About
Jill Bromley is a licensed clinical therapist and former school psychologist. She became a master's-level practitioner in behavioral health and clinical education in 2000, was certified as a specialist-level school psychologist in 2001, and was licensed as a clinical therapist in 2013. She has worked with diverse populations and age ranges. She aims to teach people how to use the mind-brain connection to empower themselves and create long-term positive changes in their lives.
How the Mind-Brain Connection was Developed
I decided to write this book specifically for kids/teens because over the years, many of my adult clients have told me, “I wish I knew this stuff when I was a kid,” or “I wish they taught us this stuff when we were kids!” I have always concurred—knowing that if more people knew how to make their mind-brain work for them at earlier ages, there would be less prevalence of harm caused by poor mental health. It is our job as adults to teach our kids how to develop and maintain healthy minds so that they can thrive in the conditions that our generation and those previous to us have created in this world.
The mind-brain approach addresses the relationship between the mind and the brain and how to use this connection to shape positive experiences, no matter the ability level. It incorporates current neurological-based understandings of how the brain forms networks based on thoughts and experiences, which influence and even dictate our emotional states and behaviors. In addition, I integrate aspects of many other well-established methodologies such as mindfulness, cognitive-behavior, brief solution-focused and alternative-based therapies. I consider this approach to be a foundational concept in mental health treatment that is both enlightening and empowering.
I developed this approach over the span of my career as a school psychologist and a licensed clinical therapist to address my clients' questions about why they kept experiencing similar types of symptoms and also why traditional therapeutic approaches did not seem to provide lasting results.
Over the years, countless clients have voiced their frustrations to me about the lack of progress they experienced with other methods. Many told me that they were not looking to vent their problems, explore emotions, spend time dwelling in the past, or get homework sheets. Many people wanted to know if it was possible to achieve a level of personal development where symptoms were actually replaced with long-term, positive changes. They wanted a clear path to start heading down and were looking to me to provide them with useful and empowering information that would always be applicable. As a result, I devised a “how to” approach to teach about the mind-brain connection that literally anyone can do.
Here is some great news- young people are successful quickly because they do not have years of old, set “hardwiring” that most adults do. Young people’s minds and brains are more adaptable and easily acquire new learning and perspectives in comparison to adults.
When I work with adults, we unfortunately spend a lot of time on what I call, “re-work” and dealing with other adult-specific complications, which is not typical of younger people. However, the fundamentals are exactly the same.
This approach is useful for any person, even kids who are contending with learning/developmental disabilities, trauma histories, anxiety or mood disorders. These more clinical populations will simply require additional support, reinforcement and assistance with implementing the methods, which they ought to be receiving anyway. This method can be easily adapted to current treatment plans and can also be modified based on developmental levels. Please share with your clinician.
My intention is for both clinicians and clients alike to be able to incorporate this approach into their work. I consider this approach to be a foundational necessity for understanding how the mind-brain connection is responsible for generating our experiences and how to use this relationship to our absolute advantage. I consider it a compliment to other traditional modalities of treatment and almost a prerequisite level of understanding that will only benefit each person on their personal paths of self-progress- no matter what other approaches they may also choose to pursue.
