Generating wellbeing
Compassion-based approaches are an effective way of generating greater psychological wellbeing. However, there has been limited application, and scientific trial, of these approaches in educational settings.
To address this, and with the aim of supporting those in the education sector, our research-active psychologists, who are world leads in the development of Compassion-Focused Therapy (CFT) and Compassionate Mind Training (CMT), are applying their knowledge and developments within the educational sector.
Applied research aims
The research team is led by Professor Frances Maratos. Professor Maratos and colleagues progress compassion-based interventions across different educational settings and with different groups of individuals, including staff, pupils and higher education students, to explore the feasibility and effectiveness of Compassion in Education.
The team rigorously evaluate the effectiveness of their compassion-based interventions in educational settings and with different groups. This evaluation includes the intervention effects on psychological wellbeing, physiological wellbeing and prosocial behaviours.
The research team have produced effective curriculums and Continuing Professional Developments (CPDs) that teachers, lecturers and others can train in for their own wellbeing and to lead in their own schools, colleges, universities and beyond. The aim of this is to improve the experiences and wellbeing of all and ensure compassion in education is scalable.
Making a difference
To date, we have developed four curriculums. These are:
Compassionate Mind Training for Teachers, Staff and Educators (CMT-TSE) has been trialled internationally with over 700 teachers, educators and further staff working in high burn-out occupations. Results, now published in six journals, reveal that those who undertake the six-module CPD show significant decreases in anxiety, depression and stress, have improved job satisfaction and have better physiological health (as measured by greater heart-rate variability), compared with staff who have not taken the course. In addition, results reveal the CPD enables staff to better emotionally regulate and have greater compassion for those they work with, as well as themselves.
"The education sector are currently facing a recruitment and retention crisis. It is well known that many teachers feel overworked, under-appreciated and stressed. The partnership work carried out with the University of Derby has enabled us to invest in our staff’s mental health and wellbeing. This project has come at the right time for us. Never has it been more important or needed. I cannot thank the University enough.“ - Head teacher taking part in the CMT-TSE programme.
Compassionate Mind Training for Pupils – Wellbeing: Our Brains, Our Bodies (CMT-Pupils WoBoB) has been trialled with over 300 pupils in the UK. Results reveal that the lessons protect pupils from increases in anxiety, promote inclusivity and kindness, and provide children with the skills they need to better emotionally regulate their moods and feelings. All of these promote better in-class relations, behaviour and management.
“It has helped me feel a lot more positive about myself. My behaviour has improved even more after the project.” - Child taking part in the CMT-Pupils (WoBoB) programme.
Compassionate Communication in Further and Higher Education (CC-FE/HE) has been trialled with over 900 hundred University of Derby students. Results reveal that it helps students address unhelpful group behaviours, employ more helpful group behaviours and develop enhanced feelings of inclusivity, especially when team working.
"It made you more aware of things like eye contact and how important it is to make sure that you're including everybody and not just letting one person dominate the conversations." - Student taking part in the CC-FE/HE Programme.
International reach
As part of the CMT-TSE research, Professor Maratos has collaborated with Dr Marcela Matos, University of Coimbra, to enable its availability in Portugal.
Professor Maratos has also been working with schools and teachers across Wales in collaboration with Learning Mindfully (Liz Williams), to ensure CMT-TSE and CMT-Pupils WoBoB can be made available more widely in the UK. Plus, the CMT-Pupils WoBoB curriculum is currently being rescoped to produce a version suitable for younger children, led by PhD student Julie Hurst. Professor Maratos’ research is also expanding further afield to work with researchers in Ireland, Poland and Australia.
As part of our CC-HE research, all psychology students at the University of Derby take part in CC-HE as part of their HE studies. The approach is further being rolled out across the University. In addition, Dr Caroline Harvey and Professor Frances Maratos are involved in the roll-out of the pedagogical approach with the University of Hull and the University of Central Lancashire, enabling more widespread trial of the approach in UK universities.
Dr Harvey is also collaborating with the University of Hong Kong on a wider initiative they are implementing to embed compassionate approaches in their curriculum. In addition, the CC-HE curriculum is currently being rescoped to produce a version suitable for FE students, led by PhD student Hannah Dunn.
Services on offer
As we have now effectively trialled and rigorously evaluated our curriculums and CPDs, with results published in the highest calibre journals, our main focus is on providing these initiatives for school staff, educators, school pupils, students within higher education and those working in high burn-out/high emotional labour professions.
Compassionate Mind Training for Teachers, Staff and Educators
Compassionate Mind Training for Teachers, Educators and Staff (CMT-TSE) aims to improve the wellbeing of staff across the education sector and beyond. As part of the staff CPD, we deliver an insightful programme to help those working in educational settings and high burn-out occupations gain a greater understanding of emotions – including emotion regulation in the brain and the body.
We also share a variety of compassion-based practices to cultivate emotional well-being. The initiative is based on the latest science and practices as devised by our teams of world-leading experts in the field. The course comprises six 90-minute modules designed to be progressed over 8-12 weeks (e.g. one school term or two half terms). Delegates are provided with all course materials such as module materials, practice sheets and audios.
Module content encompasses:
- Understanding of compassion and our tricky brains
- Exploration of emotions and the stress response
- Building the compassionate mind
- Using the compassionate mind to address stress and promote better emotion regulation
- Using the compassionate mind to address tricky situations with others
- Using the compassionate mind to address self-criticism
- Compassionate communication and compassionate flows: use in everyday life/a whole school and organisation ethos
CMT-TSE, developed by Professor Maratos and colleagues at the University, has now been trialled with over 700 educators across the UK and Portugal. Rigorous evaluation of its effectiveness has been published in six international peer-reviewed journals and reveals the specific CPD to improve both psychological and physiological health.
This includes improved emotion regulation, protection from burn-out, anxiety and depression, increased compassion towards self and others, improved job satisfaction, improved work-life balance, and better heart and cardiovascular functioning. CMT-TSE, therefore, allows for an affordable approach to improving staff well-being, which can improve the immediate environment (e.g. classroom/workspace), impacting the well-being/behaviour of the wider community (e.g. pupils or further staff). Example testimonials are available on the booking page.
Compassionate Mind Training for Pupils
Compassionate Mind Training for Pupils (CMT-Pupils) aims to improve the wellbeing of students of both primary and secondary age (those in Year 6 and 7). As part of the initiative, we have developed a six-lesson series entitled ‘Wellbeing: Our Brains, Our Bodies’ that helps pupils gain greater understanding of their own emotions – including how emotions work in the brain and the body.
We also introduce a range of fun practices and exercises that are based upon our compassion-based ethos as well as positive psychology. The initiative is based on the latest science and practices as devised by our team of world-leading experts. Training in the approach is delivered over two days and includes all lesson materials. Content of the lessons, and training in their delivery, encompasses:
- Materials based upon understanding emotions (including difficult emotions of fear, anger and worry/anxiety)
- How we often experience mixes of emotions (the three circles model)
- Practices that can be used to help understand and regulate such emotions; and feelings of worry/anxiety
- Practices that encourage calming and contented emotions, as well as a more positive mind-set
- The flows of compassion (i.e., compassion for self, compassion for others and compassion from others)
CMT-Pupils WoBoB, developed by Professor Maratos and colleagues at the University, has now been trialled with over 300 UK pupils in Year 6 and Year 7 using cluster-controlled trial designs. Rigorous evaluation of its effectiveness with Year 7 pupils has been published in an international peer-reviewed quartile 1 journal. This trial highlighted ways to enhance social inclusion among pupils and their teachers, support children in managing their emotions more effectively - leading to better classroom behaviour - and protect them from rising anxiety, perfectionism, and self-criticism. CMT-Pupils WoBoB therefore allows for an affordable approach to improving pupil wellbeing, especially when considering that in current times, anxiety is the leading cause of pupil absence in the UK.
CMT-Pupils WoBoB provides an affordable approach as, per school, only a small number of teachers need to be trained in WoBoB curriculum delivery. Once trained, these individuals can then deliver CMT-Pupils WoBoB to all children in Year 6 and/or Year 7 in their school as part of RSE/SEAL/PSHE provision.
Compassionate Communication in Further and Higher Education (CC-FE/HE)
The Compassionate Communication in Further and Higher Education (CC-FE/HE) student initiative arm aims to improve group functioning, along with feelings of wellbeing and group belonging in FE/HE by embedding the ethos of compassion in the taught curriculum. During this programme, you will learn about the principles of compassionate communication, as well as be introduced to ways in which developing compassionate communication skills can be beneficial for students. This pedagogical approach supports students to work more effectively as part of a team, and enhances a core employability skill: effective communication.
Our initiative is based on the latest science and practices as devised by our team of world-leading experts. The training is delivered over the course of a full day during which you will also be provided with a range of video resources exemplifying key concepts.
Content of the programme, and training in the approach, encompasses:
- Defining compassion and how this can be applied in FE/HE settings
- Strategies to enhance inclusivity
- Exploring and understanding helpful and unhelpful communicative behaviours
- Techniques to address unhelpful communicative behaviours
CCFE/HE developed by Dr Harvey and Professor Maratos has now been trialled with over 1000 undergraduate students at the University of Derby. The data shows positive impacts of the approach on: prosocial behaviours; improved confidence in group work and group communications; and reductions in loneliness. Students who have engaged with the CC-FE/HE approach also feel more aware of the impact of their own communication style, including improved interactions with peers inside and outside of the classroom.
Additionally, students who struggle to engage in group discussions report feeling more supported and included, with staff observing the clear benefits of the CCFE/HE curriculum regarding student inclusion and self-awareness. CC-FE/HE, therefore, allows for an affordable approach to effective student group work.
This course will provide you with the knowledge and materials required to deliver this programme with your own students to improve the core employability skill of effective communication and enhance feelings of belonging.
Wellbeing in the Workplace: Emotions, Behaviour and Communication
In this half-day Wellbeing in the Workplace: Emotions, Behaviour and Communication CPD, you will be introduced to wellbeing related psychoeducation and practices, along with compassionate communication skills that are essential for effective team working. You will have the opportunity to understand more about how stressful situations affect the brain and behaviour and explore how emotions impact brain and body physiological responses. We will explore how emotions can be encompassed within “drive”, “threat” and “soothing” motivational systems and you will be introduced to techniques that can be used to down-regulate threat and stress through simple exercises to support your wellbeing.
We will also consider how we can be more compassionate when communicating with others and the benefits this can bring to employment situations. Practices and techniques to understand what we can do to support both ourselves and others to communicate more effectively are then introduced and discussed.
Content of the CPD encompasses:
- Materials to support understanding of emotions and how these can be interpreted as “drive”, “threat” and “soothing”
- Exploration of our “tricky brains” and how this impacts our threat, drive and soothing systems
- Practices that can be used to help regulate emotions and down-regulate stress, threat and anxiety
- Understanding motives and emotions underlying various communication styles
- Exploration of communication techniques to support effective communication across employment situations
Our Wellbeing in the Workplace CPD, developed by Professor Maratos and Dr Harvey, draws on core elements of our evidence-led programmes CMT-TSE and CC-FE/HE. Staff attending our Wellbeing in the Workplace programme will benefit from a range of evidence-based techniques which they can use to support their own wellbeing. Example testimonials are available on the booking page.
Select publications
Our curriculums have been scientifically scrutinised and evaluated. Our wellbeing initiatives in education are unique in that our researchers have published evidence relating to the psychological and physiological beneficial effects of the Compassion in Education curriculums/CPDs in the highest quality internationally peer-reviewed journals and edited books.
Below are just a few publication examples:
The research of Professor Maratos, Dr Harvey and colleagues has also been featured in the TES, Schools Week, the Times Higher Education and the Psychologist. In addition, Professor Maratos has produced several media pieces and blogs around the topics of wellbeing, the UK educational system and child mental health.
Funding
To support the Compassion in Education research, the team of researchers have previously received funding from the University of Derby, The Reed Foundation, the Compassionate Mind Foundation, Learning Mindfully Wales and the Tavistock and Portman NHS Trust.
If additional funders would like to be involved or learn more about the research, please contact Professor Frances Maratos (f.maratos@derby.ac.uk) who would welcome the opportunity for a discussion.
Meet the team
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