by Sameet Kumar, Ph.D.

Mindfulness meditation is a popular evidence-based approach. Unlike many other interventions, mindfulness requires therapist experience. The best way to teach mindfulness to your clients is to practice it yourself so you have familiarity with its challenges, pitfalls, and benefits.

Mindfulness instruction is best given at the end of the first session, ideally in the context of addressing immediate stressors. You can tell your client earlier in session that you will spend the last ten minutes teaching them a new tool for stress management.

Start with belly breathing. You can place one hand on the belly and one on the chest. Their "belly hand" should move up to inhale, back down to exhale. You can explain to them that this simple breathing technique can reduce their automatic stress response, especially after anchoring their cognitions with their breath by counting. Finally, you can present the posture of mindfulness as a way to encourage their body to experience mindfulness. A handout going over the basics and the importance of regular practice can help.

Your client will leave the session feeling better than they walked in, and you will have given them a powerful tool by which to approach their therapeutic goals.

Also by Sameet Kumar, Ph.D.