50 Mindfulness Techniques for Children & Teens

CPD

Planning Committee Disclosure - No relevant relationships

All members of the PESI, Inc. planning committee have provided disclosures of financial relationships with ineligible organizations and any relevant non-financial relationships prior to planning content for this activity. None of the committee members had relevant financial relationships with ineligible companies or other potentially biasing relationships to disclose to learners.  For speaker disclosures, please see the faculty biography.

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Speaker

Christopher Willard, PsyD Related seminars and products

Teaching Associate

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Christopher Willard, PsyD, is a clinical psychologist, author and consultant based in Massachusetts. He has spoken in over 31 countries and has presented at two TEDx events. He is the author of 20 books, including Alphabreaths (2019), Growing Up Mindful (2016). and Feelings are Like Farts (2024). His thoughts on mental health have been featured in The New York Times, The Washington Post, mindful.org, cnn.com, and elsewhere. He teaches at Harvard Medical School.

 

Speaker Disclosures:
Financial: Dr. Christopher Willard receives compensation as a consultant and has employment relationships with Harvard Medical School, Cambridge Health Alliance, and the Institute for Meditation and Psychotherapy. He receives royalties as a published author. Dr. Willard receives a speaking honorarium, recording, and book royalties from Psychotherapy Networker and PESI, Inc. He has no relevant financial relationships with ineligible organizations.
Non-financial: Dr. Christopher Willard is the president and board member of the Mindfulness In Education Network. He is on the advisory boards of Mindfulness First and Peace in Schools. Dr. Willard is a member of Institute for Meditation and Psychotherapy.

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Objectives

1. Communicate effective definitions of mindfulness in a clinical setting.
2. Formulate research-based rationale for using mindfulness-based interventions.
3. Explore the basic research underlying mindfulness-based treatment approaches.
4. Describe simple principles of neuroscience and physiology as it relates to stress and mindfulness.
5. Apply mindfulness and related techniques in and out of sessions.
6. Design mindfulness-based treatments that are tailored to impulse control.

Outline

Defining Mindfulness: What’s all this “Nothingness” about?

• The science of stress, mindfulness, and more
• The nervous system reset: The ABCs and physiology of breathing
• Transforming fight or flight to attend and befriend

From Co-regulation to Self-regulation

• Emotional contagions and mirror neurons
• Gratitude, compassion, and perspective in the client and clinician
• Systemic interventions for your clinic or classroom

The Neuroscience of Mindfulness and Self-Regulation

• Integrating mindfulness into therapy through play, DBT, CBT, ACT, and psychodynamic therapies

Adapting Mindfulness for All Kinds of Minds

• Integrating mindfulness into play, visualisations, games, music, arts, academics, athletics, and more
• Proven techniques for trauma, depression, ADHD, anxiety, and More
• The CHOICE method for adapting mindfulness to trauma and mental health issues
• Cultural considerations, neurodiversity, and other considerations

Making Mindfulness Stick!
Strategies to Engage the Most Challenging Kids and Teens

• Adapt practices to a range of learning styles and interests
• Strength-based approach to match the treatment to the child
• Proven techniques for trauma, depression, ADHD, anxiety, and more

Make Mindfulness Stick Outside the Treatment Hour
(Where it Really Matters!)

• It doesn’t have to be an hour on a cushion - Finding the time
• 100 activities for kids (and adults!) to do mindfully
• 50 simple reminders to bring kids back to the present
• Dozens of effective tools that take less than a minute
• “Stealth” mindfulness that kids can do without anyone even knowing
• Techniques for challenges at home, the classroom, performances, and social situations
• Ease difficult transition times

Target Audience

• Occupational Therapists
• Occupational Therapy Assistants
• Counsellors
• Social Workers
• Psychologists
• Therapists
• Speech-Language Pathologists

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