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Expert GuidanceFocused Attention

Focused Attention

Learn to place your attention on one thing at a time.

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Better mental health starts with Headspace. Unrivaled expertise to make life feel a little easier, using guided meditations, mindfulness tips, focus tools, sleep support, and dedicated programs.

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Better mental health starts with Headspace

When we're training the mind, having something to focus our attention on is really important. It could be a visualization, a question, a word, or a phrase, or even something external like a pebble on the floor or a cloud in the sky. But maybe the most common thing to focus on is the breath. Having that place of focused attention gives us an anchor, something to come back to when we suddenly realize that the mind has wandered off, which of course, it inevitably will at times. When we focus on an object like the breath, it's not that we're trying to escape thoughts or shut out the world around us, instead, we're simply providing a stable point of reference to come back to. So we still allow thoughts to come and go in this exercise. We still remain attentive to the world around us, but at the same time, we're learning to recognize when we've got caught up in that thinking or in any type of distraction, and to gently step out of it, to let it go, and returning to a place of calm, focused attention....

Details

TypeExpert Guidance
Duration<1 min

About your teachers

  • A former Buddhist monk, Andy has guided people in meditation and mindfulness for 20 years. In his mission to make these practices accessible to all, he co-created the Headspace app in 2010.

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  • Eve is a mindfulness teacher, overseeing Headspace’s meditation curriculum. She is passionate about sharing meditation to help others feel less stressed and experience more compassion in their lives.

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  • As a meditation teacher, Dora encourages others to live, breathe, and be with the fullness of their experiences. She loves meditation’s power to create community and bring clarity to people’s minds.

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  • Kessonga has been an acupuncturists, therapist, and meditation teacher, working to bring mindfulness to the diverse populations of the world.

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  • Rosie Acosta has studied yoga and mindfulness for more than 20 years and taught for over a decade. Rosie’s mission is to help others overcome adversity and experience radical love.

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Your app brings so much peace and tolerance to our home.

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Changing my thoughts has allowed me to change my life.

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London

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The stress and loneliness courses … taught me how to comfort myself.

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Canada

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Headspace provides me with … a connection to myself, and a disconnection from negative thoughts, feelings, and sensations.

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Frequently asked questions

  • You get 3, 30-minute texting sessions a month with your coach. Together with your coach, you will create a plan to reach your unique goals or overcome challenges you may be facing.

    Mental health coaches will help you develop new skills, healthy habits, and coping mechanisms to empower you to improve your mental health. Coaches draw from clinically validated techniques – like cognitive behavioral (CBT) and acceptance commitment (ACT) – to help you with many different goals ranging from from challenging negative thinking to improving relationships. Here’s an overview of all the ways a mental health coach can help you.

    We recommend you discuss your regular coaching schedule with your coach during your first session. For more information about how to get started with mental health coaching, go here.

    The number of sessions may be subject to change based on the client or coach availability when you start your subscription.

  • While a mental health coach and therapist both work to help you improve your mental health, there are several important differences.

    1. Area of focus: Mental health coaches focus on where you are in the present and your goals for the future. Your relationship with your coach is collaborative, and you will work together to identify small steps you can take to achieve your goals, making adjustments along the way to keep you on track. Therapy consists of sessions with a licensed clinician to help you address ongoing psychological symptoms, or patterns of thought, behavior, or emotion that no longer serve you. Therapy allows you to dive deeper into past or present issues to make positive change in your life.

    2. Credentials: Therapists hold at least a master’s degree in psychology or a related field, and must complete licensing requirements in their state, along with a certain number of supervised clinical treatment hours. Certain types of providers, such as psychologists, hold a PhD or PsyD. Headspace mental health coaches, on the other hand, are required to complete a certification through accredited institutions, like the National Board for Health and Wellness Coaching (NBHWC), and/or have a Master’s-level degree in a psychology related-field. Headspace mental health coaches are also required to complete additional training including two years of relevant experience, and 200+ hours of supervised training. Additionally, most Headspace coaches participate in The Headspace Training Institute, a comprehensive, ten-month training program designed and overseen by a team of psychologists, psychiatrists, therapists, and nationally certified coaches.

    3. Diagnoses: Mental health coaches cannot diagnose mental illness, although they can recommend that a member seek a diagnosis from a therapist. They can work with you to co-create a personalized plan, but they are not trained to treat mental health disorders, such as Major Depressive Disorder or Generalized Anxiety Disorder.

    4. Medication: Mental health coaches do not prescribe medication. They can recommend a member see a psychiatrist or psychiatric nurse practitioner if medication may be helpful.

  • A coaching subscription currently costs $99.99 USD per month and your first monthly payment will be taken out when you checkout. Following monthly payments will occur every 30 days. You can cancel your coaching subscription at any time and you will have access to your remaining coaching sessions until your coaching subscription end date, which is 30 days after your most recent coaching subscription payment. You can cancel your subscription:

    • On desktop, you can visit your Profile and Subscription Details section to cancel your subscription.
    • On the mobile app you can visit your Profile, then settings and then the Account & Subscription page where you’ll find the subscription end date for your coaching subscription and select Manage Subscription to cancel this subscription from renewing.
    • For more information on canceling your subscription, please go here.
  • You can cancel your coaching subscription at any time and you will have access to your remaining coaching sessions until your coaching subscription end date, which is 30 days after your most recent coaching subscription payment. You can cancel your subscription from either desktop or your Headspace mobile app.

    • On your desktop, you can visit your Profile and Subscription Details section and follow the steps provided to cancel your subscription.
    • On the mobile Headspace app, click on the Profile tab, select the Settings gear icon, and then click on Account & Subscription. From there you can view your Subscription Details section and select Edit to follow the steps to select your cancellation preferences and complete the cancellation process.
    • Please note that once you cancel your coaching subscription, you will still have access to your full coaching subscription offering until the coaching subscription end date listed in your Account and Subscription page.
    • For more information on canceling your subscription, please go here.
  • At this time, access to Headspace Care coaching is offered as a benefit to members of select insurance organizations. If you believe that your insurance provider may provide access to Headspace Care coaching, we encourage you to connect with them directly to review your benefits, by calling the number on the back of your insurance card or connecting through your online portal. You can also email caresupport@headspace.com with any additional access questions.

  • At this time we only offer text-based coaching sessions. If you’re interested in signing up for video-based coaching when it’s available, please provide your information here and we will reach out as soon as video-based coaching is available.

  • Yes. To switch to a different coach, select the Member Support icon on your Headspace app Care Tab to contact our Support Team directly.

    You can also reach out to caresupport@headspace.com to request this change.

  • We don’t yet offer therapy for purchase outside of our partnerships with healthcare providers and employers.

    If you’re interested in signing up for therapy when it’s available, please provide your information here and we will reach out as soon as therapy is available to you.

    Please keep in mind that therapy will only be available for adults age 18+ based in the United States.

    Additionally, access to Headspace therapy and mental health coaching is offered as a benefit to members of select insurance organizations. If you believe that your insurance provider may provide access to Headspace therapy or mental health coaching, we encourage you to connect with them directly to review your benefits, by calling the number on the back of your insurance card or connecting through your online portal. You can also email caresupport@headspace.com with any additional access questions.

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