Dr Stephen McKenzie is a Senior Lecturer in Psychology at the University of Melbourne where he is developing wellbeing related courses including a Wellbeing in Practice subject in the new Master of Professional Psychology course and the Australian Psychological Society partnered Mindfulness in Clinical Practice micro certificate. He is also leading the strategic expansion of online courses.
Angela North is a psychologist with 30 years’ experience working with children, adolescents and their families. Employing play therapy, which is effective at treating a range of emotional and behavioral problems, Angela is passionate about sharing strategies with parents, so that they may respond therapeutically to their own children’s needs. This unique approach empowers parents to become the agent of change in their children’s lives. Angela is a presenter on child mental health, writes for the Australian Psychological Society and is the Principal Consultant Psychologist for Bestchance Child Family Care.
Mindfulness is widely used in personal development, healthcare, business and sports to improve wellbeing and performance.
Mindfulness at Play is for those it can potentially be of the greatest value to — young people — and the people who give them their primary support, their parents. It combines science and wisdom, theory and practice, strategies and activities. It also provides a combination of psychological knowledge and practical guiding principles which will help parents help themselves, as well as their children, to achieve mindfulness.
The authors know that the benefits of mindfulness are substantial and far-reaching. When young people can clearly focus on their internal world in the present moment, they are better able to:
- Know and communicate their experiences and needs — a critical component of emotional intelligence.
- Discover that they can be curious rather than overwhelmed by emotions, leading to greater emotion regulation and resilience.
- Increase self-acceptance and decrease shame, resulting in greater wellbeing, more effective healing from trauma, and an increase in pro-social behaviors towards others.
This book will greatly help young people’s learning development, social development and whole-person development. It is a comprehensive yet light, playful and play-based one-stop mindfulness resource for parents.
