A Mindfulness-Based Approach to Working with High-Risk Adolescents

A Mindfulness-Based Approach to Working With High-Risk Adolescents is an accessible introduction to a new model of therapy that combines the Buddhist concept of mindfulness with modern trends in psychotherapy. Drawing on years of experience working with at-risk adolescents, the chapters explore ways to develop authentic connections with patients: building relationships, working with resistance, and ways to approach change using mindfulness-based techniques. Real-life interactions and illustrations are used to show how a mindfulness-oriented therapist can approach working with adolescents in individual and group settings, and the book also provides practical suggestions designed for immediate implementation. A Mindfulness-Based Approach to Working With High-Risk Adolescents is a must for any mental health professional interested in using mindfulness and other contemplative practices with at-risk youth.

Table of Contents:
Acknowledgements Introduction Part I: Context 1. A Mindfulness Model of Therapy 2. Building an Authentic Relationship 3. Working With Resistance 4. The Paradox of Change Part II: Content 5. Worldview and Spirituality 6. Core Themes Part III: Skills 7. Group Facilitation 8. Eliciting the Actual 9. Teaching Mindfulness to High-Risk Adolescents Conclusion Appendix A. Mindfulness and Meditation Exercises Appendix B. Training Resources for Mental Health Professionals References

About the Author :
Sam Himelstein, PhD, is associate core faculty at Sofia University, where he teaches graduate courses in research methodology and incorporating mindfulness into psychotherapy. He is also director of clinical services and research at the Mind Body Awareness Project, where he initiates research projects regarding mindfulness and adolescents with other academic professionals. He is a licensed psychologist who works with high-risk adolescents in individual, group, and family therapy. In addition, Himelstein is the executive director of Engaging the Moment, a continuing-education business that trains clinicians in how to approach adolescents with mindfulness and other contemplative practices.

Review :
"Sam Himelstein walks his talk. Within the pages of this book you will find an important clinical guide to a transformational approach to working with high-risk adolescents. Highly recommend." —Elisha Goldstein, PhD, author of The Now Effect and co-author of A Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Workbook "Highly illuminating and informative, A Mindfulness-Based Approach to Working with High-Risk Adolescents is filled with lively clinical vignettes that give you an exciting, in-the-trenches view of how to work skillfully with this challenging population. I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to work with high-risk adolescents. Himelstein knows this work from the inside out!" —Will Kabat-Zinn, MFTI, Dharma teacher "Sam Himelstein has done an amazing job of producing the next generation of texts on bringing mindfulness into clinical work. Through a masterful blending of mindfulness, humanistic psychology and hard-won wisdom drawn from his extensive work with high-risk teens, he has produced a book that is both practical and philosophical. Simply wonderful!" —Steven D. Hickman, PsyD, director, University of California-San Diego Center for Mindfulness "Sam Himelstein incorporates the rigor of science, the beauty of art, the wisdom of reflection, and years of clinical experience in this pioneering book. A Mindfulness-Based Approach to Working with High-Risk Adolescents has the power to transform lives." —Shauna L. Shapiro, PhD, associate professor, Santa Clara University and co-author of The Art and Science of Mindfulness "From the transcripts of client sessions, it's clear that Sam Himelstein cares deeply about his young clients, and is able to reach kids with court-ordered therapy who are 'used to being pushed around by the system'... In A Mindfulness-Based Approach to Working with High-Risk Adolescents, Dr. Himelstein urges therapists to hink of mindfulness not as a 'technique' but as 'a more holistic approach to working with other human beings.'... Anyone who counsels youth would benefit from Dr. Himelstein's perspective, as well as from his guidelines" --Catharine Hannay, Mindful Teachers