHAVIORAL

Mindful-Compassion Art Therapy Supervision

Each "Mindful-Compassion Art Therapy Supervision" group will focus on 3 major areas that cultivate self-care, resilience and communal support. The specific structure include: (1) Self-care and Stress Management in Week 1 and 2 (i.e., concept of mindfulness and art, the symbol of the mandala and its use in self-care, mindfulness practice and art); (2) Sharing of Clinical Expertise and Experiences in Week 3 and 4 (i.e., Create mindful art about one meaningful and one challenging patient/client interaction with small group discussion); and (3) Understanding Grief and Meaning-Making in Week 5 and 6 (i.e., Create mindful art representing a clinical encounter of mortality, and meaning-making from reflection on grief).

Sponsors & Collaborators

• HCA Hospice Care

  collaborator OTHER

• Nanyang Technological University

  lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

• Andy Hau Yan Ho, PhD, EdD · Nanyang Technological University

Study Design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

HEALTH_SERVICES_RESEARCH

Masking

NONE

Model

PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age

18 Years

Sex

ALL

Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2015-06-01

Primary Completion

2019-06-30

Completion

2019-06-30

Countries

• Singapore

Study Locations