My Writing
I’ve dedicated my career to writing about building authentic relationships, trauma-informed care, substance abuse treatment, and teaching mindfulness to youth. Find my books below and also my blog at https://centerforadolescentstudies.com/blog
Trauma-Informed Mindfulness with Teens: A Guide for Mental Health Professionals
Mindfulness has grown in popularity exponentially over the past two decades, and many educators, therapists, and other youth professionals are asked to teach mindfulness in a variety of public settings: schools, detention centers, and other systems of care. Many of these youths are impacted by trauma.
Through practical methods and real- world examples, Sam Himelstein offers a clear conceptual understanding for why mindfulness may help youth impacted by trauma, explanation about when and how to adapt mindfulness meditations, and practical “mini- modules” for presenting and teaching mindfulness via a trauma- informed lens.
This book presents specific guidelines about teaching mindfulness within a relationship- based framework for building the therapeutic alliance and aiding other psychotherapy interventions. Case examples illuminate common experiences that arise with trauma-impacted youth, and detailed descriptions of exercises and curricula are provided. This book is a must for therapists who wish to share mindfulness with trauma-impacted youth.
Mindfulness-Based Substance Abuse Treatment for Adolescents: A 12-Session Curriculum
Mindfulness-Based Substance Abuse Treatment for Adolescents is a group-based curriculum incorporating mindfulness, self-awareness, and substance-abuse treatment strategies for use with adolescents dealing with substance use. The evidence-based, how-to format provides a curriculum for professionals to implement either partially, by picking and choosing sections that seem relevant, or in full over a number of weeks. Each session comes equipped with clear session agendas, example scripts and talking points, what-if scenarios that address common forms of resistance, and optional handouts for each session. Sections cover the major principles of working with adolescents―relationship building, working with resistance, and more―along with a full curriculum. The book is a natural fit for psychotherapists, but addiction counselors, school counselors, researchers, mentors, and even teachers will find that Mindfulness-Based Substance Abuse Treatment for Adolescents changes the way they work with young people.
A Mindfulness-Based Approach To Working with High-Risk Adolescents
A Mindfulness-Based Approach to Working With High-Risk Adolescents is an accessible introduction to a new model of therapy that combines the Buddhist concept of mindfulness with modern trends in psychotherapy. Drawing on years of experience working with at-risk adolescents, the chapters explore ways to develop authentic connections with patients: building relationships, working with resistance, and ways to approach change using mindfulness-based techniques. Real-life interactions and illustrations are used to show how a mindfulness-oriented therapist can approach working with adolescents in individual and group settings, and the book also provides practical suggestions designed for immediate implementation. A Mindfulness-Based Approach to Working With High-Risk Adolescents is a must for any mental health professional interested in using mindfulness and other contemplative practices with at-risk youth.
