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Working on the Inside: Mindfulness for Adolescents

2016; Springer International Publishing; Linguagem: Inglês

10.1007/978-1-4939-3506-2_22

2195-9579

Patricia C. Broderick, Stacie M. Metz,

Resilience and Mental Health

Adolescence is a period of enormous physical, psychological, and social change leading to great opportunity along with some risk. This chapter begins with a brief overview of developmental strengths, vulnerabilities, and neurobiological changes during adolescence when physical and mental health disorders often manifest. Understanding adolescent development can help researchers and educators recognize the importance of prevention for reducing problems while also supporting a skill set that is a foundation for academic success. Social-emotional learning (SEL) interventions, including mindfulness-based programming, can teach adolescents skills such as emotion management, compassion, and purposeful, nonjudgmental attention, which are associated with improvements in academics, behavior, and well-being. These skills are beneficial for all adolescents; hence, school-based universal prevention programs are highlighted. Learning to BREATHE, a mindfulness education program, is presented as an example of a universal prevention program implemented and evaluated in school settings. Finally, the acronym, S.C.H.O.O.L.S., is presented as a framework for researchers and educators considering the implementation and evaluation of evidence-based mindfulness programs in schools.