Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2025 Dec 9:14:27536130251407681.
doi: 10.1177/27536130251407681. eCollection 2025 Jan-Dec.

Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy for Depression, Taking It Further (MBCT-D-TiF): An Assessment of an Intervention Development Study

Chelsea J Siwik  1 , Jessica M Harrison  2 , Willem Kuyken  3 , Zindel Segal  4 , Patricia J Moran  2 , Jennifer N Felder  2   5 , Wendy Hartogensis  2 , Veronica Goldman  2 , Stuart Eisendrath  5 , Frederick M Hecht  2 , Shelley R Adler  2
Affiliations

Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy for Depression, Taking It Further (MBCT-D-TiF): An Assessment of an Intervention Development Study

Chelsea J Siwik et al. Glob Adv Integr Med Health. .

Abstract

Background: Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) reduces depression relapse, yet graduates have expressed a need for structured guidance post-program to maintain mindfulness practice and sustain benefits. To address this, we created MBCT for Depression-Taking it Further (MBCT-D-TiF).

Objective: To refine and pilot test feasibility and acceptability of MBCT-D-TiF.

Methods: We collected qualitative focus group data to inform refinements and quantitative data to pilot test feasibility and acceptability of MBCT-D-TiF. In round one, participants received MBCT-D-TiF (n = 14), consisting of 4 weekly and then monthly sessions delivered via group videoconferencing. In round two (n = 20), participants were randomized 1:1 to MBCT-D-TiF or waitlist control. Surveys were completed at baseline, 1 and 4 months by all participants. We explored participants' experiences with MBCT-D-TiF in two focus groups (n = 7 in each) conducted via videoconferencing. We used descriptive statistics and mixed linear models to analyze quantitative data and thematic content analysis to analyze qualitative data.

Results: MBCT-D-TiF participants (n = 25) attended all weekly sessions (100%) and at least 75% of the monthly sessions (76%); found the weekly sessions very or extremely helpful (77.1%), and the monthly sessions very or extremely helpful (66.7%). The following themes emerged: (1) the importance of the group for participants' social connection, support, and practice community that enhanced their meditative experience, helped improve their mental health, and facilitated accountability; (2) MBCT-D-TiF provided mental health benefits, including tools to lessen the negative impact of depression and anxiety, increase connections to the world, and enhance positive experiences; (3) participants' home practices were reinvigorated during the weekly MBCT-D-TiF sessions, but fell short of their goals thereafter.

Conclusion: MBCT-D-TiF was well attended and rated very or extremely helpful by most participants, supporting its feasibility and acceptability. Qualitative data showed that additional steps to help participants sustain home practice are needed, offering a target for refinement and further testing.

Keywords: behavioral maintenance program; depressive disorder; mental health; mind-body therapies; mindfulness; mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT).

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declared the following potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article: ZS is a co-developer of Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy and receives royalties from Guilford Press and has presented at conferences and MBCT training workshops where he has received a fee.

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Participant flow diagram for round one of MBCT-D-TiF. a The reported reasons for taking MBCT, other than depression, were anxiety (n = 27), general interest (n = 5), panic attacks (n = 3), and other (n = 4). b Individuals who passed the online screening survey, but were not available to attend the pre-scheduled round one classes were deferred to round two. These individuals (n = 24) are included in Figure 2.
Figure 2.
Figure 2.
Participant flow diagram for round two of MBCT-D-TiF. a The reported reasons for taking MBCT, other than depression, were anxiety (n = 14), general interest (n = 2), and other (n = 4). b After MBCT-D-TiF round two monthly classes ended, participants who received MBCT-D-TiF (in round one [Figure 1] or round two) were invited to attend a focus group to provide feedback about their experience. Two focus groups were conducted (n = 7 in each group). The first focus group had 3 participants from round one and 4 participants from round two. The second focus group had 3 participants from round one and 4 participants from round two.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Metrics IoH, Evaluation . Global health data exchange (GHDx). 2021.
    1. Nuggerud-Galeas S, Sáez-Benito Suescun L, Berenguer TN, et al. Analysis of depressive episodes, their recurrence and pharmacologic treatment in primary care patients: a retrospective descriptive study. PLoS One. 2020;15(5):e0233454. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Segal Z, Williams M, Teasdale J. Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy for Depression. Guilford Press; 2012.
    1. Tickell A, Ball S, Bernard P, et al. The effectiveness of mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) in real-world healthcare services. Mindfulness. 2020;11:279-290. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Kuyken W, Warren FC, Taylor RS, et al. Efficacy of mindfulness-based cognitive therapy in prevention of depressive relapse: an individual patient data meta-analysis from randomized trials. JAMA Psychiatry. 2016;73(6):565-574. - PMC - PubMed