Mindfulness and acceptance theory are discussed as ways to help students transition to higher education.

1. MINDFULNESS PROGRAMS FOR
TRANSITION TO HIGHER EDUCATION
Nadine Marty, Ed.D
Rider University- Counseling Center

2. MINDFULNESS AND
ACCEPTANCE FOR COLLEGE
STUDENTS: WHY IT MATTERS
• Transitions are NOT easy!
• Higher education is designed to create
life-changing experiences
• Higher education facilities may be
limited to maximizing the opportunities
to shape and develop student growth
• Cultural changes

3. GOALS OF MINDFULNESS AND
ACCEPTANCE TRAINING
1. Increase psychological openness and flexibility
2. Increase ability to be centered in the “now” and fully
conscious
3. Increase engagement in meaningful value-based
actions
• These targets counter the difficulty in finding peace
and purpose in the word

4. ACCEPTANCE AND COMMITMENT
THERAPY (ACT):
WHAT IS IT?
• Mindfulness-based behavioral therapy
• Attempts to unravel maladaptive patterns of
responding to situations
• Eg. Student driven to study incessantly or student
procrastinates, avoids studying
• Both behaviors are meant to control anxiety, worry,
stress, and/or anger
• These behaviors often perpetuate the negative
thoughts and feelings

5. ACT MODEL OF PSYCHOTHERAPY
• Assumes that psychological pain is a normal part of living- not to be
avoided
• Efforts to avoid pain lead to a core pattern of troublesome behaviors
Fusion
Experiential
Avoidance
Maladaptive
behaviors

6. SIX BEHAVIORAL PROCESSES
THAT MAINTAIN NEGATIVE
BEHAVIORS
1. Fusion
2. Experiential Avoidance
3. Attachment to the conceptualized self
4. Inflexible Attention
5. Disconnection from personal values
6. Inaction, impulsivity, avoidance
persistence
• Not always maladaptive

7. ACT: INTERVENTION
STRATEGIES
1. Basic Counseling skills (i.e. reflective
listening, empathy, psychoeducation,
metaphors)
2. Experiential Learning
• experiential exercises
• mindfulness practices
3. Increasing Psychological Flexibility
• “The Hexaflex” - Six components of
Psychological Flexibility

8. BEGINNING THERAPY
1. Develop “Creative Hopelessness”
1. Help students uncover maladaptive
patterns of experiential avoidance
2. Assess the workability of these strategies
3. Identify the consequences of these
strategies and patterns
2. Let go of the struggle between control
+ avoidance and acceptance

9. THE 6 CORE PROCESSES OF
PSYCHOLOGICAL FLEXIBILITY
1. Acceptance: tolerate negative thoughts, feelings, and worries
2. Contact with the Present Moment :bring attention to the present
moment
3. Defusion: notice the thought, distance from it, how does the thought
influence behavior
4. Self as Context: understand the “self” as a container of experiences
5. Values : chosen direction for living
6. Committed action: doing what it takes to bring values to life

10. MINDFULNESS BASED
STRESS REDUCTION
(MBSR)
• Mindfulness- Jon Kabat-Zinn
• The awareness that emerges through
paying attention on purpose in the
present moment and non-judgmentally to
the unfolding of experience moment to
moment
• Treatment consists of focusing on the
breath to ground the mind in the present
• Generalizes to sound, smell, touch,
movement
• Generalizes to all that is happening in
the present moment
• Well documented positive effects on
physical-psychological health

11. MBSR GROUP
8 WEEKS
1. Location: no special facilities, learning to
meditate and minimize distractions is essential
2. Screening Interview
1. Is psychological issue appropriate for the
group?
2. Degree of disturbance
3. Contraindications, like dissociation,
psychosis
4. Motivation: openness, attendance,
homework (CONSISTENCY)
5. Education: format and content of the
groups, not a therapy group for personal
issues, and individual counseling may be
supplemental
3. Group Facilitators: trained in mindfulness
meditation and actively practicing it.

12. MINDFULNESS
EXERCISE

13. RESOURCES
• Langer, E. J. (2000). Mindful Learning. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 9(6), 220-
223.
• Orsillo, S., & Roemer, L. (2011). The mindful way through anxiety: Break free from chronic
worry and reclaim your life. New York: Guilford Press.
• Pistorello, J., (Ed.). (2013). Mindfulness and acceptance for college students: Theory and
practical applications for intervention, prevention and outreach. Oakland, CA: Context Press.
• Teasdale, J., Williams, M., & Segal, Z. (2014). The mindful way workbook: An 8-week
program to free yourself from depression and emotional distress. New York: Guilford Press.
• Williams, M., Teasdale, J., Segal, Z., & Kabat-Zinn, J. (2007). The mindful way through
depression: Freeing yourself from chronic unhappiness. New York: Guilford Press.
• Palousemindfulness.com – free, online MBSR 8-week program
• http://herohealthroom.com/2014/12/08/free-guided-meditation-resources/
• Insight Timer – free application featuring:
• 3863 free Guided Meditations
• 971 of the world's best meditation teachers
• 3970 Groups
• 1.5m meditators

14. WHAT’S HAPPENING ON LOCAL CAMPUSES?
• ACT programs
• MBSR programs – 8-week program
• Mini-mindfulness workshops – drop-in style to learn a technique; 20 minutes in length
• The Mindful Way Workbook – 8-week program
• Campus psychoeducational programming that incorporates information and skills to
promote resiliency
• Varieties of skill-building workshops – addressing anxiety and depression, mood-
management, attentional issues, relationship-building
• Mindfulness meditation workshop – drop-in style at noon, 3 times per week