University of Zaragoza, Spain

Interventions based on mindfuless in child and adolescent field

It seems that similarly to what occurs with other treatments in the child and adolescent field, the applications based on mindfulness have also been transferred from the experience obtained in adults to children and adolescents. Logically this entails that if in adults there is still lack of agreement and unanswered questions, for example those related to the mechanisms of action and actual efficacy in certain issues, in the child and adolescent field there are even more questions to discover in relation to the interventions based on mindfulness. However, in the last decade the interventions with children and young people based on mindfulness have proliferated exponentially constituting undoubtedly an emerging field. The majority of published studies and revisions in recent years emphasise promising results that support the chance of mindfulness in its catalyst dimension of full development potential in students as well as in its possible use in particular clinical issues, such as ADHD, stress, anxiety, depression or eating disorders, to mention just a few examples. Some authors have suggested that the training in mindfulness can be especially useful to promote the development of self-regulation that takes into account the automatic somatic bottom-up processes, as well as the top-down processes. Furthermore, several methodology modifications in the techniques commonly used in adults have been proposed. The essential aim of this conference is to offer a clear view of the current situation in this emerging area of applications based on mindfulness in the child and adolescent field, as well as potential directions in the future.

Ph.D. in Clinical and Health Psychology by the University of Granada and Technical Industrial Engineer. Currently, assigned to the University of Zaragoza. He belongs to the research team of Human Psychophysiology and Health at the University of Granada, the team of Cognition, Language, Learning and Lifecycle at the University of Zaragoza, and the Research Network of Activities to Prevent and Promote Health. His doctorate thesis was on clinical applications based on mindfulness. Within his line of research he has developed numerous studies on the appliance of mindfulness skills to chronic worry, emotional self-regulation, coping with chronic pain or addictions. In recent researches he has studied the dissociation of mindfulness components. Over a decade he supplemented his activity at the University with psychotherapeutic exercise, and the practice and teaching of meditation and yoga. He has got long-term experience giving talks at courses, seminars and workshops related to these topics.