Joyce M. Willis, LPC
Lead Therapist/Training Specialist
The Meadows
Why Mindfulness for Children and
Youth?
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Self-Management Techniques
Increases optimism and socially competent behavior
Improves ability to tolerate stress
It is relatively easy to teach mindfulness to our young
clients
 Gives youth a tool to stop habitual automatic reactions
 “Regardless of race, education or economic status, an
alarming number of children and adolescents are
diagnosed with ADHD, depression, anxiety, obesity, eating
disorders, and addictions and engaging in cutting and
other self-destructive behaviors, including suicide.”
Dr. Amy Saltzman
Mental Health and Psychological WellBeing
 Trauma
 Anxiety
 Depression
 ADHD (Balancing Chips Game Handout)
 Sleep Disorders
 Anger
 Autism (Meditation on the Soles of the Feet Handout)
 Self-Awareness and Self-Esteem
 The Whole Child!
Benefits of Mindfulness
 Body and emotional regulation
 Insight
 Attunement with others
 Empathy
 Better impulse control/Response flexibility
 Fear modulation
 Intuition
 Increased attention Span
 Morality
 Improved cognitive and performance skills
 Less negative emotions and anxiety
Adding Meditation – Benefits of
Mindful Meditation
 Improved concentration
 Improved Immune System
 Reduced stress
 Improved cardio health and lowered blood pressure
 Improved self-awareness
 Improved sleep
How to get adolescents to “buy-in” to
Mindfulness
 Show them how they are already mindful
 Relate mindfulness to their issue(s)
 Give a simple definition (Handout 3-1)
 Explain “Present Moment” Awareness in their terms (Handout –
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Getting Into the Present Moment)
Involve parents/caregivers
Model mindfulness
Let them know what is in it for them
Teach them about their Brain and Mind (Handouts 3-18-1 and 3-11A)
Tie into technology – APPS!
Common Obstacles
 I don’t have time
 I forgot
 I can’t stay focused, so
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why bother?
I don’t know how to do it
right
This doesn’t work for me
I fall asleep
Mindfulness is for holy
people
 I feel embarrassed
 It’s boring
 I don’t see how this can
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possibly help me
I don’t like doing this
It’s not cool
I’m hungry (but I might
not know it)
Lack of parental support
A few tools…
 Mindfulness Based Interventions (Yoga, Body Scan,
meditation, Tai Chi…)
 Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction
 Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy
Interventions/Games
Journaling:
 About your understanding of what mindfulness is
 About the benefits of mindfulness
 About breathing
 About your objections to mindfulness
 About your plans to use mindfulness
 About why mindfulness helps you with depression, anxiety,
concentration, hyperactivity, anger, sleep, self-confidence, getting alont
with others….
 About how present moment awareness changes your day
 About your fears
More Tools/Games
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A Focus Exercise!
Two Steps, One Breath
Three Breaths
Apple Meditation
Dots game
Simon Says
Guess the Object Game
Lovingkindness Meditation for Children
Other games…included in your handouts!
Resources
APPS
 Insight Meditation Timer – Shows all locations worldwide
where people are meditating
 Stop, Breathe and Think – User selects several words to
describe how they are feeling and app recommends guided
meditations for user’s current feeling state
 Smiling Mind- Designed for adolescents: Australian/British
accent
 Take a Break – For all ages (adults, too!); short guided
meditations for stress relief
Resources
 www.mindfulschools.org
 www.thehawnfoundation.org – MindUP Program
 www.MindfulnessFirst.org – non-profit in Scottsdale,
offers Introduction to Mindfulness classes for children
and families, classes for parents with children who
have ADHD and Mindful Art classes
 www.GrowingMindfully.com – (Stephanie Cordel) –
provides education to children and families on
mindfulness, free family meet-up groups.
[email protected]
Resources
 www.childmind.org
 www.mindfulnessforteens.com
 www.learning2breathe.org
 Mindfulness Skills for Kids and Teens by Debra Burdick
(www.pesipublishing.com)
 Mindfulness and Yoga Skills for Children and Adolescents
by Barbara Neiman(www.pesipublishing.com)
 Learning to Breathe: A Mindfulness Curriculum for
Adolescents by Patricia Broderick
 You Tube Video – “Just Breathe” by Julie Salzman
…and more Resources…
 www.calmclassroom.com; Mindfulness-Based
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Children tools
 Mindfulness Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Anxious
Children by Randye J. Semple, Phd. And Jennifer Lee,
Phd. This book is a complete professional program for
children ages 9 – 12.
 Article: Mindfulness for Children and Youth: A Review
of Literature with an Argument for School-Based
Implementation by Kim D. Rempel
 Growing Mindful Card deck; available at
www.pesipublishing .com