COMING SOON!

Facilitating Mindfulness is a groundbreaking resource designed for college and university-level courses in early childhood education, child and youth care, social work, and related fields. This text equips future professionals with the knowledge, tools, and confidence to teach mindfulness to young children using art and arts-based approaches.

Grounded in current research, reflective practice, and the author’s extensive experience in social work and education, this book offers a compelling and accessible approach to introducing mindfulness in child-centered settings through creative expression, play, and sensory exploration.

A Must-Have Resource for:
• Early childhood education students
• Child and youth care students
• Social work and education programs
• Instructors building courses in mindfulness, child development, or creative approaches to practice

What Makes This Book Unique:
• Focuses on how to guide young children (ages 3–12) in mindfulness practices through art, movement, storytelling, music, and sensory activities
• Provides a developmentally appropriate, trauma-informed, and inclusive approach to teaching mindfulness
• Emphasizes the importance of presence, co-regulation, and creativity in supporting children’s emotional and social well-being
• Helps students build their own mindfulness practices so they can model and guide effectively

Inside Each Chapter:
• Clear learning objectives and key concepts
• Case examples and real-world applications in child care, school, and therapeutic settings
• Step-by-step guidance for arts-based mindfulness activities
• Reflection questions to support student learning and self-awareness
• Resources for further learning and practice

Whether students go on to work in classrooms, early years programs, or community settings, Facilitating Mindfulness gives them the tools to help children build emotional resilience, focus, and self-regulation—skills that are more important than ever in today’s fast-paced world.

Chapter 1 – Understanding Mindfulness and the Holistic Arts-Based Program: Benefits for Helping Professionals and the People We Work With
Chapter 2 – Benefits for Helping Professionals and the People We Work With
Chapter 3 – Facilitating Mindfulness Using Experiential and Arts-Based Methods
Chapter 4 – A Strengths-Based Perspective with a Focus on Group Work
Chapter 5 – Exploring and Practising Mindfulness-Based Practices and Concepts
Chapter 6 – The Holistic Arts-Based Program (HAP)

Dr. Diana Coholic is a Full Professor in the School of Social Work at Laurentian University. She obtained her Ph.D. at the University of New South Wales in Sydney, Australia, and her M.S.W. degree at the University of Toronto. Diana is a practicing clinical social worker with 25 years of experience, and she has been involved with the local chapter of the Ontario Association of Social Workers since 2005. At Laurentian University, she is a core member of the research group ECHO – Evaluating Children’s Health Outcomes. She is also a member of the Editorial Advisory Board for the journal Social Work with Groups, which is an excellent academic and practice resource for group workers.

Diana’s research has focused on investigating the effectiveness of arts-based mindfulness group work for the improvement of resilience and well being particularly in marginalized children and youth. Information can be found on her research website: www.dianacoholic.com 

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