.b is a school-based intervention aimed at supporting emotional regulation and sustained attention in young people aged between 11 to 18 years. It is delivered by teachers to students during timetabled school classes, or to groups of students who attend the intervention independently of their classroom schedule.
The information above is as offered/supported by the intervention provider.
11 to 16 years old
School-based
.b (pronounced ‘dot-be’) is a school-based intervention aimed at supporting the emotional awareness, emotional regulation, and sustained attention of young people aged between 11 and 18 years.
.b is delivered in the classroom by a trained teacher in 10 40-minute sessions with four additional follow-up sessions. The sessions can be spread across the school year and typically occur once a week.
The course provides young people with information about the brain and the role it plays in emotion regulation. Pupils also learn mindfulness techniques to help manage life’s inevitable ups and downs. Themes explored include: training the attention, bringing awareness to everyday activities, improving sleep, working with powerful emotions, and noticing the ‘good stuff’ in life.
Throughout the sessions, a range of mindfulness practices are taught, including attention training, mindfulness of routine daily activities, mindful movement, and grounding practices in response to difficult thoughts or emotions. The practices are built up progressively, with a new element being introduced each week.
All sessions are delivered as structured classroom lessons, including PowerPoint presentations and animations to engage students and explain concepts, teacher-guided exercises to explore mindfulness practice, group discussion to share experiences, worksheets to embed learning, and ‘home practice’ to try in their own time.
11 to 18 years
All students attending secondary school and sixth form.
Disclaimer: The information in this section is as offered/supported by the intervention provider.
Science-based assumption
Adolescent mental health problems increase the risk of poor school engagement and mental health problems in adulthood.
Science-based assumption
Effective emotion regulation skills increase young people’s engagement in school and resilience to mental health problems in adulthood.
Science-based assumption
All young people between 11 and 18 years old.
Intervention
Young people learn how various brain functions support emotion regulation
Young people learn mindfulness techniques to better regulate their emotions.
Short-term
Increased emotional awareness
Increased sustained attention
Increased emotional regulation.
Medium-term
Improved emotional wellbeing
Increased resilience to stress.
Long-term
Reduced risk of mental health problems in adolescence and adulthood.
All students between 11 and 18 years old.
.b is delivered in 10 sessions of one hours’ duration each by a trained practitioner to groups of students.
Young people learn how key areas of the brain contribute to emotion regulation. Effective mindfulness techniques are also introduced and home practice is encouraged.
.b is delivered by secondary school teachers.
The practitioners have 38 hours of intervention training. Booster training of practitioners is recommended.
Practitioner supervision is not required for .b.
Intervention fidelity is maintained through the following processes:
Contact person: Emily Slater
Organisation: Mindfulness in Schools Project
Email address: Enquires@mindfulnessinschools.org
Website/s: https://mindfulnessinschools.org/teach-dot-b/dot-b-curriculum/
*Please note that this information may not be up to date. In this case, please visit the listed intervention website for up to date contact details.
.b’s most rigorous evidence comes from one RCT conducted in Finland consistent with Foundations’ Level 3 evidence strength threshold. The study observed statistically significant improvements in children’s self-reported resilience in comparison to the active control group.
.b additionally has evidence from a quasi-experimental evaluation conducted in England, consistent with Foundations’ Level 2 evidence strength threshold, observing reductions in .b pupils’ self-reports of stress, emotional wellbeing, and depression.
.b can be described as evidence-based: it has evidence from at least one rigorously conducted RCT or QED demonstrating a statistically significant positive impact on at least one child outcome, as well as at least one more RCT or QED.
Improved resilience
Improvement index
Interpretation
Study
| Identified in search | 12 |
| Studies reviewed | 2 |
| Meeting the L2 threshold | 2 |
| Meeting the L3 threshold | 1 |
| Contributing to the L4 threshold | 0 |
| Ineligible | 9 |
| Study design | RCT |
| Country | Finland |
| Sample characteristics | School children in Finland aged between 12 and 15 years. |
| Race, ethnicities, and nationalities | Not reported |
| Population risk factors | None reported – this intervention is a universal intervention and targets the general population of young people in secondary schools. |
| Timing |
|
| Child outcomes | Post-intervention
|
| Other outcomes | None |
| Study rating | 3 |
| Citations | Volanen, S.-M., Lassander, M., Hankonen, N., Santalahti, P., Hintsanen, M., Simonsen, N., Raevuori, A., Mullola, S., Vahlberg, T., But, A. & Suominen, S. (2020) Healthy learning mind: Effectiveness of a mindfulness program on mental health compared to a relaxation program and teaching as usual in schools. A cluster-randomised controlled trial. Journal of Affective Disorders. 276, 1169–1179. |
| Study design | QED |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sample characteristics | Young people aged 12 to 16 from 12 secondary schools in the United Kingdom. Gender representation included 37% females in the intervention group and 23.1% in the control group. |
| Race, ethnicities, and nationalities |
|
| Population risk factors | None reported |
| Timing |
|
| Child outcomes | Post-intervention
3-month follow-up
|
| Study rating | 2 |
| Citations | Kuyken, W., Weare, K., Ukoumunne, O. C., Vicary, R., Motton, N., Burnett, R., Cullen, C., Hennelly & S., Huppert, F. (2013) Effectiveness of the Mindfulness in Schools programme: Non-randomised controlled feasibility study. British Journal of Psychiatry. 1–6. |
The following studies were identified for this intervention but did not count towards the intervention’s overall evidence rating. An intervention receives the same rating as its most robust study or studies.
Campbell, A. J., Lanthier, R. P., Weiss, B. A. & Shaine, M. D. (2019) The impact of a schoolwide mindfulness program on adolescent well-being, stress, and emotion regulation: A nonrandomized controlled study in a naturalistic setting. Journal of Child and Adolescent Counseling. 5 (1), 18-34.
Hennelly, S. (2011) The immediate and sustained effects of the. b mindfulness programme on adolescents’ social and emotional well-being and academic functioning [Unpublished master’s thesis, Oxford Brooks University, United Kingdom].
Huppert, F. A. & Johnson, D. M. (2010) A controlled trial of mindfulness training in schools: The importance of practice for an impact on well-being. The Journal of Positive Psychology. 5 (4), 264–274.
Johnson, C., Burke, C., Brinkman, S. & Wade, T. (2016) Effectiveness of a school-based mindfulness program for transdiagnostic prevention in young adolescents. Behaviour Research and Therapy. 81, 1–11.
Van Schijndel, L. M. (2019) Effectiveness of a school-based mindfulness training on well-being and executive functioning in early adolescents [Master’s thesis].
Weare, K. (2018) The evidence for mindfulness in schools for children and young people. University of Southampton.
Note on provider involvement: This provider has agreed to Foundations’ terms of reference (or the Early Intervention Foundation's terms of reference), and the assessment has been conducted and published with the full cooperation of the intervention provider.
Rated 1: Set up and delivery is low cost, equivalent to an estimated unit cost of less than £100.
Rated 2: Set up and delivery is medium-low cost, equivalent to an estimated unit cost of £100–£499.
Rated 3: Set up and delivery is medium cost, equivalent to an estimated unit cost of £500–£999.
Rated 4: Set up and delivery is medium-high cost, equivalent to an estimated unit cost of £1,000–£2,000.
Rating 5: Set up and delivery is high cost. Equivalent to an estimated unit cost of more than £2,000.
Set up and delivery cost is not applicable, not available, or has not been calculated.
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Supporting children’s mental health and wellbeing: Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetuer adipiscing elit. Aenean commodo ligula eget dolor. Aenean massa. Cum sociis natoque penatibus et magnis dis parturient.
Preventing child maltreatment: Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetuer adipiscing elit. Aenean commodo ligula eget dolor. Aenean massa. Cum sociis natoque penatibus et magnis dis parturient.
Enhancing school achievement & employment: Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetuer adipiscing elit. Aenean commodo ligula eget dolor. Aenean massa. Cum sociis natoque penatibus et magnis dis parturient.
Preventing crime, violence and antisocial behaviour: Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetuer adipiscing elit. Aenean commodo ligula eget dolor. Aenean massa. Cum sociis natoque penatibus et magnis dis parturient.
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Rated 2: Has preliminary evidence of improving a child outcome from a quantitative impact study, but there is not yet evidence of causal impact.
Rated 2+: Meets the level 2 rating and the best available evidence is based on a study which is more rigorous than a level 2 standard but does not meet the level 3 standard.
Rated 3: Has evidence of a short-term positive impact from at least one rigorous study.
Rated 3+: Meets the level 3 rating and has evidence from other studies with a comparison group at level 2 or higher.
Rated 4: Has evidence of a long-term positive impact through at least two rigorous studies.
Rated 4+: Meets the level 4 rating and has at least a third study contributing to the Level 4 rating, with at least one of the studies conducted independently of the intervention provider.
Rating has a *: The evidence base includes mixed findings i.e., studies suggesting positive impact alongside studies, which on balance, indicate no effect or negative impact.
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