Exploring Mindfulness as a Means to Treating Anxiety at School

By: Teren Christensen

In partial fulfillment of EDUC 3110, Educational Psychology, Fall 2013 Dr. John Goldhardt

Is anxiety a problem in our society? Does it have adverse effects upon those who suffer? The answer to these questions is very much yes. In short, more and more are caught in these chains, and as decades pass, the age of diagnosis is lowering. This analysis presents reasoning and practical ideas in treating anxiety, not solely a physiological disorder, but a general condition that permeates our world today. First, I wrote down my theory on anxiety by answering the four principle questions outlined in this paper. Second, I researched theories that might support my theory. I was surprised to find such extensive research on what I know understand to be called Mindfulness. Most of the information was fitting to what I wrote down before researching. What I didnt find was the correlation between what causes anxiety and how it connects to alleviating anxiety. I also wanted to understand the feasibility of this technique in school settings. I will address the causes of anxiety, the effects of anxiety, and the treatments of anxiety all centered in a school setting. WHAT ARE THE EFFECTS OF ANXIETY ON STUDENTS? HOW WILL ANXIETY AT SCHOOL AFFECT A STUDENTS FUTURE? Anxiety has the potential to affect every aspect of ones life. It is a worrying about the future that breaths fear into every thought and action. The mind goes into overdrive focusing on what might happen. One becomes obsessively sensitive to their circumstance and may see anyone and anything as a potential threat. Thus, in a school setting, a childs ability to be social, play, read, learn, reason, adapt to new situations, be creative, focus, and work hard are often impaired. Anxiety is manifest in behavior primarily as avoidance, aggression, and inattentiveness.

Anxiety disorders may have a significant impact on a child's educational and social development and persist chronically into adulthood if left untreated. 1 Wait, anxiety in children? As I have found through various studies as well as personal observation, humans in civilized societies are becoming more and more anxious and the age of its onset is lowering. Why? We have more responsibilities, more things to buy, more things to keep nice, higher expectations in church, school, and business, and lastly, more to compare ourselves to. Many of these factors are not exclusive to adults and society is placing more and more of these weights upon the rising generations. There is more to judge, more perfect expectations, more to have, more this is how it is supposed to be, more people who want their life to be a movie - though most wont admit to that. If anxiety is becoming more common in young people they need help now before it begins to imprison their lives. The mass influx or barrage of media upon the rising generations as well as their parents is a direct corollary to the increase of anxiety in our culture. Dr. Martin Seligman shared two astonishing facts about the rate of depression across the century. The first was there is now between 10 and 20 times as much of it as there was 50 years ago. And the second is that it has become a young persons problem. When I first started working in depression 30 years ago the average age of which the first onset of depression occurred was 29.5 Now the average age is between 14 and 15.2 WHAT INFLUENCES STUDENTS ANXIETY? Im going to get right down to the heart of this. We too often speak about stressors in our lives that cause anxiety, but the fact is that some stressors dont stress some people, thus its an

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McLoone, Treating Anxiety Disorders in a School Setting. p. 219 Seligman, Martin. PhD. National Press Club: Morning Newsmaker. American Psychological Association. September 3, 1998, 9:00AM Washington, D.C. Available at: http://www.nonopp.com/ar/Psicologia/00/epidemic_depersion.htm

internal phenomenon; and if its an internal phenomenon then it can be observed and transformed largely independent of external circumstances. Semple speaks directly to my theory in addressing the causes of anxiety. Past-oriented thinking is characteristic of depressive affect (e.g., guilt, remorse, selfblame, and shame), while future-oriented thinking is associated with anxious affect (e.g., obsessive worries, anticipatory failures, and catastrophic outcomes).34 Its also important to note that depressive thought carries into anxious thought. How? Each depressive thought, such as guilt, carries with it a fear of how long it will last in the future and how intense it will be in the future. An anxious person entrenches themselves more because it shouldnt be happening and worse feelings come when they identify themselves as being anxious or having a disorder. This in turn feeds the depression more and thus a cyclic panic ensues. A stronger anxiety often comes often when one tries to fix their anxiety. A combination of wanting relief and a negative self-worth, because one isnt getting relief, feeds the anxiety even more. All emotions including anxiety are the bodys reaction to the mind. In other words, every thought has a physiological response. Thus, if thoughts are under our control then our responses are indirectly under our control. I posit that every persons anxious pain arises first from some sort of negativity or judgment. (The judgment that is comparative or anticipative, (e.g. I know this will happen)). When everything and every person is judged, it is very easy to feel judged yourself. The more one judges others the more judgment they attract to themselves, or rather their perception of themselves. Our judgments are our perceptions; the more you judge the more you perceive the

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Semple, A Randomized Trial of Mindfulness p. 220 Unease, anxiety, tension, stress, worry all forms of fear are caused by too much future, and not enough [now]. (Eckhart Tolle, The Power of Now: A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment, Namaste Publishing, Vancouv er Canada, 2004, p. 61).

judgments of others on you. Thus, the more you judge others the more self-conscious you will be. The less you judge, the freer you will be you will be able to do things that previously were out of the question because of fear of judgment. The more you judge people, things, ideas, or expressions of any sort as being right or wrong, the more apt you are to feel anxious. In a world of judgment something is always wrong or not as good as it could be. Fear is a feeling that follows judgment. Psychological fear, as opposed to danger fear, is always of something that might happen, not of something that is happening now. You can always cope with the present moment, but you cannot cope with something that is only a mind projection you cannot cope with the future.5 Every anxious feeling is a result of a fear of what might happen, of future that often just doesnt happen. (These feelings include frightened, scared, disturbed, worried, panicked, fearful, alarmed, and troubled). Stress comes when a change in physical, mental, or emotional faculties is required. Thus, helping others realize that change should be expected and invited is a vital part in this paradigm shift. Is stress good? In my opinion stress is a part of life, so using it to help you overcome challenges or using it as a trigger to change ones responses is good. But I also believe that most anxiety is an unnecessary response most people unconsciously let themselves be overtaken. Yes, it is a natural response to high demands but this psychological evolution doesnt have to continue to progress toward a more anxious or stressed society. Civilized minds are nearly in a constant state of worry always living in fear. Thats exhausting. The causes of anxiety possibly imply DNA, hormonal imbalances, and neurological inconsistencies as well as the aforementioned judgments, fears, anticipations, and cultural

Eckhart Tolle, The Power of Now: A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment, Namaste Publishing, Vancouver Canada, 2004, p. 43

expectations. Though the first three seem incapable of being healed or remitted by anything but medication, I have discovered that this is not always the case. If we can change the influences we can change the reaction. What can we do to change the influences? The stressors, which are the circumstantial aspects of life, are the stimuli that can influence the onset of anxiety. At school these influences are tests, presentations, homework, social pressures during activities, recess, and so forth. Changing the influences of anxiety changes the reaction but many activities and schoolwork is necessary and cannot be changed. A teacher can change their approaches, character, and disciplines, but not the mandated curriculum or their performance expectations of their students efforts. Thus, we must learn what to do to help change the students reactions to what we cannot change. Its important for children to learn early that circumstances will often be far from ideal or their perception of ideal. WHAT CAN WE DO TO CHANGE THE STUDENTS REACTION TO THE INFLUENCES? HOW MAY ONE TRANSFORM THEIR ANXIETY? WHAT METHODS WORK? Introducing Mindfulness In general, meditation is the practice of shifting ones awareness by focused attention or observance on what one usually doesnt the unconscious judging of people, things, and circumstances. Rather, it is a focusing on the inner self, higher or finer toned perceptions wherein wholeness is. What is mindfulness, or focused attention meditation? It is paying attention in a particular way: on purpose, in the present moment, and nonjudgmentally. Mindfulness practices emphasize the observation of internal experiences without distortion from affective, cognitive, or physiological reactivity influencing those experiences. In essence, mindfulness is simply the moment-to-moment practice of clearly discriminating thoughts and emotions from external events. It involves repeatedly returning one's attention to a single neutral stimulus

(e.g., the breath) [which] produces a stable intrapsycbic environment. From this secure foundation of attention, the unremitting arising and fading of thoughts, emotions, and body sensations can be observed in an accepting, non-judgmental manner.6 Mindfulness could be looked at as consecrated action, or focusing intensely on the Now in every doing. This would mean treating every doing as an end rather than a means to an end. It involves not being concerned with the fruit of your action, but just giving attention to the action itself. Looking to the result is depending upon the future for fulfillment and satisfaction and the future is scary because lots of bad things can happen. Eckhart Tolle summarizes mindfulness very well here: Make it a habit to monitor you mental-emotional state through self-observation. Am I at ease at this moment? Whats going on inside me at this moment? Be at-least as interested in what goes on inside you as what happens outside. What kind of thoughts is your mind producing? What do you feel? Direct your attention into the body. Is there any tension? See in what way you are avoiding, resisting, or denying life by denying the Now.7 Discern varying stimuli their effects and processes in you, and your tendencies to act upon them or deny them. Learn why you do what you do. Observe the body and minds addictions, tendencies, likes and dislikes. Observe the unconscious mind, its reactions, selfishness, seemed power and control. Too much of human thought is repetitive, useless, and because of its negative nature quite harmful. When one becomes aware of their thoughts they can notice this and begin to change them, but too often we are stuck in daydream. Why does it work? How does it work? The reason for attending to things not usually attended to is to point the meditator to being aware at all times. This awareness then transcends from being aware of physical sensible things to inner processes. Then the meditator may become
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Semple, Treating Anxiety With Mindfulness. p. 380 Eckhart Tolle, The Power of Now: A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment, Namaste Publishing, Vancouver Canada, 2004, p.76-77

aware of everything that goes on in them, the stimuli, how the process it, anxiety, how it makes them feel, what it comes from, and then how to transmute it. Why dont educators teach how to be attentive? Educators expect prolonged attention from their students but that is being taught, it is just being said. Mindfulness teaches children to focus, and it carries over to reducing anxiety as well as increasing loving behavior. Nor is the bulk of educators teaching happiness and well-being jobs are second in line to that. Ive collected a lot of information that supports mindfulness in schools. Here is a brief review. Since impaired attention is a core symptom of anxiety, enhancing self-management of attention should effect reductions in anxiety.8 Attention-related problems are pervasive across the spectrum of anxiety disorders. Anxiety can impair attention and promote emotionally reactive behaviors that interfere with the development of good study skills, so it seems reasonable that increased mindfulness would be associated with less anxiety and fewer academic problems.9 Why is the school a great venue for meditation? Because children spend much of their time in school there is a lot of time to help or hurt. The psychological patterns developed and experienced in school will affect students the rest of their lives. Thus what we are or should be caring for is a transmutation from anxiety to peace as well as a paradigm shift in teachers consciousness which will in turn cause a shift in students psychological behavior.

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Semple, Treating Anxiety With Mindfulness. p. 379 Semple, A Randomized Trial of Mindfulness. p. 227

Studies have reported that interventions led by teachers and school nurses showed comparable reductions in anxiety when compared to interventions led by psychologists.10 From an ecological contextual perspective schools constitute an important part of a childs microsystem, serving as one of the most proximal environmental influences in a youths life. As such, the school setting provides the opportunity to maximize access to youth. When schools provide mental health services they help to remove common obstacles that can otherwise prevent youth from receiving care.11 Schools are a primary setting in which youth display impairment. For anxious youth, many of the situations that cause disorder-related interference are interwoven within the school experience.12 In some instances the school is an excellent venue, providing real world opportunities to practice facing one's fears (e.g., social situations, making mistakes, public speaking).13 Among children identified with mental health problems, only 20%50% access services, a large portion of which are provided by schools. As such, the naturalistic setting of schools may have the capacity to reduce the stigma that can accompany mental health treatment in the community. Such a benefit can increase access to care, as some research suggests that youth are more likely to use school-based services than those that are offered through traditional mental health clinics.14 Benefits of Mindfulness

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Mychailyszyn, Assessing and treating child anxiety in schools. p. 224 Ibid, p. 225 12 Ibid 13 McLoone, Treating Anxiety Disorders in a School Setting. p. 228 14 Mychailyszyn, Assessing and treating child anxiety in schools. p. 225

Practicing mindfulness can teach clients to recognize anxious feelings, clarify repetitive or maladaptive thoughts, minimize avoidant behaviors, and self-monitor one's coping strategies.15 Lanestrand promotes mindfulness because it provides room for individual contact with oneself, contact with others, contact with existential and spiritual aspects of life, as well as a deeper experience of time that allows for moments or spaces in time that foster re-perceiving, a shift in perspective16 Mindfulness allows the individual to make more informed choices over their behaviour as opposed to being driven by habits, strong emotions and intrusive thoughts.17 Minfulness helps create creativity, a high potential for learning, self-motivated learning. Mindfulness meditation is intended to bring about authentic individuals who can reason, create, and learn by themselves. This has the potential of changing the way we teach at schools the entire education system. Mindfulness promotes learning by ones-self at all times simply by observing which observation brings about the reasoning allowing for one to understand and explain. Learning is best done without books and teachers.18 Practice of focused-attention meditation (FAM) [is] associated with expertise-related behavioral improvements and neural activation differences in attention task performance.19

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Semple, Treating Anxiety With Mindfulness. p. 380 Lanestrand, Creating the Conditions for Growth and Learning. p. 58 17 Davis, Mindfulness-Based Approaches. p. 36 18 A philosopher makes this point very well here: A man should read only when his own thoughts stagnate at their source, which will happen often enough even with the best of minds. it is only when we gain our knowledge in this way (through pondering and reason) that it enters as an integral part, a living member, into the whole system of our thought; that it stands in complete and firm relation with what we know; that it is understood with all that underlies it and follows from it; A great mind does well to spend its leisure in reading, which, as I have said, is a substitute for thought; it brings stuff to the mind by letting another person do the thinking. (Arthur Schopenhauer, On Thinking for Oneself in The Art of Literature. Available at: http://ebooks.adelaide.edu.au/s/schopenhauer/arthur/lit/chapter5.html. Accessed March 29, 2013). 19 Lee, Distinct Neural Activity. p. 10

Loving-kindness meditation (LKM) experts had increased BOLD signals all across the brain. This was interpreted in a study to mean that LKM experts have a higher level of integration of sensory-perceptual processes and affective responses than novices.20 LKM practice is associated with activity inemotion-processing regions [of the brain], which may have an impact on emotion regulation and the subsequent production of positive emotions.21 Some of my Theory At the root of meditation or consciousness therapy is the possibility of a paradigm shift for every individual. Its potentiality is far reaching and accessible to all peoples. The caring teacher desires good life changing affects with their students. Consciousness can bring that and it can come without any attachment to a religion. You canallow the emotion to be there without being controlled by it. You no longer are the emotion; you are the watcher [of the emotion].22 In my opinion, no pain or unease is meant to be hid from, overcome, gotten rid of, or won over, not even resisted, but rather transformed. This is consistent with nature no substance or element ever dies, but is only transformed into a new substance. Thus, resisting or fighting or refusing a trial, evil, or opposition to your agenda is resisting the evolution of your life as well as opportunities to transform into a new state of being. Pain is a messenger telling you that something needs to change often that thing is simply your state of being. Let me further explain. Most often pain goes unused. The secret to life is in going into the pain, accepting it as a part of life, feeling it fully, loving it, and then it will be transformed. Transformation cannot happen in resistance, battle, or coercion. Hence, one could notice for example that they feel

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Ibid, p. 2) Ibid, p. 9 22 Eckhart Tolle, The Power of Now: A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment, Namaste Publishing, Vancouver Canada, 2004

anxiety. They accept it as a part of their life, feel why they are feeling it, then use it consciously to choose to change their state. This change might not be immediate because sometimes actions need to take place, but effects will be immediate. Though the effects may be subtle to start there will be grand differences in your life and those around you. Many students dont want help. They dont want to be told they have a problem. They dont want some scary stranger psychotherapist working on them. Students, as well as adults, will resist all of those, and they will resist the anxiety when its chilling feeling comes up. Anxiety needs to change from something to fight against or close down for ones entire life to an opportunity to open up and embrace. When one stops feeding the anxiety by attacking it and instead accepts it, the anxiety loses its power. The egoic mind then has no drama to entertain and loses it power. ARE THESE SOLUTIONS LIKELY TO WORK FOR PRE-COLLEGE STUDENTS? CAN THEY COMPREHEND THEM? ARE THEY WILLING TO TRY? WILL THEY MAKE A LASTING CHANGE? There are a few dilemmas for school implementation of meditation practices. The important fact to know is that it is being done and many are seeing results. If the teacher is anxious the students will reflect that back. If the teacher is often angry, unreasonably strict, or ruthless, the students will reflect that back through expressions of anxiety. Taken out of context, parents may intervene in the name of religious infringement. It is critical that responsibility is taken to obtain informed consent, respect issues of privacy, safeguard the dissemination of information and ensure that parents are informed and involved.23 Mindfulness, from a pedagogical perspective, is a learning process with an ethical dimension that creates space. If education involves mindfulness as a way to create the best
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McLoone, Treating Anxiety Disorders in a School Setting. p. 227

conditions for learning it can contribute to sustainable learning. But this can be quite radical. Jacques Rancire (1991) for instance argues that education has a hidden agenda, which makes people and pupils believe that they cannot learn and educate themselves. Mindfulness is a powerful tool that enables the learner to experience connection with oneself, our ability to develop and learn, which can contribute to emancipating people.24 CONCLUSION Why are so many turning to meditation? Meditation offers a therapeutic and often spiritual approach that avoids side effects of medications, the stigma of psychiatric treatments, as well as barriers related to issues of cost and accessibility. (Chen, Meditative Therapies. p. 545) thus clinicians may consider recommending meditation for patients of anxiety and promoting meditative therapies for anxiety and related disorders. (Ibid, p. 559). Nearly every study noted that further studies needed to be done to provide more information and validity to this field. Among other information, most of the annotations in the bibliography cover more specific applications of meditation in a school setting. As seen in these studies it offers a relatively easy, inexpensive, fun, and side-effect free opportunity to change students lives at school and into adulthood.

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Lanestrand, Creating the Conditions for Growth and Learning. p. 58

Bibliography Burrows, Leigh. 2011. "Relational Mindfulness in Education." Encounter 24, no. 4: 24-29. Academic Search Premier, EBSCOhost (accessed November 25, 2013). Relational Mindfulness is an approach which invites us to listen in depth to ourselves, the other, and the relational field between us. [It] has the potential to assist educators to maintain equanimity (mental calmness and even temper) in intense classroom and school environments (p. 24). Leigh reminds educators that they create an environment that their students reflect back. Mindfulness for teachers can be a valuable resource for school employees to be more aware of many psychological aspects in their schools. This study had teachers practice mindfulness, specifically in relationships to trouble students and disliked fellow faculty. All the participants reported positive changes in their thoughts, feelings, listening, observing, slowing down, being grounded, self-awareness, and their own and others reactions (p. 26). Chen, Kevin W., Christine C. Berger, Eric Manheimer, Darlene Forde, Jessica Magidson, Laya Dachman, and C. W. Lejuez. 2012. "MEDITATIVE THERAPIES FOR REDUCING ANXIETY: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW AND META-ANALYSIS OF RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIALS." Depression & Anxiety (1091-4269) 29, no. 7: 545-562. Academic Search Premier, EBSCOhost (accessed November 21, 2013). This article focuses on the effectiveness of meditative practices in treating anxiety. It is a synthesis of 41meditative studies out of which nearly every one reported a decrease in anxiety. Neurobiological observation shows that meditation consistently reduces cortisol and catecholamine levels such as epinephrine and norepinephrine. (These are biological triggers of anxiety). The study also shows that meditation can serve to create a new conditioned response to a former anxiety causing stimuli and thus can help in the extinction of the conditioned response. Lastly, this study of studies, on adults, found that tia chi was the most effective (-.68), followed in order by yoga (-.63), then mindfulness meditation (-.51), then guided imagery meditation (-.39). Davis, Timothy Sahaja. 2012. "Mindfulness-Based Approaches and their potential for educational psychology practice." Educational Psychology In Practice 28, no. 1: 31-46. Academic Search Premier, EBSCOhost (accessed November 26, 2013). This mostly unbiased article put forth ideas pertaining to the future of education psychology and the practice of mindfulness approaches. The mindfulness field is fast expanding. Davis states that those involved need to be cautious until there is greater evidence in the field. He argues that it is difficult to separate mindfulness from spiritual traditions or cultural implications without changing its meaning. However, he seemed to be a supporter of mindfulness-based approaches. In the last 10 years MBA have become an established field within many areas of applied psychology. [but] have yet to make an impact on the work of educational psychologists (pp. 40-41). He also states that there is sufficient evidence for MBA to be incorporated within educational psychologists work with appropriate training and programs.

LANESTRAND, LINA. 2012. "Creating the Conditions for Growth and Learning: Mindfulness as a contribution to sustainable learning." Social Alternatives 31, no. 4: 58-61. Academic Search Premier, EBSCOhost (accessed November 25, 2013). This article discusses how mindfulness can create the space for self-motivated and selfsustained learning. She calls for a paradigm shift in the education system. Development ceases when it is replaced by passive adaptation (p. 59). Her view is that mindfulness is a learning process in awareness and that learning is best through experience and sensation, combined with reflection and insight. Both Rancire and Dewey state that children are disempowered when they are forced to study educational content that they have no interest in; Langer argues that finished truths are delivered to children and that as a result there is often a lack of commitment and motivation in schools (p. 61). Lee, Tatia M. C., Leung Mei-Kei, Hou Wai-Kai, Joey C. Y. Tang, Jing Yin, So Kwok-Fai, Lee Chack-Fan, Chetwyn C. H. Chan, and Suliann Ben Hamed. 2012. "Distinct Neural Activity Associated with Focused-Attention Meditation and Loving-Kindness Meditation." Plos ONE 7, no. 8: 1-11. Academic Search Premier, EBSCOhost (accessed December 2, 2013). This study provides the first report of neuroscientific research on meditation during sustained attention and emotion processing. The intent of the study was to fill in some gaps in the research pool by studying the affective and cognitive processes of meditation experts and novices while looking at pictures and practicing LKM and FAM in comparison to baseline states. They wanted to see neural effects of meditation and if there were differences in BOLD (Blood-oxygen-level dependent) signals while practicing different meditations. Their findings show that BOLD signals used in fMRI scans were focused on specific parts of the brain based on the experience of meditator as well as the type of meditation. Different forms of meditation practice create domain-specific plastic changes in neural activity (p. 7). McLoone, Jordana, Jennifer L. Hudson, and Ronald M. Rapee. 2006. "Treating Anxiety Disorders in a School Setting." Education & Treatment Of Children (West Virginia University Press) 29, no. 2: 219-242. Academic Search Premier, EBSCOhost (accessed November 23, 2013). The study reviews three anxiety reducing programs in the school setting. (Cool Kids, Friends, and Skills for Social and Academic Success (SASS). I used this source as a reference for discovering the prevalence and prognosis of anxiety in the younger generation. Anxiety disorders are among the most prevalent childhood emotional disorders experienced by 10% - 21% of children. (p. 220). In terms of disorder, younger children tend to report higher levels of separation anxiety, whereas older children tend to report more social and generalized fears. [In addition] females are around one and a half to two times more likely to have an anxiety disorder than males (p. 220).Too often, children that suffer from anxiety go unrecognized, and the problems

are thus untreated. The article reviews three anxiety assessment methods, self-report questionnaires, clinical interviews, and teacher nomination. Mychailyszyn, Matthew P., et al. "Assessing and treating child anxiety in schools." Psychology In The Schools 48, no. 3 (March 2011): 223-232. Academic Search Premier, EBSCOhost (accessed November 27, 2013). The article presents the challenges and advantages of implementing cognitive based therapies (CBT) into the school environment, ways to diagnose anxiety, and the key components of CBT. (Mindfulness is a branch of CBT in some schools of thought. CBT employs cognitive reconstructing with a battle to win over opposition. Mindfulness lets the opposition go there is no mental struggle). Much is said about the benefits of having meditation in schools, even to the extent of being an optimal setting in many cases. The gold standard of assessment is a multi-method, multi-informant approach (i.e., the collection of information from a variety of individuals and in a variety of modalities) (p. 225). These approaches include interviews, child self-report measures, parent and teacher rating scales, and behavioral observations. Its also important to make sure that parental consent is gathered. Also mentioned is that computer-assisted CBTs offer a promising innovation for facilitating the meditations as well as trainings for practitioners. Semple, Randye, Jennifer Lee, Dinelia Rosa, and Lisa Miller. 2010. "A Randomized Trial of Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy for Children: Promoting Mindful Attention to Enhance Social-Emotional Resiliency in Children." Journal Of Child & Family Studies 19, no. 2: 218-229. Academic Search Premier, EBSCOhost (accessed December 2, 2013). This study gives valuable information on the necessities for attention treatments in addition to other curriculum at schools. The strongest predictors of late achievement are entry-level math, reading, and attention skills. Mindfulness treatments aim to enhance attention as well as reduce chronic harsh self-judgments. Semple also discerns between CBT and Mindfulness stating that decentering is the core mechanism of change specific to Mindfulness techniques. Decentering is the ability to observe internal and external experiences without distortion from affective, cognitive, or physiological reactivities. By experiencing intrapsychic processes independent of external events, mindful awareness allows an individual to more easily decenter from previously conditioned anxiety schemata (p. 220). Semple, Randye J., Elizabeth F. G. Reid, and Lisa Miller. 2005. "Treating Anxiety With Mindfulness: An Open Trial of Mindfulness Training for Anxious Children." Journal Of Cognitive Psychotherapy 19, no. 4: 379-392. Academic Search Premier, EBSCOhost (accessed November 21, 2013). This study was an open clinical trial that examined the feasibility and acceptability of a mindfulness training program for anxious children. The study was done in a school, once a week, for 45 minutes with 7-8 year olds. Mindfulness for children trains their attention by focusing on basic body sensations and perceptions. Semple shows that fun and simple

techniques can make a big difference. Examples include a worry warts wastebasket, mindful eating, mindful listening, mindful walking, and short body movements. These simple activities made it easier for students to discover their own ways to practice mindfulness at home. Results show that mindfulness can be taught to children and it works. Remarkably, at 7 and 8 years old, these children could differentiate and explore subjective judgments versus objective truths (p. 389). Most of the children liked being in the meditation group and all five were able to understand concepts of mindfulness as well as make applications to their everyday lives. Wisner, Betsy L., Barbara Jones, and David Gwin. 2010. "School-based Meditation Practices for Adolescents: A Resource for Strengthening Self-Regulation, Emotional Coping, and SelfEsteem." Children & Schools 32, no. 3: 150-159. Academic Search Premier, EBSCOhost (accessed December 2, 2013). Its important to note that meditation is an innovation being more often implemented in schools. (Mindfulness meditation, the relaxation response, and Transcendental Meditation). The article states clearly that school social workers are intimately involved in administering the programs. They are also encouraged to learn and develop the capabilities to do so. The article also gives suggestions for implementation for adolescents. They can be part of health classes, as homework, homework, in home-room class, and at the beginning of class. As little as 10 minutes a day at school showed improvements.