Target Audience: This activity is designed for physicians, advanced practice professionals, nurses, psychologists, pharmacists, social workers, residents/fellows, health professional students, and other mental health clinicians. This activity is accredited for physicians, nurses, PAs, pharmacists, interprofessional teams, and other health professionals.
Credit Designations Available: AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™, AAPA Category 1 CME, Nursing Contact Hours, Pharmacy CE Credit, Interprofessional Continuing Education (IPCE) Credit
Description: This activity reviews the body’s normal response to stress and also introduces two brief behavioral exercises to aid in stress reduction and present-focused awareness. Patient explanations for both exercises are provided, as are brief experiential exercises. Sample scripts for clinician use are also included. Finally, a synopsis of the evidence for these exercises is reviewed. In short, the two techniques have evidence for moderate benefit, sometimes short-term only, and no evidence for increased risk of harm. They benefit from being brief, easy to teach, portable, and skills-based (thus skills practice likely increases potential for benefit).
Educational Objectives:
- State the relation between stress and bodily responses
- Summarize the rationale for relaxation and mindfulness in the clinic in relation to stress, pain, and distress
- Describe to patients the clinical utility for relaxation and mindfulness
- Demonstrate introductory-level knowledge in instructing these two techniques based on the scripts provided
