A Still Quiet Place: A Mindfulness Program for Teaching Children and Adolescents to Ease Stress and Difficult Emotions

by Amy Saltzman MD

Teaching kids stress management skills early in life will help them to grow into happy and healthy adults. And if you work with children or adolescents, you know that kids today need these skills more than ever. The pressures they face in the classroom, on the playground, in their extracurricular activities, and at home can sometimes be overwhelming. So how can you help lay the groundwork for their success? A Still Quiet Place presents an eight-week mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) program that therapists, teachers, and other professionals can use to help children and adolescents manage stress and anxiety in their lives, and develop their natural capacities for emotional fluency, respectful communication, and compassionate action. The program detailed in this book is based on author Amy Saltzman’s original curriculum, which has helped countless children and adolescents achieve significant improvements in attention and reduced anxiety. One of the easiest ways to find the still quiet place within is to practice mindfulness—paying attention to your life experience here and now with kindness and curiosity. The easy-to-implement mindfulness practices in this guide are designed to help increase children and adolescents’ attention, learning, resiliency, and compassion by showing them how to experience the natural quietness that can be found within. The still quiet place is a place of peace and happiness that is alive inside all of us, and you can find it just by closing your eyes and breathing. For more information, visit www.stillquietplace.com.

Genres: Parenting, Education, Nonfiction, Psychology, Childrens, Professional Development

248 pages, Paperback

First published August 1, 2013

Reviews

[Skylar · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a fabulous "business model" of teaching mindfulness in a secular way to children and teens. I expected it to be more about teaching general techniques and practices, but this is a step-by-step layout of a specific program, complete with the topics for each weekly class. The appendix even includes model consent forms, flyers, and other practical tips!

Personally, I don't intend to create a program like this; I was looking more for general ideas, but I did learn many general ideas and principles from this book. Most importantly, the author emphasizes frequently that you need to have your own practice (meditation or yoga) before teaching that topic. She also skillfully lays out how precise your language and "nonshockability" need to be when teaching mindfulness. It is remarkably easy to allow your own attachments to creep into your statements to your students. Her breakdown of correct v. incorrect/less correct ways of talking about a mindfulness topic really helped me understand mindfulness to a much deeper level. I often had to stop and think about the difference between the two (seemingly similar) statements in order to internalize the deeper teaching in that difference.

[Nat · Rating 5 out of 5]

A grounded guide in teaching your kids and teens to be more mindful that can apply for years to come.

[Analese · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dissertation reading! Saltzman does a great job explaining her interpretation of mindfulness and it’s usefulness in helping children utilize being present in their daily lives.

[Joanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a Mindfulness Educator, I firmly believe that A Still Quiet Place is a tremendous resource for any child-nurturer wishing to share the practice of Mindfulness with children and adolescents. First off, the book is very well-written, easy to read, and peppered with honest-and-funny anecdotes that bring the text to life (the reader is even reminded, at points, to READ mindfully!). The information contained within the book is made accessible to a wide audience, providing informative and effective background information (both into MBSR and into work with children). Dr. Saltzman provides a clear communication of her program, suggesting adjustments for the needs of varying populations (those affected by trauma, parent/child groupings, etc.). As an educator, I was delighted to see her attention to cues for mindful teaching - her approach to, and care for, the mindfulness of the educator his/herself (and ESPECIALLY her focus on the importance of the skill level of the facilitator). The curriculum itself contains innovative exercises, carefully cultivated scripts, and excellent reflection questions while maintaining a balanced approach to the delivery of the work through a sensitivity to a child’s hard home life, an approach to boredom, and pointing the facilitator to be mindful of ‘what’s in the room’ at any given time. Dr. Saltzman shares some of her own story, provides cautions for eager teachers, and sets a standard for facilitator excellency. The icing on this mindful compendium is a selection of academic research, and comprehensive resources in the appendix. While I believe Dr. Saltzman would agree that there is no substitute for a mindfulness training, I wholeheartedly recommend A Still Quiet Place for anyone seeking comprehensive information, or as a companion to and augmentation of an existing practice.

[Melinda · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a warm, thoughtful, helpful workbook and recordings set. I love that Dr. Saltzman utilizes best practices in stress reduction for children, including those components of mindfulness that are science-supported and public school-appropriate, to create a secular, age-appropriate program for children. The workbook provides tools and guidelines for delivering the program in a variety of settings, including use at home. The recordings are helpful, and those for young children just precious. Before purchasing the workbook, I already owned and used the cd set, recommending it for friends, family, and colleagues. Once I learned that a book was being published I pre-ordered it on Amazon.I have to admit that, as an adult, I used the "Dr. Amy" recordings for myself, and regularly apply the techniques in my own life. The materials in this program reflect the fact that Dr. Saltzman is not just a respected physician, but also a mom, and someone who has worked with children. I like the emphasis on kindness and curiosity, and helping children of all ages to find their "Still Quiet Place" within.

[Rosemary Coleman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Every teacher should have this book in their box of tools. Dr. Amy writes her curriculum in detail and shares her vast experience of teaching mindfulness to children/teens. The curriculum includes many, easy to implement, practices to use with children. Her CD’s are also very helpful in presenting mindfulness practices. Each week builds upon the previous week, and children gradually begin to understand how they can use mindfulness in their lives. They become more aware of responding rather than reacting to difficult situations. Students also learn how to bring themselves back to the present when worried, anxious or stressed. I have been using Amy’s curriculum for three years both in the classroom and in after school classes. Not only have my students benefitted, but I have too. Teaching children how to become aware and accepting of their feelings is truly a gift.

[Eleanor Nelson · Rating 3 out of 5]

OK book. Not bad

[Kim · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read part of this in August and forgot to add it here - want to remember it to use as a meditation exercise book.