Integrating Mindfulness-Based Pedagogy in Social Work Education to Advance Policy and Practice Preparedness: A Framework Synthesis

Background and Purpose

Social work science is engaged with complex policy environments shaped by the dynamic social-political changes. Consequently, social work education faces growing challenges in preparing students for the dynamic practice and policy environment. While the traditional teaching approaches primarily focus on the technical knowledge, there remains a critical need to focus on the relational, reflective, and systems-thinking abilities required for effective policy and practice engagement. Despite the rapid trend toward mindfulness-based approaches in education and health professions to foster inner capacities, social work education lacks a comprehensive disciplinary framework to guide mindfulness-based pedagogy (MBP). This study addresses this gap by developing a conceptual framework based on MBP as a transformative pedagogical strategy. Further, it methodically expands its function in cultivating competencies such as critical self-awareness, ethical reflexivity, and systems thinking that are necessary for policy and practice in contemporary social work.

Methods

Using framework synthesis, this study identified interdisciplinary literature on mindfulness-based pedagogical strategies mainly from social work, education, and health sciences. To identify focused literature, this study developed a conceptual framework rooted in social work science and ethics and the Council on Social Work Education competencies, with a focus on MBP’s potential for policy and practice preparedness. Peer-reviewed literature published between 2000 and 2024 from PsycINFO, Google Scholar, ERIC, PubMed, and Social Work Abstracts was included. Data analysis was guided by CSWE competencies, focused on critical assessment of pedagogical strategies and their role in enhancing policy- and practice-related competencies.

Results

This framework synthesis identified three key pedagogical domains that MBP may use to enhance policy and practice preparedness in social work science. In policy and practice contexts, the first was the necessity of cultivating critical and reflective self-awareness regarding positionality, bias, and ethical responsibility. Second, the ethical, relational, and critical collaborative practice and policy engagement gained central focus. This domain outlined the framework and mechanisms to cultivate empathy, compassion, and relational skills such as listening. The third domain was about ensuring the competent ability to analyze systemic dimensions and the need for encouraging students to connect micro-level reflection with macro-level systems change and policy advocacy.

Conclusions and Implications

This study provided foundational conceptual guidance for integrating MBP as a pedagogical framework addressing the critical need for social work students to focus on their cognitive and affective dimensions while dealing with the external policy and practice demands. The findings inform social work education that strives for dynamic pedagogical models for preparing reflective, relationally engaged, and systems-oriented social work practitioners. To advance this study, additional empirical research is required to assess the implementation and effectiveness of MBP-informed curricula on policy- and practice-focused competency development across in-person, hybrid, and online social work educational settings and modalities.