Tween, Teen and Family 
Therapist

Have you ever noticed your brain jumping from one thing to the next like a monkey exploring the jungle? I call it "monkey brain". Our brains are incredibly busy creating several movies for a single story. A story we  play over and over in our minds about events that have occured in a single day! We then create "what if scenarios" which then lead to anxiety and even panic. Mindfulness is a practice that asks your monkey brain to slow down, take a deep breath, and just be. It allows for curiosity that seems to have left us in the dust since childhood. To explore being present while setting your brain free from high activity, is an artform in and of itself. 

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*Mindfulness is incorporated into each counseling session on an as needed / requested basis

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What does it look like to practice mindfulness? We will use a collaborative tool box that includes stretching, breath control and awareness, body scanning, and visualization. We will practice the artform of grounding to gain control of our anxiety as well as muscle relaxation to better appreciate the true feeling of calmness. At times painting will be incorporated as a meditative and therapeutic exercise to ignite creative exploration. 

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What are the benefits of mindfulness and what is it??

Mindfulness is simply a state of awareness, but I like to think of it as holding ourselves accountable to what is allowed in our lives. 

Benefits include: 

• Reduced Rumination - studies have shown repetitive thoughts of worry or concern are linked to high anxiety and depression. 

• Reduced Anxiety - Studies have shown that mindfulness shifts people's ability to use emotion regulation strategies in a way that enables emotion selectively with altered brain function. 

• Boosts Working Memory - increased ability to cognitively store small amounts of information for longer periods of time. Example: listening to a sequence of events in a story while understanding what the story means. 

• Increases Focus - higher attention spans and cognitive flexibility.

• Less Emotional Reactivity - engage less emotionally and more with cognition.