It’s a high-stress life for teens today. The demands of friends and social life, school, work and family can easily become overwhelming for adolescents. But thanks to Jon Kabat-Zinn's work with MBSR, we know that there are substantial physical and mental health benefits from mindfulness practices.
Gina Biegel, MA, LMFT, has tailored the MBSR program to meet the specific needs of teens. In MBSR-T, she uses language, references and stories that are relevant to today's adolescents to help them shift their perspective to become more aware of their intentions, attention and attitude.
"It's important for teens to learn not to categorize their day as all bad or all good, but rather filled with many different moments," says Biegel. "I find teens need something tangible, a list of things that they engage in that they consider self-care. It gives themÌýa visual of thingsÌýthey can turn to that make themÌýfeel good or they enjoy instead of negative coping skills/behavior."
Watch this short video to learn how Gina Biegel uses Pleasant Life Moments in her work with teens, thento incorporate the technique into your practice.
This blog is based on the work ofÌýºÚÁÏÍø speakerÌýGina M. Biegel, LMFT. GinaÌýis a San Francisco Bay Area based psychotherapist, researcher and author specializing in bringing mindfulness-based work with adolescents. She is the founder of Stressed Teens, which has offeredÌýthe MBSR-T to adolescents, families, schools, professionals and the community for over 12 years.