Guided Imagery Work with Kids: Essential Practices to Help Them Manage Stress, Reduce Anxiety & Build Self-Esteem (1st Edition)

Guided imagery is a relaxation technique that uses sensory visualizations to engage the mind and imagination for healing. It is a simple, versatile therapeutic tool that uses “scripts” to help clients focus and guide their imagination, and has been shown to alleviate a host of common emotional issues in kids, from anxiety and insecurity to stress, anger, and the effects of bullying. Easier to practice than meditation or hypnosis, guided imagery allows kids to quickly focus, integrate their thoughts, emotions, and feelings, and practice self-compassion, all without the need for extraordinary discipline or time investment. This concise book lays out all the essential guidelines for using this helpful healing practice in therapy, counseling, and any type of helping work with children. The opening chapters present the groundwork, explaining what guided imagery is, how it differs from mindfulness and hypnosis, how it works, and how to integrate it into therapy practice. The second half of the book offers dozens of detailed, ready-to-use guided imagery scripts for therapists to follow in their work with children.