Book Description

Applied Mindfulness: Approaches in Mental Health for Children and Adolescents starts from the premise that mental health clinicians must have their own mindfulness practice before teaching the tenets and techniques of mindfulness to others, including young people. To that end, the book offers readers clear instructions on how to first practice mindfulness in their own lives and then extend their personal practice outward to others. Once this knowledge is internalized, the clinician can focus on mindfulness in terms of its application to specific clinical diagnoses, such as anxiety and depression, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, and substance abuse. Because many mental health professionals work in multiple settings, such as in schools, in clinics, and online, the contributors, representing a wide range of creative and authoritative voices, explain how to skillfully tailor mindfulness interventions for effective application across diverse contexts. Drs. Carrion and Rettger, as Director of the Stanford Early Life Stress and Pediatric Anxiety Program (SELSPAP) and Director of SELSPAP's Mindfulness Program, respectively, have been engaged in ongoing community-based work delivering mindfulness and yoga programming to underserved youth and their helpers. This expertise is evident in their eloquent yet down-to-earth editing. The volume offers clinicians everything they need to begin their mindfulness journey, including the following: - Introductory knowledge on how to get started with a meditation practice. Specific mindfulness scripts are provided throughout the book to foster development of the reader's own practice. In addition, there are audio practices and clear written descriptions of practices to offer support for those learning to meditate, internalize mindfulness practices, and then adapt these skills for clinical practice. - A developmental and ecological approach to implementing mindfulness. The book offers insight into integrating mindfulness across many settings, platforms, and applications, and includes chapters on mindfulness online, at home, and in school, as well as chapters on incorporating nature into mindfulness practice and the relationship between mindfulness and creativity. - Material on specific clinical populations, including immigrant youth and incarcerated youth. A special chapter is devoted to trauma-informed yoga, which has been shown to be an effective therapeutic intervention for youth who have been incarcerated. - Comprehensive information on the current state of youth mindfulness research, which prepares readers to discuss these topics knowledgeably with colleagues and patients. Like ripples in water, the benefits of mindfulness spread outward, from clinicians to patients, families, schools, and communities. Applied Mindfulness: Approaches in Mental Health for Children and Adolescents is the first step toward stress reduction, peace, and compassion for a new generation.