Christopher Willard

With a growing number of students entering college with an existing mental health diagnosis, College Mental Health 101 offers hope and clear direction to those struggling with mental illness. There is an undeniable mental health crisis on campuses these days. More students are anxious, depressed, drinking, and self-harming than ever before. The statistics are startling: 50% of mental health issues begin by age 14, 75% by age 24, while suicide is the second leading cause of death among young adults. And yet even while more students are struggling, more students than ever are breaking through stigma, seeking help, and sharing openly in person and social media about their challenges. College Mental Health 101 offers more answers, relief, resources, and research backed information for families, students, and staff already at college or beginning the application process. With simple charts and facts, informal self-assessments, quick tips for students and those who support them, the book includes hundreds of voices addressing common concerns. Basics like picking and contacting a therapist, knowing your rights, disclosing to friends and family, advice on medication and time off, are all covered in brief digestible sections. The book also offers support and understanding to families and friends of struggling students who are often uncertain of where else to turn for expert advice. Packed with hundreds of expert and student voices, three diverse experts in the field have assembled the right resources at the right time.

Feelings and farts are facts of life. We all have them! And we have to live with them, even when they’re inconvenient, unpleasant, or surprising. They might come out of nowhere! It's definitely not a good idea to hold them in for too long. But among friends and family, they are usually no big deal. Striking a perfect balance of funny and factual, this charming picture book encourages young readers to accept their emotions (and their farts) without shame, even when they really stink.

How you feel is very important, and a lot of the time our emotions might not just live inside our heads but in our bodies too! These are called bodily feelings, or 'Zensations', and you might find them all over your body. Come along with us as we learn how to feel our Zensations from the tips of our toes to the very top of our heads and find out all about the things our bodies are telling us.

Gain the confidence you need to succeed-in school, with friends, and in life! Are you afraid to try new things for fear of failure? Do you second-guess yourself or doubt your abilities? Do you hesitate to speak up in class because you may be wrong, or people might laugh at you? If so, you may have a problem with self-confidence-and you are far from alone. Many teens struggle with low confidence and self-esteem. This workbook can help. Written by teen mental health experts, The Self-Confidence Workbook for Teens offers powerful mindfulness skills and activities to help you gain confidence in your abilities, be more assertive, and start believing in your own awesomeness! You'll learn how to ease feelings of self-doubt, and quiet that pesky inner critic who says you aren't good enough, smart enough, or attractive enough. Most importantly, you'll find tools to help you cultivate an inner "ally" who always has your back in difficult, stressful, or intimidating situations. If you're ready to start living with confidence, this workbook will help you believe in you-so you can reach your highest goals!

When Green arrives in a crayon box as a present to a little girl, he has no idea of the impact he will have on her life in small but profound and meaningful ways. The Life of a Crayon is a colorful story (ages 4-8) about a girl and her crayon who grow up together and draw the world around them. When a little girl receives a box of crayons for her birthday, Green becomes her favorite. Over the years, as the girl creates art and projects and greeting cards, Green learns new skills and important lessons alongside her. Perhaps most importantly, Green fills her--and others'--worlds with color and the emotions it evokes, and in doing so leaves a legacy that is vast and meaningful. The story can just be an engaging and thought-provoking adventure on its own, or it can help kids and family cope with change, the challenges of growing up, and even loss as this book touches on themes like lifecycles, impermanence, and connection.

Even in the best of circumstances, life can sometimes seem like a parade of traumatic events. The good news is we come equipped with the ability to grow from our adverse experiences. Researchers call this response “post-traumatic growth,” or PTG. Psychologist and mindfulness educator Dr. Christopher Willard has gathered essential mind–body tools for PTG into one concise volume. After a brief crash course in the latest research on trauma and the mind–body connection, we learn to access our innate resilience through body-based practices, mindful awareness, and generating compassion for ourselves and others. This is the first easy-access guide to handling the traumas of everyday life, with a retro-modern design that follows on the author’s popular mindfulness titles for children. With just enough of the latest research to inspire confidence in our ability to regulate our trauma responses, and in the friendly voice of a fellow human under stress, Dr. Willard kindly guides us through a variety of strategies to help us more easily “grow through what we go through.”

Anxiety Hacks for an Uncertain World is a highly accessible guide to anxiety disorders. It helps anxiety sufferers regain control by suggesting an array of useful tactics which when applied can be life altering. Chapters explore key topics such as phobias, panic disorders, social anxiety, general anxiety, pandemics, and more. Additional resources are included in the appendix, such as support groups, services, and helplines. Using light humor and examples from their lived experiences the authors relate to readers and offer useful suggestions to overcome anxiety and understand it. This book will be essential for anyone suffering from anxiety and phobias or professionals working with this population. It can be used on its own or in conjunction with therapy.

Anxiety Hacks for an Uncertain World is a highly accessible guide to anxiety disorders. It helps anxiety sufferers regain control by suggesting an array of useful tactics which when applied can be life altering. Chapters explore key topics such as phobias, panic disorders, social anxiety, general anxiety, pandemics, and more. Additional resources are included in the appendix, such as support groups, services, and helplines. Using light humor and examples from their lived experiences the authors relate to readers and offer useful suggestions to overcome anxiety and understand it. This book will be essential for anyone suffering from anxiety and phobias or professionals working with this population. It can be used on its own or in conjunction with therapy.

In Alphabreaths Too, children learn the alphabet through playful breathing exercises and colourful illustrations. Each letter of the alphabet has a simple mindfulness or compassion-based practice to help kids relax, focus their thoughts, hold positive feelings for others, express gratitude, and more. It’s as easy as A-B-C! Children will pose like a statue in Museum Breath, shake like an earthquake in Quake Breath, and roar like a dinosaur in Jurassic Breath. With Kite Breath and Gift Breath, they will send out good wishes to others and fill their hearts with gratitude.

Children will learn the basics of mindful breathing along with their ABCs in this playful and interactive board book. In Alphabreaths, children learn their ABCs along with the basics of mindfulness through fun exercises and illustrations they'll want to come back to again and again. Each letter of the alphabet teaches a simple mindfulness or compassion-based practice to help kids focus their thoughts, hold positive feelings for others, express gratitude, and more. It's as easy as ABC Kids will open their arms wide like jaws on Alligator Breath, take a big breath and sing "Laaa" on Voice Breath, and imagine blowing out birthday candles on Cake Breath. With Heart Breath and Wish Breath, they will remember to fill their heart with gratitude and send good wishes to others. Alphabreaths offers a meaningful introduction to mindfulness for children, all while keeping them delighted with imaginative inspiration and hours of fun.

Now fully revised and updated, including new and fun activities for dealing with school anxiety, social media overwhelm, bullying, and more. Being a teen is hard enough without anxiety getting in the way. Not only are you changing more than ever before—physically and mentally—you’re also facing an increasing number of global issues, such as pandemics, school violence, and climate change. On top of all these big events, if you suffer from panic attacks, chronic worry, and feelings of isolation, it can be very difficult to meet your goals and succeed. The good news is there are real, powerful ways that you can take control of your anxiety—and your life! In this second edition of Mindfulness for Teen Anxiety, psychologist and learning specialist Christopher Willard offers teens like you proven-effective, mindfulness-based practices to help you cope with your anxiety, identify common triggers (such as dating, social media, or school performance), learn valuable time-management skills, and feel more calm at home, in school, and with friends. You’ll learn doable skills for dealing with specific situations that cause anxiety, such as public speaking, taking tests, meeting new people, and more. You’ll also discover special breathing exercises to help you stay calm in moments of panic, and guided visualization exercises to be cool and collected, even in the tensest situations. If you are ready to move past your anxiety, panic, and worry and start being your best, this workbook will be your guide—every step of the way.

This indispensable resource provides a flexible framework and a wealth of engaging tools for teaching mindfulness to children and adolescents with varying needs in school or clinical settings. Numerous kid-friendly mindfulness practices are presented, complete with step-by-step instructions, sample scripts, suggested variations, and discussion questions. The benefits of mindfulness for enhancing children's social–emotional competencies are clearly explained. Clinicians and teachers are guided to select and sequence activities for groups struggling with specific challenges: stress and anxiety, depression, attention problems, behavioral and emotion regulation issues, and trauma. In a convenient large-size format, the book includes 14 reproducible handouts. Purchasers get access to a Web page where they can download and print the reproducible materials.

This indispensable resource provides a flexible framework and a wealth of engaging tools for teaching mindfulness to children and adolescents with varying needs in school or clinical settings. Numerous kid-friendly mindfulness practices are presented, complete with step-by-step instructions, sample scripts, suggested variations, and discussion questions. The benefits of mindfulness for enhancing children's social–emotional competencies are clearly explained. Clinicians and teachers are guided to select and sequence activities for groups struggling with specific challenges: stress and anxiety, depression, attention problems, behavioral and emotion regulation issues, and trauma. In a convenient large-size format, the book includes 14 reproducible handouts. Purchasers get access to a Web page where they can download and print the reproducible materials.

In Alphabreaths, children will learn their ABCs and the basics of mindfulness through playful breathing exercises. Breaths like Mountain Breath and Redwood Breath will connect them with nature, while breaths like Heart Breath and Wish Breath will help them remember to fill their heart with gratitude and send good wishes to others. Simple, playful, and with delightful illustrations, Alphabreaths is the perfect introduction to mindfulness and breath awareness.

Dozens of games, puzzles, and exercises to build calm & beat stress The Mindfulness Skills Activity Book for Children gives you the resources to help the children in your classroom, office or home learn and hone the crucial skills of mindfulness "€" for getting on top of stress and doing their daily best Inside this book you'll find dozens of activities, games, exercises, and puzzles to help the kids in your life: - Increase focus and concentration - Build calm and beat stress - Come together as a group - Learn to hang in with challenges - Get excited about what's happening right here and right now Written by two psychologists with decades of experience working with kids, families and mindfulness, these fun, easy-to-learn and creative activities are awesome for all school-aged kids, whether they are newbies to mindfulness or not