Abstract
This book offers specific, easy-to-implement mindfulness and acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) tools for practitioners to use in schools at an individual, group, or classroom-wide level.
With the increased focus on the emotional and behavioral health of children in the schools, there is a dearth of practical books that specifically address the use of ACT techniques in the school setting. Geared toward the practitioner and how they work with students, teachers, parents, and classrooms, this book introduces a contemporary approach to targeted intervention and discusses how these services can be provided using a MTSS model. These interventions have numerous benefits including increasing attention capacity, compassion, emotional regulation, and self-calming abilities, in addition for use as an intervention for anxiety, depression, and trauma related symptoms.
Graduate students and practitioners who work with children and adolescents such as school psychologists, child and adolescent clinical psychologists, and school counselors will find this book to be a novel resource of interventions for children in grades K-12, along with tools to support parents and teachers.
1. Introduction to Mindfulness and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) Practices 2. Research on Mindfulness and ACT Interventions 3. Mindfulness Techniques for Individual Work 4. Acceptance and Commitment Strategies for Individual Work 5. Mindfulness and ACT Strategies for Small Group Work 6. Mindfulness and ACT Strategies for Classroom and School-Wide Programming 7. Creating Systemic Change and Adapting Practices for Different Populations 8. Mindfulness and ACT Techniques for Adult Stakeholders 9. Evaluating Outcomes and Conclusion
"Holland and Hawks are to be commended for this concise and accessible review of a range of empirically supported Mindfulness and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy practices. Especially relevant for the busy school mental health professional, I particularly appreciated its use of a MTSS perspective. Virtually all educators will find something relevant to their practice in this book’s school-wide, classroom, small group, and individual approaches (which include a range of forms and implementation resources)."
Stephen E. Brock , PhD, NCSP, LEP
Professor & School Psychology Program Coordinator, California State University, Sacramento
"How do we calm our minds when our thoughts act like tigers? This book is a road map for school-based practitioners interested in integrating mindfulness and ACT practices into their Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS) model. Holland and Hawks have created a practical guide that includes the fundamentals of ACT and mindfulness practices, giving detailed real-world examples and easy-to-use strategies that can be implemented in the school system. This is an extraordinary resource for those in education."
Danielle McIntyre , Ed.S.
School Psychologist & RYT200 Yoga Instructor, Santa Rosa County School District
"Given the mental health crisis amongst youth, there is an urgent need to expand school-based mental health services and support. This book provides a practical and comprehensive guide to implement evidence-based interventions to support all students. This book fills a critical need and is a "must have" for all teachers and school-based practitioners."
McKenzie Courtney , Ed.S.
School Psychologist & Licensed Educational Psychologist, Buckeye Union School District
Melissa L. Holland , Ph.D. is a professor in the School Psychology Program at California State University, Sacramento and is a practicing clinical psychologist.
Jessica Hawks , Ph.D. is a clinical child and adolescent psychologist, an associate professor at the University of Colorado, and the Clinical Director of the Pediatric Mental Health Institute, Children’s Hospital Colorado.