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Mindfulness and vitality are related constructs in the literature; however, mindfulness and vitality have not been fully examined in the literature, specifically with mental health therapists. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between mindfulness and vitality among a sample of licensed mental health clinicians. Compassion satisfaction (CS) and psychological wellbeing are further explored as mechanisms by which a therapist may experience vitality and the impact mindfulness may have on these mechanisms. Mediation analyses were utilized to understand the relationship between mindfulness and vitality and the indirect paths of psychological wellbeing and CS. Results indicate that therapists with greater mindfulness report more vitality, higher overall psychological wellbeing and higher CS. As expected, the relationship between mindfulness and vitality was mediated by psychological wellbeing and CS. Results support the existing research on the relationship between mindfulness and vitality. Understanding the importance of psychological wellbeing and CS has implications for addressing the high incidences of the negative impact of therapeutic work. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Compassion satisfaction is an understudied phenomenon in the counseling literature. The impact of a clinician’s history of trauma on compassion satisfaction and potential protective factors that may enhance feelings of compassion satisfaction is equally understudied. This study aimed to address models of mindfulness as a protective factor for the associations between a clinician’s history of trauma and their experience with compassion satisfaction. The sample consisted of licensed clinicians (N = 113) reporting on their past history of trauma, dispositional mindfulness, and compassion satisfaction. Results indicated that mindfulness moderated the association between a clinician’s history of trauma and compassion satisfaction. Findings also show mindfulness to be significant in supporting a clinician’s experience with compassion satisfaction, overall. Therefore, mindfulness should be further considered as an important safeguard for clinicians to consider in order to continue to enjoy their work. Implications are considered for clinicians, counseling training programs, and agency employers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]