Mindfulness for teenagers

All teenagers who wish to:

• better manage their stress
• tame their emotions
• improve their concentration
• get a better night’s sleep
• better understand what is happening inside them and around them

Particularly relevant for those facing:

• bullying at school
• pressure and management of social media
• performance anxiety or academic overload
• parental separation or divorce
• sleep disorders
• eating disorders
• episodes of anxiety or depression
• intrusive or difficult thoughts

Laurence’s sessions are based on the fun and effective method “Mindfulness Works!”, developed by Eline Snel, a Dutch therapist and founder of the Academy for Mindful Teaching (AMT). Laurence had the privilege of being trained directly by Eline Snel in person and participating in a silent retreat with her, which enables her to support teenagers with depth and authenticity.
The book “Close but not too close” accompanies parents and teenagers throughout the programme to support practice at home.

In developing this method, Eline Snel drew heavily on the MBSR (Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction) programme created for adults by Jon Kabat-Zinn, a doctor and researcher, which, it should be noted, has been scientifically validated.

Programmes for ages: 12–14, 15+

Ten weekly one-hour sessions, individually or in small groups (3–8 teenagers), over 10 weeks.

Please note that individual sessions allow for quality discussion time, address specific requests and offer the opportunity for teenagers to express themselves freely, without fear of judgement or the gaze of others.

Each session focuses on a different theme, with the calm and attentive frog always serving as a guiding thread:

1. Observe and concentrate
2. Clear your mind, feel your body
3. The importance of the five senses
4. Managing desires
5. Patience, trust and letting go
6. The art of communication
7. Emotions: feeling them
8. The world of thoughts
9. Being kind is pleasant
10. The secret to happiness

As the programme is structured and progressive, it is essential that adolescents attend each of the sessions initially planned.

At the end of each session, an email is sent to parents, providing a brief summary of the topic covered and suggesting some quick and easy exercises. These exercises can be done for 5 to 10 minutes a day, either alone or with parental support, to reinforce what they have learned in the session and to support their practice.
It is important for parents to understand that training, whether formal or informal, is an integral part of the method. It is not a question of “doing something extra”, but of doing what the teenager already does differently, with attention. This approach allows the teenager to gradually acquire the tools to regulate their emotions, manage stress and concentrate better in everyday life, completely independently.

When the teenager feels stressed, upset or has trouble falling asleep, they have specific exercises they can practise on their own. Parental involvement is not necessary but can be useful to accompany and support the practice if the teenager wishes.
To extend the experience at home and optimise results:

• The book Close but not too close is intended to help parents understand the method and support their teenagers.
• The recordings, accessible via QR codes located at the end of the book, are designed to help teenagers practise the exercises easily at home.

10 sessions, 1 hour (12–18 years old) – £480 for 10 sessions (= €48 per session)

Includes sessions, parent meetings, personalised follow-up, summary emails and materials.

To ensure that support remains accessible, payment can of course be spread over several instalments.