Christopher Willard – Mindfulness and Body-Based Approaches

What is Mindfulness? How does it relate to stress, attachment, and mental health? In Module 1, we will explore:

• Mindfulness and neuroscience of healthy attachment and brain development
• How to use the breath as a “remote control” for our minds, bodies and emotions
• The simple science of how mindfulness keeps depression, PTSD, anxiety, aggression and addiction at bay
• Mind-body interventions for stress and attachment issues

Module 2 explores the bio-psycho-social model of mental health and mental illness.

• Introducing mindfulness of body through eating and movement in simple and straightforward ways
• Exploring mindfulness of thought with playful, cognitive interventions
• Understanding the social construction of mental health, and looking at interpersonal mindfulness and positive psychology interventions

Module 3 explores the neuroscience of mindfulness, interventions supported by neuroscience research, and how to incorporate mindfulness into treatment modalities.

• A simple practice to rewire resilience that shows what mindfulness does to the brain
• Translate neuroscience and epigenetic research to mindfulness for your clients
• Understand interpersonal neurobiology and your role in the therapeutic encounter
• Know the state of the research on mindfulness based interventions
• Effectively integrate mindfulness into many modalities of therapy including DBT, ACT, CBT and more

Module 4 explores the benefits of mindfulness for the therapist – maintaining presence and focus, managing the stress of your challenging job, and staving off “compassion fatigue”.

• Why and how mindfulness will make you a better and happier therapist and positively impact your clients
• Presence, countertransference, and decision-making techniques to sharpen your clinical intuition and improve patient outcomes
• Self-compassion, appreciation, and relaxation exercises to avoid burnout
  • Focusing practices to keep your mind alert, awake and alive
  • Contemplative techniques to keep calm, connected and creative in your sessions

With our bodies as the seat of emotional wisdom, attachment, and more, we turn toward simple therapeutic mindful movement anyone can teach, and playful ways to explore mindful eating to gain insight into a range of presenting problems.

• Multiple ways to explore mindful walking and movement in and out of session
• Mindful eating and its uses with anxiety, depression, impulse control and more
• Mindful eating prompts and practices for the real world

Module 6 Explores shutting down fight/flight and turning on attend and befriend to rewire the brain to respond without excess anger or anxiety.

• The neuroscience of anxiety and mindfulness
• Simple mind-body interventions for anxiety
• The neuroscience of anger and mindfulness
• Simple and fun practices that manage aggression and anger

Module 7 Explores shutting down freeze and faint depressive and traumatic responses to activate the brains attend and befriend response for recovery.

• The neuroscience of depression and trauma
• A biopsychosocial model for treating depression and trauma through mindfulness
• Do no harm – how to adapt and when to avoid mindfulness in the treatment of trauma and depression
• The science and practice of simple self-compassion in the treatment of trauma and depression

Module 8 Explores mindfully managing impulses in the addictions and attention deficits through mindfulness and related practices.

• The neuroscience of addiction and recovery
• Urge surfing, the SOBER breath, and mind-body practices that rewire the reward circuit
• The neuroscience of attention and impulse control disorders
• Anchoring the mind, sensory and movement practices that engage even the attentionally-challenged

Module 9 offers mindfulness adaptations for kids, teens and families.

• Playing attention- making mindfulness fun for kids
• Integrating mindfulness into child therapy
• Creating a holistic model to reinforce mindfulness in families, systems, schools and communities
• How to help kids and families slow down, sit still and single-task
• Practical and effective ideas that will generate buy-in from kids

In this final module, learn additional compassion based-practices, plus ways to cultivate mindful and compassionate workplaces, schools and communities. This module provides:

• Dealing with doubt: whether it’s your own, your colleagues, or the kids’ doubt
• Creating and adapting our own scripts
• Make the virtual virtuous with mindful uses of technology
• A roadmap for breaking through resistance
• Cultivating compassion in ourselves
• Finding time in busy lives for mindfulness practice and self-compassion
• Inspiring and time-tested ideas for creating a mindful and compassionate workplace, school, or family

Christopher Willard, Psy.D., is one of the world’s leading experts on mindfulness with young people, having trained thousands of professionals and young people on the practice and benefits of mindfulness.

He is a psychologist and consultant based in Boston, working individually as well as consulting to schools, hospitals and other organizations. Additionally, he is the author of multiple books on psychology, child development, contemplative practice and more.

Dr. Willard is the president of the Mindfulness in Education Network and serves on the board of directors at the Institute for Meditation and Psychotherapy. In addition to serving on the faculty of Harvard Medical School, Dr. Willard leads courses and workshops around the world and online.

Dr. Willard is the author of Child’s Mind (2010), Growing Up Mindful (2016) and three other books. He is the co-author of the bestselling Growing Mindful and Growing Happy card decks and The Mindfulness Skills Activity Book for Children.

Speaker Disclosure: Financial: Christopher Willard maintains a private practice. He receives royalties as an author for New Harbinger Publishing, Guilford Press, and Parallax Press. Dr. Willard receives a speaking honorarium from PESI, Inc. Non-financial: Christopher Willard has no relevant non-financial relationship to disclose.