Children's Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy

Holistic Therapies for your Child's Wellbeing

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) is a treatment which supports the identification of negative thoughts and limiting patterns of behaviour – supporting progression towards healthier habits. Mindfulness is the practise of training attention and awareness, in an attitude of self-acceptance and compassion.

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At Harley Row Clinic, your Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) therapist will work with your child to assess and understand what you would like to achieve through your mindfulness therapy sessions, tailoring a treatment programme to meet your family's individual needs and goals.

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Working collaboratively with your child, in an emotionally safe and contained space, one of our mental health professionals will help guide your child to bring interpretation and meaning to their life while integrating self-regulation and somatic quieting skills to cultivate mindfulness and escape from negative thought patterns.

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MBCT for Children promotes awareness of present experiences like thoughts, feelings, and body sensations. It guides children to carefully pay attention to the signals from their senses, such as sounds and touch. MBCT can also make significant differences in helping children to notice thoughts and emotions rather than struggle against them.

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MBCT does not aim to dispute thought content. Instead, it helps children change their perspective on thoughts, emotions, and body feelings. They learn these are passing events, not permanent realities. Through mindfulness techniques like breathing exercises and focussing on the body's physical sensations, children recognise the fleeting nature of thoughts and feelings as well as easing anxiety symptoms and negative emotions. As a result, they gain the freedom to purposefully choose helpful responses, rather than falling into automatic cognitive processes and unthinking habitual reactions that prolong negative moods.

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Teaching children mindfulness training and cognitive principles can encourage present-moment awareness without distractions from their inner experiences or external environment. It assists them in engaging fully in life without self-consciousness and pay close attention to events around them. Through these methods, children can cultivate mindful presence and focus that will benefit their personal, emotional and social development, improving their life at school and at home.

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Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy was originally created treat recurrent major depressive disorder through promoting mindful attention. However, our bespoke treatment for children can be an effective treatment psychological intervention for a range of mental health issues: ADHD, generalised anxiety disorder, disorders, depressive symptoms and unhappiness.

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At Harley Row Clinic, our three-fold approach recognises that it’s a combination of psychological intervention (therapy, counselling, coaching), medication to treat symptoms if appropriate and functional medicine (gut health, lifestyle, and nutrition) that leads to long-term, lasting results.

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Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy falls under the psychological intervention pathway, and we encourage a combined comprehensive treatment path considering both allopathic and naturopathic treatments alongside a mindfulness course and psychological intervention.

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Alongside psychological intervention, functional medicine seeks to identify the underlying cause of health issues, instead of just addressing symptoms. The team at Harley Row Clinic use a range of diagnostic tools and assessments to explore genetic, biochemical, and environmental factors that may all contribute to a patient’s condition.

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This unique three-principle method, which has been inspired by various schools of thought and experience, focuses on the whole body, and treating the root cause of a condition, not just the symptoms.

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Attending to children's inner experiences through our Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy curriculum or similar mindfulness practices, along with addressing their physical health through functional medicine, can have profound benefits. This holistic approach may lead children to greater self-awareness and fulfilment. By integrating mind-body care, kids can thrive both mentally and physically.

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Our program enables children to nurture self-understanding, manage stress, and unlock their unique potential to live deeply fulfilling childhoods. Through mindfulness and functional medicine, children gain the tools they need to flourish.