What is Cognitive-Based Therapy

Approximately four million children struggle daily with the challenges of anxiety in the United States. Unfortunately, this anxiety leads to additional implications for their physical health, psychological well-being, and academic performance. This chapter examines current research literature on youth anxiety and mindfulness to argue for the use of mindfulness techniques as a way that youth can self-administer stabilization strategies to address the adverse effects of anxiety. This argument unfolds in three sections. First, this chapter examines scholarship on youth anxiety, noting its prevalence, forms, and effects on youth. Second, this chapter argues for the efficacy of early intervention strategies among youth. Finally, this chapter explores scholarship on mindfulness techniques, arguing or their efficacy as a stabilizing technique for youth experiencing anxiety. This chapter concludes by noting the implications of these findings for teachers and school counselors who often serve as the frontline workers when identifying anxiety among youth.