Promoting Well-Being and Responsiveness in Pre-Service Teachers Using Dialectical Behavior Therapy Skills: A Mixed-Methods Study

Mindfulness trainings are a promising approach for mitigating teacher burnout and promoting well-being and effective teaching, yet few studies with pre-service teachers employ this approach for prevention purposes, and only one has used dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) skills. In this study, 12 pre-service teachers were taught DBT skills in eight 1-hour weekly sessions to promote their mindfulness and well-being. Using mixed methods, we investigated how pre-service teachers used DBT skills and evaluated training effects and feasibility. Findings from 81 days of daily survey data indicated that pre-service teachers’ mindfulness and positive affect were significantly higher the evening after training sessions and that their positive affect remained elevated through the next evening. Completed homework sheets, researcher journals, and interviews provided evidence of how the pre-service teachers used DBT skills to navigate challenges and support their students. We identified the need for more frequent sessions and additional structures to promote practice of DBT skills in daily life. The results from this study point to the feasibility of using DBT skills in a preventative capacity as part of teacher preparation programming to support teachers’ ongoing well-being and effective teaching.