Laurie Greco - Acceptance and Mindfulness Treatments for Children and Adolescents. A Practitioners Guide

Laurie A. Greco, Ph.D., is assistant professor of psychology at the University of Missouri, St. Louis. She is a clinical psychologist and psychotherapist with more than ten years of clinical experience with children, adolescents, and families. Greco has published more than twenty articles and book chapters and has given more than eighty conference presentations. In the past five years, she has conducted some forty workshops and professional trainings at the national and international level on topics germane to acceptance and commitment therapy and behavioral parent training. She lives in St. Louis, MO.

Steven C. Hayes, Ph.D., is University of Nevada Foundation Professor of Psychology at the University of Nevada, Reno, and the founder of acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT). He has authored thirty-two books, including Get Out of Your Mind and into Your Life, and more than four hundred scientific articles. Hayes has focused his career on understanding language and cognition functionally and applying this perspective to prevention and intervention. He lives in Reno, NV.

A timely and impressive compilation of state-of-the-art approaches for teaching acceptance and mindfulness to younger populations.

Zindel V. Segal, Ph.D., C.Psych., Morgan Firestone Chair in Psychotherapy and professor of psychiatry and psychology at the University of Toronto and author of The Mindful Way Through Depression

This is an absolutely outstanding book on applications of acceptance and mindfulness treatments to physical and mental health problems of children and adolescents. Impressive in its scope and the quality of the contributors, the book provides a broad, comprehensive, and cutting-edge examination of acceptance and mindfulness treatments with children and adolescents. The material in the book is presented in a clear, comprehensive manner, with excellent references and follow-up sources provided. Especially of interest are the applications of acceptance and mindfulness treatments to specific populations (e.g., children with anxiety, externalizing disorders, chronic pain, etc.), as well as to broad social contexts (e.g., parents, schools, primary care settings). Overall, this unique book provides excellent coverage of key issues and will be an important and valuable resource for todays child health professionals. This book is a must read for professionals in child health and mental heath who wish to understand and use mindfulness treatments in clinical research or practice.

Annette M. La Greca, PhD, ABPP Cooper Fellow and professor of psychology and Pediatrics at the University of Miami and editor of the Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology

For the reader interested in acceptance and mindfulness in children and adolescents, this book is the definitive work on what is happening now and what is on the horizon.

Bruce F. Chorpita, Ph.D., professor of clinical psychology in the Department of Psychology at the University of California, Los Angeles, and author of Modular Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy for Childhood Anxiety Disorders

Greco and Hayes innovative book on acceptance and mindfulness treatments for children and adolescents is an invaluable new resource for students and faculty. Readers will appreciate the broad coverage and creative applications of acceptance and mindfulness treatments in specialized populations (e.g., anxiety disorders, chronic pain, etc.), and settings (e.g., primary care and schools). This book provides a foundation for practice and research in an important new area.

Dennis Drotar, Ph.D., professor of pediatrics and director of the Center for the Promotion of Adherence and Self-Management in the Division of Behavioral Medicine and Clinical Psychology at Cincinnati Childrens Hospital Medical Center

This groundbreaking volume is an important step to developing acceptance and mindfulness treatments for children and adolescents. The book highlights the many conceptual and practical challenges in extending this approach from adults to children and families. Chapters present leading-edge coverage of a range of child problems and contexts and include many rich examples of how these approaches can be developed and tested. This book will be of high interest to practitioners and students from a wide range of disciplines who wish to expand their work in new and creative ways. By grounding the development and testing of acceptance and mindfulness treatments in empirical science, there is great potential to improve on current approaches to child and family treatments and more broadly to influence cultural change.

Eric J. Mash, Ph.D., professor of psychology at the University of Calgary

Publishers Note

This publication is designed to provide accurate and authoritative information in regard to the subject matter covered. It is sold with the understanding that the publisher is not engaged in rendering psychological, financial, legal, or other professional services. If expert assistance or counseling is needed, the services of a competent professional should be sought.

A copublication of New Harbinger and Context Press.

Distributed in Canada by Raincoast Books

Copyright 2008 by Laurie A. Greco & Steven C. Hayes

New Harbinger Publications, Inc.

5674 Shattuck Avenue

Oakland, CA 94609

www.newharbinger.com

Cover design by Amy Shoup

Text design by Tracy Carlson

Acquired by Catharine Sutker

Edited by Jean Blomquist

All rights reserved

Epub ISBN: 9781608826827

The Library of Congress has Cataloged the Print Edition as:

Acceptance and mindfulness treatments for children and adolescents : a practitioners guide / [edited by] Laurie A. Greco and Steven C. Hayes.

p. ; cm.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN-13: 978-1-57224-541-9 (hardcover : alk. paper)

ISBN-10: 1-57224-541-7 (hardcover : alk. paper) 1. Cognitive therapy for children. 2. Cognitive therapy for teenagers. 3. Acceptance and commitment therapy. I. Greco, Laurie A.

II. Hayes, Steven C.

[DNLM: 1. Cognitive Therapy--methods. 2. Adolescent. 3.

Awareness. 4. Child. 5. Patient Acceptance of Health Care--psychology. 6. Psychotherapy--methods. WS 350.6 A169 2008]

RJ505.C63A33 2008

618.92891425--dc22

2008016261

To the children in my life: Cameron Michael, Madison Lily, and Tyler George

~ L.A.G.

To Steven Joseph Pistorello-Hayes: my precious son who will one day learn mindfulness skills but now teaches them

~ S.C.H.