Mindful Parenting Information, Coaching and Counselling in Ottawa
We are a group of independent psychotherapists, counsellors and coaches in Ottawa, who also work(ed) Carleton University, Algonquin College and at CHEO primarily work with adults with ADHD as well as provide services for parents of children with neurodevelopmental disorders. If your child has been diagnosed with ADHD and/or is experiencing inattention, impulsivity, hyperactivity, anxiety, or depression, we encourage you to read the following information about mindful parenting and to book an appointment.
Why Mindful Parenting?
Mindfulness is the practice of paying attention to the present moment and focusing on internal experiences. Taking a mindfulness-based approach to parenting allows parents to identify their everyday stressors and improve awareness. This fosters flexibility in responding to situations. Thus, mindful parenting helps individuals to react and respond appropriately to situations while simultaneously improving mental well-being.
All children require parental stability and responsiveness. This is very difficult to maintain. Consequently, parents often experience prolonged periods of stress, which can lead to burnout. Stress and burnout can be managed through mindfulness. Haydicky et al. (2013) examined the impact of mindfulness on adolescents with ADHD and their parents. They found that adolescents exhibited fewer ADHD symptoms, while parents displayed a significant decrease in stress.
Mindfulness for Children
Mindful parenting is an effective way to improve executive function, metacognition and information processing. This practice has been found to benefit all children, particularly those with neurodevelopmental disorders, like ADHD and ASD. Taking a mindfulness-based approach will help your child:
- Regulate and maintain attention
- Improve organization skills
- Enhance information processing
- Strengthen task management abilities and sense of time
- Improve problem solving abilities
- Increase self-inhibition and reduce impulsive behaviour, so that it does not negatively impact your child’s social and academic engagements
- Promote social interactions
- Regulate emotion
- Improve psychological and physical well-being
This practice is particularly helpful for children with ADHD. ADHD is considered an Executive Function Deficit Disorder (EFDD). This means that executive functions, like working-memory and time management skills, are under-developed. Through the practice of mindfulness, your child will learn to strengthen their executive functions and manage ADHD symptoms. Hence, your child’s care should include mindfulness-based interventions.
Teaching Your Child Mindfulness
Explaining this intervention to children involves using appropriate terms and activities. Young children should be introduced to this approach via mindfulness-based activities, like martial arts and yoga. Mindfulness-based activities promote executive functions without explicitly conversing about the practice of mindfulness. Conversely, adolescences benefit from discussing the practice in simplistic terms.
The most important way to teach your child mindfulness is by engaging in it yourself. Children learn from adults. By increasing your own sense of awareness and responsiveness you create an example for your child to follow.
There are many ways to help your child with a neurodevelopmental disorder. The practice of mindfulness has been found to be just as effective as medication for improving executive function in children. To learn more about mindfulness sign up for our Intro. to Mindfulness workshop or book an appointment with one of our team members today.
References:
Bertin, M. (2015). Mindful parenting for ADHD: A guide to cultivating calm, reducing stress & helping children thrive. Oakland, CA: New Harbinger Publications.
Haydicky, J., Wiener, J., Badali, P., Milligan, K., & Ducharme, J. M. (2012). Evaluation of a mindfulness-based intervention for adolescents with learning disabilities and co-occurring ADHD and anxiety. Mindfulness, 3, 151-164. doi:10.1007/s12671-012-0089-2
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