Mindfulness-based Interventions With Children and Adolescents ― Research and Practice

Mindfulness is the ability to be in the present moment without being distracted by one’s thoughts, feelings, and perceptions. Although present for centuries in most wisdom traditions, mindfulness has only recently entered the consciousness of mainstream western society. Clinically, mindfulness-based interventions have been used to counter pain and suffering resulting from medical, psychological and psychiatric conditions, as well as for reducing stress in various populations. Mindfulness-based Interventions with Children and Adolescents explores the use of such interventions with children and adolescents across a wide range of topical areas.

With contributions from internationally-renowned clinicians and scholars, this book draws upon current research in the field in order to explore topics such as the fundamentals of teaching mindfulness to children and adolescents; assessment of mindfulness in this population; use of mindfulness in educational settings; and clinical applications in mental health populations, including substance abuse, hyperactivity, and intellectual and developmental disabilities. The book will present a synthesis of extant research on how to develop mindfulness in children and adolescents, whilst also highlighting that carers’ own practice of mindfulness is essential as the basis of teaching mindfulness to children and adolescents.

This will be the first book that brings together what we currently know about the use of mindfulness-based interventions with children and adolescents, which makes it essential reading for researchers and postgraduate students involved in the study of the mental health of children and adolescents. The book should also be of great interest to psychologists, psychiatrist, nurses, social workers, rehabilitation therapists and others, such as school counsellors, who provide clinical care to these groups.

Nirbhay N. Singh is Clinical Professor of Psychiatry and Health Behavior at the Medical College of Georgia, Augusta University, Georgia.

Subhashni Devi Singh Joy is currently a Proposal Manager at PRA Health Sciences, Raleigh, USA.