Mindfulness and Yoga for Self-Regulation: A Primer for Mental Health Professionals

The first book to present mindfulness and yoga-based treatment for dysregulated, consumption-oriented disorders

Mindfulness and yoga-based approaches as beneficial supplements to traditional mental health paradigms are well supported by empirical research. Although numerous texts have examined these approaches for treatment of depression, anxiety, and eating disorders, this is the first to address mindfulness and yoga-based approaches as embodied tools for reducing dysregulation associated with self-destructive and consumption-oriented behaviors. Introducing the basic theoretical foundations, key practices, and comprehensive protocols of mindfulness and yoga-based approaches for the treatment of externally oriented behaviors, the text is targeted at mental health professionals who wish to learn how to incorporate these techniques into their practice.

The book explores the societal influences that lead to the externally oriented, idealized, and ultimately self-defeating concept of the individual. It provides the structure and practical applications for clinicians to help their clients overcome struggles with externally oriented behaviors and discover an internal sense of satisfaction and peace of mind. Tapping into the concept of a "hungry self" within the context of consumerism, the book advocates mindfulness and yoga approaches as alternate pathways toward a contented, regulated, and authentic experience of self. It addresses various aspects of the consumptive self and defines related syndromes such as disordered eating, compulsive shopping, substance use, and gambling. Creating a context for using alternative and complementary approaches, the book describes the challenges of traditional therapies. It then covers the conceptual aspects of mindfulness and yoga and describes specific protocols that facilitate behaviors associated with a healthy experience of the self for a variety of disorders.

Key Features:

• Describes mindfulness and yoga approaches as an effective treatment for a range of consumption and self-regulation issues--the first book of its kind
• Explains how to integrate mindfulness and yoga with traditional mental health paradigms for maximum benefits
• Designed for clinicians with minimal background in yoga or mindfulness
• Combines a conceptual overview of embodied self-regulation with practical techniques
• Reviews treatment protocols informed by mindfulness and yoga practices covering their evidence base and contraindications for use

Author: Catherine P. Cook-Cottone
Publisher: Springer Publishing Company
Published: 04/06/2015
Pages: 346
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 1.20lbs
Size: 9.20h x 6.00w x 0.80d
ISBN: 9780826198617

About the Author
Cook-Cottone, Catherine P.: - p>Catherine P. Cook-Cottone, PhD, is a certified school psychologist, licensed psychologist, registered yoga teacher (200 RYT-E and 500 RYT), and associate professor at SUNY at Buffalo. She is an associate editor of the journal Eating Disorders: Journal of Treatment and Prevention. She is also the founder and president of Yogis in Service, Inc., a not-for-profit organization that creates access to yoga. The mother of two teenage girls, Dr. Cook-Cottone is married to Jerry Cottone, PhD, a fellow psychologist and yogi. Mindfulness and Yoga in Schools brings together Dr. Cook-Cottone's experience working with children and youth in schools and neighborhood settings. Dr. Cook-Cottone graduated from the Utica College of Syracuse University in 1989, receiving a BS degree in preprofessional psychology. She attended the State University of New York at Oswego for her MS degree in school psychology. In 1997, she received her PhD degree from the University at Buffalo, SUNY, in counseling psychology with a specialization in school psychology. She became a licensed psychologist in New York State the following year. Before entering academia, Dr. Cook-Cottone worked as a group worker and residential counselor for children in need, including adolescents classified as Persons in Need of Supervision and Juvenile Delinquents. She also worked in a neighborhood center for underserved, urban youth. As a school psychologist, she worked in both rural and urban settings, eventually transitioning to academia.

Dr. Cook-Cottone is an associate professor at the University at Buffalo, SUNY, in the Department of Counseling, School, and Educational Psychology within the Graduate School of Education. Her research specializes in embodied self-regulation (i.e., yoga, mindfulness, and self-care) and psychosocial disorders. She has written four books and over 50 peer-reviewed articles and book chapters. Her most recent book is titled Mindfulness and Yoga for Self-Regulation: A Primer for Mental Health Professionals. Presenting nationally and internationally, Dr. Cook-Cottone uses her model of embodied self-regulation to structure discussions on empirical work and practical applications. She teaches courses on mindful therapy, yoga for health and healing, self-care and service, and counseling with children and adolescents. She also maintains a private practice specializing in the treatment of anxiety-based disorders, eating disorders (including other disorders of self-care), and development of emotion regulation skills.

Dr. Cook-Cottone has a passion for yoga and for serving others. She has been a yoga researcher since 2002 when she began implementing her eating disorder prevention program, Girls Growing in Wellness and Balance: Yoga and Life Skills to Empower. She became a certified and registered yoga instructor in 2010. In 2013, she began the work that evolved into Yogis in Service, Inc. This work began as informal yoga classes for an urban summer camp and evolved into what is now an official not-for-profit with a community yoga studio on the east side of Buffalo. Specifically, Yogis in Service, Inc. offers yoga to those who would not otherwise have access in settings such as after-school programs, hospitals, rehabilitation centers, and universities. Dr. Cook-Cottone is honored to work with a collective of compassionate yoga teachers and students that are as excited as she is to share their love of yoga and yoga's effective tools for self-regulation.