Single Case Evaluation of a Mindfulness-Based Mobile Application with a Substance Abuse Counselor

Abstract

We implemented an exploratory A-B single case research design with a phenomenological lens to analyze journal entries to assess the effectiveness of a 12-week mindfulness-based mobile intervention to reduce burnout and increase mindfulness and self-compassion. Our participant was one 55-year-old White woman employed as a substance abuse counselor at a medium sized treatment facility in a midwestern state. We collected three weeks of baseline data followed by a 12-week intervention using the Calm © app and collected self-reported scores on the Copenhagen Burnout Inventory, Freiburg Mindfulness Inventory, and the Self-Compassion Scale across baseline and intervention phases. Data analyses using the Percentage of Data Exceeding the Median provide preliminary evidence that using the Calm © app across 12 weeks may decrease levels of burnout and increase levels of mindfulness but provided no evidence for increased self-compassion. We provide suggestions for substance abuse counselors and discuss the limitations and future research recommendations.

Keywords:

• Mindfulness
• burnout
• self-compassion
• mobile application
• single case research design

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Karisse A. Callender

Karisse A. Callender is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Counselor Education and Counseling Psychology at Marquette University, Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Her research interests include mindfulness, trauma, and substance use.

Caroline E. Trustey

Caroline E. Trustey is a counselor education doctoral student in the Department of Counseling and Educational Development at the University of North Carolina, Greensboro, North Carolina. Her research interests include substance use and social justice.

Leslie Alton

Leslie Alton is a behavioral specialist at Rogers Behavioral Health, Skokie, Illinois. Her research interests include young adults with mood disorders in outpatient settings.

Yuan Hao

Yuan Hao is a counseling psychology doctoral student in the Department of Professional Psychology and Family Therapy at Seton Hall University in New Jersey. Her research interests include addiction and multicultural issues.