Mindfulness for the Next Generation: Helping Emerging Adults Manage Stress And Lead Healthier Lives

by Holly B. Rogers, Margaret Maytan

College students and other young adults today are experiencing high levels of stress as they pursue personal, educational, and career goals. In recent years, there has been increased awareness of the seriousness of these struggles, which may increase the risk of psychological distress and mental illness among this age group now commonly referred to as 'emerging adults.' Scientific research has shown that practicing mindfulness can help manage stress and enhance quality of life, but traditional methods of teaching mindfulness and meditation are not always effective for this developmental stage.
Mindfulness for the Next Generation is an easy-to-use guide that details a four-session mindfulness-based program, called 'Koru, ' aimed at helping young adults cope with anxiety, navigate the tasks they face, and achieve meaningful personal growth. Authors Holly Rogers and Margaret Maytan, Duke University psychiatrists and the developers of the Koru program, discuss the unique challenges this group faces, identify effective teaching techniques for working with them, and review the research supporting mindfulness for stress reduction in a scientifically rigorous yet reader-friendly way. The book explains the specific model created by the authors and describes each session in a 'mini-manual' format. Mindfulness for the Next Generation is written for therapists, teachers, health professionals, and student service providers who work with college students and other emerging adults.

184 pages, Paperback

First published June 19, 2012

Reviews

[Jenny (Reading Envy) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is really a teaching handbook for the Koru method, a mindfulness method aimed at "emerging adults" (pre-family, pre-career, post-highschool, usually college students), developed by psychiatrists at Duke University.

The first seventy pages give an overview of why mindfulness is effective, why emerging adults benefit from it (and their unique challenges), and an overview of the Koru model. If you aren't planning on teaching a mindfulness class, you could stop here and still benefit from this overview.

The rest of the book maps out a four-week mindfulness class, from flyers to emails to syllabus. Very specific, very useful, and comes with recommendations for further reading and study. They do remind the reader throughout that to effectively teach mindfulness, one must also have their own practice.

We have a few professors on campus who are certified to teach using the Koru method and are currently teaching a mindfulness class such as the one laid out in this book. I read it because I'm working with a student on a proposal for a reflection space. There were some useful tidbits there but for my purposes I am finding more in the more scientific research literature (which isn't reviewed in Goodreads!)

[Julie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m taking the Koru mindfulness teacher training next week and this is a required text. Nonetheless, it skillfully frames the difference between mindfulness-based stress reduction SKILLS (which can sometimes produce quick relief from anxiety or help you ease into sleep) vs mindfulness (which is cultivated through meditation and other practices and takes longer to develop).

[Christiana · Rating 4 out of 5]

So excited to have attended a Koru training and am beginning the certification process. The book prepares you to begin teaching. If you're working in higher ed. I highly recommend looking into Koru at your institution.

[Megan P · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful book, I am going through the training and found it helpful.

[Robin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is designed to help you set up a 4 week course for teaching undergraduates and graduates an introduction to mindfulness/meditation. Although I don't plan on setting up a class, I found useful information for my own practice: there are a few exercises and techniques in this book that I wasn't familiar with.

Also, the book has a nice amount of resources and references. There is an entire chapter devoted to the scientific evidence of mindfulness, which I really appreciated. There are also a few appendices with books, etc. for further reading.