Introducing mindfulness and compassion‐based interventions to improve verbal creativity in students of clinical and health psychology.

OBJECTIVES: In the field of psychotherapy, verbal creativity has been suggested as an important aspect in psychotherapists' training. In the present study, the effects of a mindfulness and compassion‐based intervention (MCBI) on verbal creativity are analysed in students of clinical and health psychology (N = 90). DESIGN: Students were randomly assigned to an experimental group (n = 37), in which an MCBI was applied, and a waiting list group (n = 26) with no intervention. We also assessed a non‐randomized active control group (n = 27), in which students received training in basic psychotherapy skills. METHODS: Verbal creativity (fluency, flexibility, and originality) was evaluated in a pre‐, post‐, and follow‐up assessment. RESULTS: Results indicated a significant increase in fluency (p =.001, d =.64), flexibility (p =.017, d =.67), and originality (p =.004, d =.72) in the experimental group, relative to the waiting list group, in the post‐assessment. Fluency (p =.010, d =.64) and flexibility (p =.033, d =.62) were also found to be higher in the follow‐up assessment. In addition, results indicated a significant increase in flexibility (p =.034, d =.74) in the experimental group, relative to the active control group, in the follow‐up assessment. CONCLUSIONS: Introducing MCBI in the university education of psychotherapists seems to be a useful strategy to improve their verbal creativity, which could positively influence their ability to explore and appropriately respond to their patients' needs. Practitioner points: Mindfulness and compassion‐based interventions (MCBIs) could be a useful strategy to improve verbal creativity in the university education of psychotherapists.After the MCBI, students of clinical and health psychology increased the number of ideas they produced when facing a specific situation, as well as their variety and originality.