Mindfulness-based Cognitive Therapy for Anxious Children: A Manual for Treating Childhood Anxiety (Professional)

Adults rarely associate childhood with anxiety, but more than one in ten children has anxious thoughts and fears debilitating enough to warrant an anxiety disorder diagnosis. It is essential that therapists who treat children and adolescents have an arsenal of effective techniques for helping young people manage the overwhelming sensations of anxiety before these symptoms develop into lifelong issues. Developed by mindfulness researchers Randye Semple and Jennifer Lee, the program in Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy for Treating Anxious Children can be used in group or individual therapy to help children and adolescents become more aware of the sensations of anxiety and notice how anxiety affects their behavior.

This complete guide to conducting mindfulness-based cognitive therapy for children (MBCT-C) for anxiety includes fun and age-appropriate experiential mindfulness awareness exercises therapists can use with anxious children and teens. It includes a full introduction to the theoretical basis and research support for the MBCT-C model, and includes sample session dialogues and suggestions for procedural variations for working with children of varying ages, anxiety levels, and types of anxiety. The included CD contains guided mindfulness exercises and printable handouts for each session. Mental health practitioners will appreciate this complete and practical guide to effectively and permanently changing the lives of children and adolescents who have anxiety.