Mindfulness

Mindfulness and mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) have gained increasing awareness and popularity over the past 40 years. This chapter provides a description of several empirically-supported approaches to mindfulness-based therapies (including mindfulness-based stress reduction, mindfulness-based cognitive therapy, dialectical behavior therapy, and acceptance and commitment therapy), as well as a summary of the evidence available for their application with youth. Description of each program include key modifications that have been made to adapt MBIs to youth (e.g. involvement of parent, changes to session length). We include a brief review of available tools for assessing multiple components of mindfulness. Finally, we provide a summary of gaps in the existing literature to identify avenues for further research to appreciate the potential utility of this important modality for enhancing youth well-being.