Mindful Parenting: A Guide for Mental Health Practitioners (Mindfulness in Behavioral Health)

Despite Its Inherent Joys, The Challenges Of Parenting Can Produce Considerable Stress. These Challenges Multiply—and The Quality Of Parenting Suffers—when A Parent Or Child Has Mental Health Issues, Or When Parents Are In Conflict. Even Under Optimal Circumstances, The Constant Changes As Children Develop Can Tax Parents' Inner Resources, Often Undoing The Best Intentions And Parenting Courses. Mindful Parenting: A Guide For Mental Health Practitioners Offers An Evidence-based, Eight Week Structured Mindfulness Training Program For Parents With Lasting Benefits For Parents And Their Children. Designed For Use In Mental Health Contexts, Its Methods Are Effective Whether Parents Or Children Have Behavioral Or Emotional Issues. The Program's Eight Sessions Focus On Mindfulness-oriented Skills For Parents, Such As Responding To (as Opposed To Reacting To) Parenting Stress, Handling Conflict With Children Or Partners, Fostering Empathy, And Setting Limits. The Book Dovetails With Other Clinical Mindfulness Approaches, And Is Written Clearly And Accessibly So That Professionals Can Learn The Material Easily And Impart It To Clients. Featured In The Text: Detailed Theoretical, Clinical, And Empirical Foundations Of The Program. The Complete Mindful Parenting Manual With Guidelines For Eight Sessions And A Follow-up. Handouts And Assignments For Each Session. Findings From Clinical Trials Of The Mindful Parenting Program. Perspectives From Parents Who Have Finished The Course. Its Clinical Focus And Empirical Support Make Mindful Parenting An Invaluable Tool For Practitioners And Clinicians In Child, School, And Family Psychology, Psychotherapy/counseling, Psychiatry, Social Work, And Developmental Psychology. Foreword -- Part I. Theoretical And Empirical Background -- Chapter 1. Introduction To Mindful Parenting -- Chapter 2. An Evolutionary Perspective On Parenting And Parenting Stress -- Chapter 3. Effects Of The Mindful Parenting Course -- Part Ii. Mindful Parenting: A Guide To The 8 Week Program -- Chapter 4: Overview And Guidelines For The Mindful Parenting Program -- Chapter 5: Session 1: Automatic Parenting -- Chapter 6: Session 2: Beginner’s Mind Parenting -- Chapter 7: Session 3: Reconnecting With Our Body As A Parent -- Chapter 8: Session 4: Responding Vs. Reacting To Parenting Stress -- Chapter 9: Session 5: Parenting Patterns And Schemas -- Chapter 10: Session 6: Conflict And Parenting -- Chapter 11: Session 7: Love And Limits -- Chapter 12: Session 8: Are We There Yet? A Mindful Path Through Parenting -- Chapter 13: Follow-up Session: Each Time, Beginning Anew -- Chapter 14: Voices Of The Parents: Life After The Mindful Parenting Course. By Susan Bögels, Kathleen Restifo. Despite its inherent joys, the challenges of parenting can produce considerable stress. These challenges multiply and the quality of parenting suffers when a parent or child has mental health issues, or when parents are in conflict. Even under optimal circumstances, the constant changes as children develop can tax parents' inner resources, often undoing the best intentions and parenting courses. Mindful Parenting: A Guide for Mental Health Practitioners offers an evidence-based, eight week structured mindfulness training program for parents with lasting benefits for parents and their children. Designed for use in mental health contexts, its methods are effective whether parents or children have behavioral or emotional issues. The program's eight sessions focus on mindfulness-oriented skills for parents, such as responding to (as opposed to reacting to) parenting stress, handling conflict with children or partners, fostering empathy, and setting limits. The book dovetails with other clinical mindfulness approaches, and is written clearly and accessibly so that professionals can learn the material easily and impart it to clients. Featured in the text: Detailed theoretical, clinical, and empirical foundations of the program. The complete Mindful Parenting manual with guidelines for eight sessions and a follow-up. Handouts and assignments for each session. Findings from clinical trials of the Mindful Parenting program. Perspectives from parents who have finished the course. Its clinical focus and empirical support make Mindful Parenting an invaluable tool for practitioners and clinicians in child, school, and family psychology, psychotherapy/counseling, psychiatry, social work, and developmental psychology Front Matter....Pages i-xix Front Matter....Pages 1-1 Introduction to Mindful Parenting....Pages 3-14 An Evolutionary Perspective on Parenting and Parenting Stress....Pages 15-39 Effects of the Mindful Parenting Course....Pages 41-48 Front Matter....Pages 49-49 Overview of the Mindful Parenting Program....Pages 51-79 Session 1: Automatic Parenting....Pages 81-108 Session 2: Beginner’s Mind Parenting....Pages 109-139 Session 3: Reconnecting with Our Body as a Parent....Pages 141-174 Session 4: Responding Versus Reacting to Parenting Stress....Pages 175-203 Session 5: Parenting Patterns and Schemas....Pages 205-228 Session 6: Conflict and Parenting....Pages 229-246 Session 7: Love and Limits: Cultivating Compassion and Setting Limits....Pages 247-285 Session 8: Are We There Yet? A Mindful Path Through Parenting....Pages 287-300 Follow-Up Session: Each Time, Beginning Anew....Pages 301-308 Voices of the Parents: Life After the Mindful Parenting Course....Pages 309-313 Back Matter....Pages 315-328