This study focused on the effects of a six-week mindfulness course on college students intending to enter a helping profession (e.g. nursing, social work, counseling, psychology, and teaching). The 31 participants ranged in age from 21 to 54 with a mean age of 29.26 years. There were 27 females and 4 males. The participants enrolled in a one to three credit course on mindfulness that included six weekly sessions of mindfulness training. The training utilized meditation, yoga, a body scan exercise, and qi gong. The participants completed the Perceived Stress Scale, the Mindful Awareness Attention Scale, and the Self-Compassion Scale. Perceived stress significantly decreased between pre-intervention and post-intervention and stayed stable between post-intervention and follow-up. Mindfulness significantly increased between pre-intervention and post-intervention and significantly increased between post-intervention and follow-up. Self-compassion significantly increased between pre-intervention and post-intervention and stayed stable between post-intervention and follow-up. Implications for future research and practice are explored. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]