Mindfulness-Based Substance Abuse Treatment for Adolescents A 12-Session Curriculum

1. Introduction  2. Curriculum Development and Researched Outcomes  3. Using This Curriculum 12-Session Curriculum  4. Session 1: Introduction to the Program  5. Session 2: Mindfulness of Drugs and their Health Effects  6. Session 3: Reacting Vs. Responding  7. Session 4: Mindfulness of Delusion  8. Session 5: Emotional Awareness  9. Session 6: The Brain and Drugs  10. Session 7: Mindfulness of Craving  11. Session 8: Mindfulness of Triggers  12. Session 9: The Family System and Drugs  13. Session 10: Mindfulness of the Peer System  14. Session 11: Mindfulness of the External Environment  15. Session 12: Closing Ceremony

Biography

Sam Himelstein, PhD, is a licensed psychologist in the state of California and a Behavioral Health Clinician at the Alameda County Juvenile Justice Center. He is also the author of A Mindfulness-Based Approach to Working with High-Risk Adolescents.

Stephen Saul, MS, is a mental health clinician who works with addiction and marginalized populations via individual, group, and family therapy. He focuses primarily on serving incarcerated and underprivileged adolescents and young adults in San Mateo County, California.

"What is most impressive about this book is that the evidence-based, how-to format provides a flexible curriculum for professionals. This way, you can implement the program either partially, by picking and choosing sections that seem relevant, or in full over a number of weeks…It provides application of mindfulness for different kinds of learning, and isn’t limited to teenagers only! Adults benefit, too." – Lee Weber, www.addictionblog.org

"Himelstein and Saul offer a rich and highly practical guide while providing much more than a how-to book. Clearly based in research, personal mindfulness practice, and years of clinical experience, here is a raw, honest, fearless program that promises to engage adolescents from all backgrounds. Deeply rooted in both mindfulness practice and science, the program skillfully integrates meditation, skits, role-plays, psycho-education, metaphors, acronyms, stories, poems, and even formal debates, while offering clinicians a reliable structure and guidance balanced with trust in one’s own clinical expertise and personal mindfulness practice. This is the resource so many of us have been seeking, and this is a program that will undoubtedly change the course of countless young lives. A deep bow to my colleagues."– Sarah Bowen, PhD, assistant professor of psychology at Pacific University in Portland, Oregon, and author of Mindfulness-Based Relapse Prevention: A Clinician’s Guide

"Imagine taking the extensive experience of someone who has helped a range of high-risk youth, combining this with the ancient practice of mindfulness training, and then weaving these together beautifully with steps proven by science to help enhance emotional well-being and reduce self-destructive behaviors. This is the magnificent mixture you have in your hands in Himelstein and Saul’s important guide, which offers step-by-step group lessons to support the healthy development of a resilient and insightful mind." – Daniel J. Siegel, MD, author of Brainstorm: The Power and Purpose of the Teenage Brain and The Mindful Therapist: A Clinician's Guide to Mindsight and Neural Integration

"If you are working with adolescents suffering from addiction, this is the book you need. Himelstein and Saul have done a stellar job of gathering and imparting the mindfulness-based treatment methodology. Read this book, be mindful, and serve the truth." – Noah Levine, author of Dharma Punx and Refuge Recovery: A Buddhist Path to Recovering from Addiction

"A truly authentic, sensitive, savvy, and invaluable curriculum for transforming young lives and the lives of those who are drawn to offer it to them." – Jon Kabat-Zinn, author of Full Catastrophe Living: Using the Wisdom of the Body and Mind to Face Stress, Pain, and Illness

"Based on years of experience working with and listening to young people, Himelstein and Saul present a curriculum that is well-designed and user friendly, respectful of young people, and effective in building self-awareness, self-control, and community connection. An important resource for every professional in the substance abuse field. Highly recommended!" – Paul Kivel, educator, activist, and coauthor of Helping Teens Stop Violence, Build Community, and Stand for Justice

"Mindfulness-Based Substance Abuse Treatment for Adolescents is a pioneering manual that weaves together science and clinical wisdom from the fields of mindfulness, psychotherapy, and addiction treatment. It is an invaluable resource for mental health professionals and teachers, and offers a unique and highly effective approach to treatment of substance abuse. I highly recommend this book." – Shauna Shapiro, PhD, professor at Santa Clara University and author of Mindful Discipline and The Art and Science of Mindfulness

"Among the ever-growing number of resources for those privileged to share mindfulness with youth, this book stands out as an absolutely exquisitely crafted resource! The authors are extremely generous—sharing their wisdom, acknowledging the wisdom of the reader, and, most importantly, acknowledging the wisdom of the youth we serve. The book is grounded in research and provides nuanced guidance. Every chapter supports the reader in creating authentic connections with substance-using teens and sharing potent skills that they will actually use. The detailed notes to the facilitator and ‘what if’ scenarios are invaluable resources for readers committed to inspiring youth to choose to make meaningful changes in their lives." – Amy Saltzman, MD, author of A Still Quiet Place: A Mindfulness Program for Teaching Children and Youth to Ease Stress and Difficult Emotions and director of the Association for Mindfulness in Education

"Himelstein and Saul have created a thoroughly detailed and researched compendium of how to apply mindfulness effectively in working with young people grappling with the complex issues of substance use and abuse. Their curricula beautifully weave experiential exercises, didactic information, and process-oriented techniques from multiple forms of learning, both through relationship building between adults and adolescents and among the adolescents themselves. In the spirit of the best pedagogy, the authors are able to train the trainers with the skill and finesse grounded in the solid foundation of their own clinical, teaching, and mindfulness practice and experience." – Larry Yang, Buddhist meditation teacher