Mindfulness for Performance Anxiety

Mindfulness Coaching for Passing Standardized Examinations

Have you failed your exam — not because you don’t know the material — but because anxiety took over on test day? You’re not alone. Many high-achieving professionals freeze, lose focus, or feel overwhelmed by stress when it matters most. Let’s change that!

Self-Assessment Tool

“How Much Does Test Anxiety Impact Me?”

Answer the following questions…
1. Do I blank under pressure?
2. Do I compare my test results to others?
3. Do I replay past failures in my mind?
4. Does my anxiety gets worse as test day nears?

If you checked two or more boxes, then this service may help you!

The Benefits of Mindfulness for Test Takers

Mindfulness is a meditative practice that involves training one’s ability to pay attention to what is happening in the moment without reacting to elaborate mental stories about the experience that may activate distressing thoughts or emotions. Instead, the experience is accepted without judgment or avoidance. Similarly, mindfulness is associated with improvements in concentration and awareness of thoughts and feelings as transient mental and physical events–not as factual representations of reality that demand a response. In this way, test takers trained in mindfulness can learn to witness distressing events from a more distanced and less personal perspective, which may allow for more reflective, intentional action and less impulsive, “automatic” emotional reactivity.

What is more, a recent research study discovered that mindfulness training significantly boosts test scores on the Graduate Record Examinations (GRE) by improving working memory and reducing mind wandering while test taking (Mrazek, et al., 2013). When test-takers in the study redirected their newly developed mindfulness skills to the task of taking the GRE, they found they were better able to concentrate on the test-taking process despite the presence of various internal and external distractions.

The Stories Behind The Coaching

My Coaching Philosophy

I encourage associates to adopt a new and radical way of relating to their exams––one that allows intrinsic cognitive functions like concentration and working memory to flow optimally as they answer complex test questions under the pressure of elapsing time. Moreover, I encourage associates to aspire to be at their very best on test day rather than attaching to any expectation that they must pass!

Why this philosophy? I believe that approaching the examination process with an attitude of aspiration and acceptance of––any exam outcome––promotes a sense of ease and well-being, which allows associates to remain centered and calm during exams. Similarly, I believe that cultivating an attitude of attachment to a certain exam outcome creates undue stress and self-judgment, which may ultimately sabotages focus and concentration. Which attitude would you rather take with you into the examination room?

Try this guided meditation!

It is designed to help you calm down by activating the parasympathetic (“rest and digest”) nervous system when you have been triggered by something in your mind or within your environment: Six-Count Breath

• Schedule Your Free Consult by calling: (323) 315-2598
• Email Dr. Madril for a 15-min Screening @ drtony@institutetraumarecovery.com
• Still Stuck After Failing an Exam? Let’s Talk!

Passing the National ASWB Clinical Exam and LMFT Clinical Exam

Passing State licensing examinations can present several unique challenges for clinical associates. In addition to the complexity and cognitive strain of answering hundreds of technical questions within a limited timeframe, many test takers lack the skills necessary to effectively manage performance anxiety while test-taking, which may ultimately prevents them from passing.

Types of Standardized Tests

What You Can Expect: The Four Phases of Mindfulness Coaching

The following Four Phases of Mindfulness Coaching provide an overview of the services you can expect to receive as a new client depending on the number of sessions you purchase. There are no set number of coaching sessions per phase of coaching; however, most of my clients complete all four phases in 6 – 8 sessions depending on their situation and how diligent they are at completing their home practice assignments.

PHASE ONE: ASSESSMENT & ORIENTATION
I will meet with you to conduct a brief assessment of what may be contributing to your difficulty with the test taking process. In addition, I will review the benefits and potential risks of mindfulness practice identified in the research, explain my coaching philosophy for test-takers, review the concept of “home practice” as an essential component of your mindfulness coaching program, and answer any questions you may have as a potential client.

PHASE TWO: THE FOUNDATIONS OF MINDFULNESS & SELF-COMPASSION
I will engage you in a multi-modal presentation of the theoretical foundations of mindfulness meditation with special emphasis on the research-based benefits of mindfulness practice for test takers. Additionally, I will review the theory and practice of self-compassion and engage you in a reflective discussion about how these tools may help you identify and work through internal obstacles to being at your “very best” on test day.

PHASE THREE: TOOLS FOR TEST DAY
I will equip you with a wide array of practical mindfulness- and self-compassion-based tools to help you successfully work through test anxiety, increase concentration, reduce mind wandering, and free yourself from harsh self-judgment in preparation for test day. I will engage you in various modes of instruction including experiential exercises, mindfulness meditation, yoga/mindful movement, periods of silence, video, didactic-style teaching, and home practice.

PHASE FOUR: PRACTICE REVIEW & TEST DAY PREPARATION
After you have had time to practice the test taking tools, I will engage you in a detailed review of the elements of your mindfulness practice, help you identify the mindfulness techniques that are working best for you (and can be strengthened) as well as those that require some adjustment to fit your unique needs as test day approaches. Finally, I will teach you specific tools that you use on test day, including creative rituals that may help you to master the test taking environment and any performance anxiety that may arise.

• Schedule Your Free Consult by calling: (323) 315-2598
• Email Dr. Madril for a 15-min Screening @ drtony@institutetraumarecovery.com
• Still Stuck After Failing an Exam? Let’s Talk!

Additional Testimonials:

"Before I sought the help from Dr. Madril, I had already failed the first exam several times.  However, with his help, I was able to pass two exams within one year!  Thus, I would like to share with all those who have been challenged by the LCSW exams my successful experiences through the tutoring of Dr. Madril.  He is a very gifted tutor with a variety of social work experiences.  He is very intelligent with profound thinking and unique insight into his trainees’ problems.  That is the reason he is able to grasp the challenges of my problem, and tailor a study strategy, which culturally fit into my background.  More importantly, he is clinically gifted enough to provide personal counseling to help me to cope with my extreme anxiety and stress about taking the exam.  By working with Dr. Madril for several sessions, I became very confident and I believed that I would pass the exams without any trouble.  It was true!  I passed two exams in a row within one year!"

–Benjamin Chan, LCSW

Ready to rethink your exam performance?
Call: 323-315-2598
Email: drtony@institutetraumarecovery.com
Appointments available weekdays, weekends + evenings