Debra Alvis – 2-Day Intensive Training: Mindfulness Certification Course

Outline

Mindfulness and the Clinician:
“Know What You Teach” and “Teach What You Know”

• Empirical support for improved symptomology and well-being
• The latest research on therapists who practice mindfulness
• Your mindfulness practice and how you can embody mindfulness
• Situations that may contraindicate applying mindfulness in session
• Research limitations

Mindfulness Psychoeducation Approaches:
Easy to Use Strategies to Enhance Motivation in Therapy

• Mindfulness vocabulary
• Visuals and metaphors to explain mindfulness
• Motivate clients with neuroplasticity

Deepen the Therapeutic Relationship:
Build Presence, Trust and Empathetic Connection with Clients

• Overcoming barriers
• Affect regulation techniques for therapist and client
• Strategies to create empathetic connection
• Exercises to build clients trust in themselves

Teach Mindfulness to Clients:
Formal and Informal Mindfulness Practices

• Tips for teaching clients about the senses and awareness
• Strategies to shift from “Automatic Pilot”
• Skill building interventions to increase responsiveness & reduce reactivity
• Strategies to cultivate attunement
• Approaches for deepened experience of mindfulness
• Brief and other informal practices
• How to adapt practices to special populations

Group Therapy vs. Individual Sessions

• Effectiveness of group vs. individual mindfulness
• How to set up and conduct a mindfulness group
  • Screening for individual goodness of fit
  • Encouraging client buy-in and commitment to practice
• Mindfulness interventions specifically designed for groups

Anxiety and Stress:
Mindfulness Interventions to Relax the Body and Mind

• Breathing practices that break the rumination cycle
• Guided visualizations to lower the stress response
• Movement strategies
• Multi-sensory regulation techniques
• Mindfully reduce the intensity of panic attacks

Mindfulness for Trauma:
Disempower Intrusive Thoughts

• Muscle tension releasing – exercises to counter fight or flight
• Guided meditations to disempower intrusive thoughts
• Grounding exercises and sample scripts

Using Mindfulness in Depression Treatment

• Recognize self-criticism and respond with self-love
• Manage negative self-talk with awareness of thoughts
• Meditations to boost well-being

Mindfulness for Addictions: Break the Habit Loop

• Awareness vs. autopilot — relapse prevention
• Mindfulness for triggers
• Emotional regulation for cravings

Mindful Anger: Breathing and Self-Soothing Techniques

• Breathe through anger
• Distraction and grounding techniques
• Self-soothe with calming words and imagery

Mindfulness, Diversity, & Cultural Humility

• Adapt mindfulness experiences with cultural sensitivity
• Assess appropriateness of mindfulness interventions for individuals
• Negotiate the treatment plan

Mindfully Conquer Compassion Fatigue

• Right here/right now – stay in the moment to reduce anxieties
• Effective and healthy ways to manage your emotions
• Change limiting stories about caring for yourself
• Release the negative – 3 steps to countering negativity bias