Glenise Shelley (CNC, MFT) Lisa Clement (MSW)

Samina Whale (Clinical Psychologist)

Child &Youth Mental Health Services NBMLHD

Child and Youth Mental Health Services

Nepean Blue Mountains Local Health District

Child & Youth Mental Health Services

Assessment & Therapy Team (5-18yrs) Assertive Response Outreach (5-18yrs) Early Psychosis Team (12-24yrs) Early Childhood Consultation Outreach (Preschoolers) Children 0f Parents with a Mental Illness (COPMI) School-Link Coordinator Complex Mental Health presentations High Risk Complex Trauma

Family Systems Highly stressed Attachment disruptions Conflictual Adolescent-Parent Relationships

Relationships that are highly stressed & disregulating

to both parties are likely to suppress chemicals eg oxytocin , neurobiologically toxic (Hughes & Baylin 2012)

Mindfulness & DBT Research has shown that mindfulness activates the smart vagal system ie the brain-heart connection that promotes openess, empathetic listening & attunement (Porges 2011) This facilitates open minded parenting across the spectrum of children’s emotional expressions Sensitive, reciprocal communication nurtures secure attachment

Mindfulness Mindfulness can be thought of as an open-

minded non-judgemental present-moment awareness, the direct, non-conceptual knowing of experience as it unfolds, in its arising, in its momentary lingering & its passing away (Jon Kabat-Zinn)

Dialectical Behavioural Therapy Mindfulness Emotional Regulation Distress Tolerance Interpersonal Effectiveness

Making Mindfulness & DBT Relational

Bringing Parents & Adolescents dyads together in active experiential exercises

Offering a reflective open space Experiential exercises activating the senses Mindful awareness of the thought stream, feelings,

breath & body awareness

Sense Experiences

It is easy to eat without tasting, miss the fragrance of the moist earth after a rain, even touch others without knowing the feelings we are transmitting. We refer to these ever-so-common instances as missing what is here to be sensed as being out of touch (Jon Kabat-Zinn 2005)

Dyad Sense experiences Touch Sound Taste Sight Proprioception

Qualitative Feed-back “It has been nice to hear my parent’s thoughts/responses

to things we mightn’t usually experience or discuss together”

“I have thoroughly enjoyed sharing this experience with my daughter. I feel more connected and able to talk about the topic with more knowledge”

“I found it easier to immerse myself in the group with my mother with me”

“My two big kids played around & made jokes. It may seem like they weren’t paying attention, but it gave us a chance to bond in our own special way”

References Zinn-Kabat, Jon (2005), Coming To Our Senses, Hyperion,

New York. Hughes A. Daniel, Baylin, Jonathon (2012), Brain Based

Parenting, W.W Norton & Company, New York. Siegel J.Daniel & Hartzell Mary (2014) Parenting From The

Inside Out, Scribe Melbourne. Siegal J. Daniel (2010) The Mindful Therapist, WW.Norton &

Company NY. Porges, S. (2011). The polyvagal theory:Neurophysiological

foundations of emotions, attachment,communication, and self-regulation, New York,NY:Norton