Trauma-Informed Mindfulness with Teens: A Guide for Mental Health Professionals

Mindfulness has grown in popularity exponentially over the past two decades, and many educators, therapists, and other youth professionals are asked to teach mindfulness in a variety of public settings: schools, detention centers, and other systems of care. Many of these youths are impacted by trauma.

Through practical methods and real- world examples, Sam Himelstein offers a clear conceptual understanding for why mindfulness may help youth impacted by trauma, explanation about when and how to adapt mindfulness meditations, and practical mini- modules for presenting and teaching mindfulness via a trauma- informed lens.

This book presents specific guidelines about teaching mindfulness within a relationship- based framework for building the therapeutic alliance and aiding other psychotherapy interventions. Case examples illuminate common experiences that arise with trauma-impacted youth, and detailed descriptions of exercises and curricula are provided. This book is a must for therapists who wish to share mindfulness with trauma-impacted youth.