Teacher Training: Teaching Mindfulness-Based Programmes

The accredited Teaching Mindfulness-Based Programmes (MBP) Teacher Training course focuses on deepening personal practice and the development of the skills and group learning processes of teaching trauma-sensitive Mindfulness core meditation practices including mindful movement, and the skill of inquiry which plays a significant part in teaching MBP including Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction MBSR to adults in the general population, workplaces, and for healthcare and mental health professionals wishing to integrate mindfulness into a professional context or for those planning to teach adults in clinical settings.

The course is also invaluable for those who wish to teach mindfulness in a different form including Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy MBCT or Mindfulness-Based Emotional and Social Intelligence M-BESI. It will also deepen skills for professionals offering Acceptance and Commitment Therapy ACT or those starting a new career in mental health and wellbeing.

As qualified Mindfulness-Based Interventions Assessors, to support your development, this course includes a focus on the Domains of teaching Mindfulness (MBI-TLC and MBI-TAC) collaboratively developed by teaching teams within the Centre for Mindfulness Research and Practice at Bangor University, the Oxford Mindfulness Centre at Oxford University, and CEDAR at Exeter University.

 The course is intended for people who are:

• A minimum of 25 years old.
• Have 1 year of meditation experience not necessarily Mindfulness Meditation. 
• Commitment to an ongoing daily personal mindfulness-based practice.
• The course starts from the premise that as teachers we need to embody mindfulness-based practice in our own lives before we can attempt to teach it to others so ideally you should have taken a live, teacher lead 8 Week Mindfulness-Based course as a participant either -
  • In your home location or live online with a qualified mindfulness-based teacher OR
  • Take the Mindful Academy International Live Online 8-Week MBSR Course and be guided by the Director of Training Kathy Ward. There is a 100 euro discount if you book and pay for the 8-week MBSR Course at the same time as booking this course.

If you have any questions, please contact us

• 8-Days (4 x 2-day weekends 9.00 am - 5.30 pm UK time) over 4-months in our live virtual classroom: €975
• 7-Day Residential course at the Cabragh Lodge in a twin ensuite room €1,710
• 7-Day Residential course at the Cabragh Lodge in a single ensuite room €1,850

You can pay by Bank Transfer, or PayPal/Credit Card (3% commission) Interest-free payment plans are also available, please ask for details.

Bursary and Scholarship fund: We are pleased to be able to offer one subsidized space and one full scholarship space to people from all backgrounds Read more 

Upon offering you a space, we will invoice you for a €400 deposit so that you can receive our unique and extensive, fully supported pre-course study resources. Don´t delay, start training with us NOW!

Please note:  The deposit is non-refundable as you will have started to train with us and received goods and services. Please read our Terms and conditions of booking. The balance is then due 4-weeks before the course starts unless a payment plan has been agreed. 

All courses:

• 65 contact hours
• Personal and Professional pre-course study e-course including study guides, our exclusive "how to teach the core practice" videos, and mp3 recordings of all core practices so you can start training straight away! 
• Extensive training manual supporting every aspect of Mindfulness teaching and practice
• Full transcripts and skeleton transcripts of all core Trauma-sensitive Mindfulness Meditation and Mindful Movement practices to help familiarize you with the practices
• Globally recognized official CPD Standards Office Certificate showing externally accredited hours to add to your annual training record and sought-after skills on your curriculum vitae
• One Years FREE membership of the Institute of CPD demonstrates your commitment to continuous learning. You will also be entitled to add official letters after your name, regardless of your professional status, educational level, or work experience
• 1 x 60-minute private Supervision session to get you started on the pre-course preparation (worth €60)
• Private forum and email support to support your preparation and teaching development 
• Support and development of your teaching the core meditation practices utilizing the 6 domains of mindfulness (MBI-TLC) and (MBI-TAC) developed by the Universities of Bangor, Oxford, and Exeter. 
• 1 x 60-minute private Supervision session on your return home to discuss your next teacher training pathway steps (worth €60)
• USA Yoga Alliance Continued Education hours certificate for registered yoga teachers
• Ongoing mentoring by email and optional Mindfulness Meditation Supervision in line with the Mindfulness Network Mindfulness Good Practice Guidelines
• Option to join the British Association of Mindfulness-Based Approaches BAMBA registry when you meet their criteria. You do not need to be a UK resident to join the registry.

Residential courses at Cabragh Lodge include all of the above plus:

You will be staying in one of our 4 beautiful, newly built, passive design standard 2 bedroom self-contained wooden en suite eco-cabins with a covered terrace nestled in the woodlands around the Centre.

You can choose to book an ensuite bedroom with a huge king-size bed (single occupancy) or twin beds (shared same-sex) with high-quality sheets, towels, and duvets.

A newly fitted kitchen and a dining area provide all you need for a comfortable and enjoyable stay but don't worry, delicious home-cooked vegetarian food, biscuits, cake, tea, and coffee are provided.

There is also a shared group pickup/drop-off from Knock airport and the Coolaney train station.

With a maximum of 12 students to allow optimal personal support and development, this experiential course includes plenty of opportunities to engage in personal and group learning processes designed to support and deepen understanding and skills in teaching Mindfulness-Based Programmes.

Our time together will be spent both in silence as we practice, and in small and large group teaching practice and reflection learning through the co-created shared experience. In this space, you will continue to deepen your own practice and embodiment of mindfulness and learn foundational teaching skills.

Please note: Our courses are not attendance courses. In order to graduate students are expected to attend and take part in all sessions and meet the required standards of teaching outlined in the Mindfulness-Based Interventions Teaching Assessment Criteria (MBI-TAC). If due to an unexpected emergency you are unable to attend a day, you would be able to join the next modular course to complete your course. 

The content and curriculum are the same for both the online and in-person courses. With the online course, there are plenty of breaks away from the screen to move and practice self-care. 

• Reflect on and investigate personal learning and development as a mindfulness practitioner
• Deepen embodiment of trauma-sensitive mindfulness in teaching and own practice
• Develop skills, attitudes, and knowledge to enable practice as a teacher of Mindfulness-Based classes, workshops and programmes including the skills of Inquiry and guiding trauma-sensitive 3, 10, 20 and 30-minute mindfulness core meditation practices including:
  • 3 Step Anchoring Space
  • Body Scan
  • Mindful Movement
  • Awareness of Breath or an alternative anchor meditation
  • Cultivating curiosity to the breath or alternative anchor, body sensations and the body as a whole meditation
  • 5 Awareness Meditation
  • Open Awareness Meditation or Loving Kindness Meditation
• Demonstrate the importance of personal integrity of approach, ethical standards, and mindful attitudes for teachers of Mindfulness-Based Programmes
• Demonstrate familiarity with the key learning and areas to consider when guiding the core meditation practices
• Demonstrate familiarity with the Mindfulness-Based Interventions Teaching and Learning Companion (MBI-TLC) and MBI-TAC domains (skills) of teaching Mindfulness. In particular, domain 2 relational skills, domain 3 embodying of mindfulness, domain 4 guiding mindfulness-based meditation practices, and part of domain 5, the skill of inquiry.
• Reflect on the importance of the professional good practice guidelines and what they mean to you
• Start your personal mindfulness development portfolio

These are the key foundations of teaching mindfulness-based classes, workshops, Mindfulness-Based Programmes and incorporating mindfulness into your profession.  

Graduates typically start by teaching the mindfulness core meditation practices and inquiry including mindful movement to family, friends, and clients in the workplace, in classes, workshops, and Mindfulness-Based Programmes, or as part of their profession. 

Depending on the skills of the individual you may also be able to:

• Co-lead an 8-week MBSR course and/or
• Lead an 8-week MBSR course with Supervision as per the Mindfulness Good Practice Guidelines 

Students come to this course with many different skill sets, and not everyone will be ready to teach the 8-week MBSR course developed by John Kabat-Zinn upon graduation.

If this is the case, or to deepen your skills and build on this course, you may like to consider taking the Specialization in Teaching MBSR and MBP Training course or our extended Supervision Package that takes a deep dive into every element of the spectrum of teaching intentions, integrating the explicit and implicit curriculum, conveying course themes through interactive dialogue and experiential exercises, holding the group learning environment and more.

Your official, globally recognized CPD Standards Office certificate will show 65 contact hours 

Other Directed Learning, non-contact hours:  The personal and professional pre-course study including watching the "how to teach videos" reading the required books, and 2 supervision sessions are estimated to be 115 hours. The non-contact hours are of course subjective depending on when you sign up for the course, and how much time you are able to allocate. We ask that you do what you can, with the time you have available. 

After successfully completing the training, you may state: “_____ (your name) has graduated as a Mindfulness MBSR & MBP Teacher with Mindful Academy International, an International Provider of Training Excellence©” 

As a Mindful Academy International graduate, you will also be able to register for your one year's FREE membership of the Institute of Continued Professional Development.

Once you have taught two 8-week MBSR courses with supervision and attended at least one 5-day silent retreat, there is the option should you wish, join British Association of Mindfulness-Based Approaches BAMBA. You do not need to have a UK address or be a UK resident to join this registry. Please visit BAMBA for more details.

Mindfulness Senior Trainer Kathy Ward

Watch Kathy's Mindfulness and Kindness, the Keys to increasing Happiness TEDx Talk HERE

Kathy Ward is a Senior International Mindfulness MBSR & MBCT Teacher, Trainer, MBI-TAC Assessor, Supervisor, Founder and Director of Training of Mindful Academy International. Back in 2018 she also gave a talk as a mindfulness expert at TEDx Cluj.

She has over 40 years experience in training and development and has been training Meditation and Yoga teachers since 2010, during this time she has taught 68 Teacher Training courses to over 600 graduates from 41 different countries. She supervises many of the graduates and has regular supervision herself from CMRP to support her work. When not training, supporting teachers or working as a Mindfulness Consultant for the World Health Organization WHO, Kathy teaches the 8-week MBSR to groups and individuals using the online platform Zoom.

She has diplomas in Clinical Hypnotherapy and NLP Coaching with Cognitive Behavioral Therapy CBT, Motivational Therapist, and Coach with Motivational Training in Scotland. She is also a qualified Mindfulness Yoga Teacher and Trainer registered as a CPD provider with the USA Yoga Alliance, and a certified Yoga Therapist.  As a member of the UK British Association of Mindfulness-Based Approaches BAMBA, she meets the requirements of the Good Practice Guidelines for trainers and supervisors of Mindfulness-based Teachers. 

Her training in mindfulness includes MBSR Teacher Training and specialist Mindfulness-Based Supervision and Inquiry training with Centre for Mindfulness Research and Practice CMRP Bangor with Eluned Gold, Sarah Silverton, and Jody Mardula. She also attended specialist Teacher Training with CMRP in MBCT for Cancer with Trish Bartley and Christina Shennan, and MBI-TAC training with Rebecca Crane. As part of the mindfulness best practice guidelines, Kathy continues Supravision (supervision of supervisors) with Christina Shennan.

More details about Kathy 

Mindfulness Senior Trainer Andras Barta 

András Barta is a fully Certified Mindfulness MBSR and MBA Teacher, a member of the training and support team and a licensed affiliate offering the Mindful Academy International accredited Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction MBSR Teacher Training courses and Continued Professional Development CPD 8-week MBSR Courses in Hungarian.

He works as an MBSR and MBCT Mindfulness Teacher in Budapest and has taught over 1000 hours on various levels, incl. 3–6-day silent/non-silent retreats, camps, practice groups, and intermediate groups. He is also an Addiction Counsellor, MSc, from the Semmelweis University, Budapest, and has studied Mindfulness-based Relapse Prevention with Action on Addiction in the UK. He has graduated as an MBCT Specialist and MBI-TAC Assessor from the Centre for Mindfulness Research and Practice CMRP, Bangor University. He taught mindfulness to recovering addicts at Nyírő Gyula Hospital in Budapest for a year.

András is a member of the Hungarian Mindfulness and Contemplative Association, elected to the Board of Supervision. He is the founder of Hungarian Mindfulness Professional Network, an organization supporting mindfulness teachers’ professional life in Hungary. In April 2019 he successfully graduated as a Mindfulness Supervisor with the Centre for Mindfulness Research and Practice CMRP, Bangor University.

With a mission to bring affordable Mindfulness training to Hungary, he runs the accredited Mindful Academy International Teacher Training Level 1 and Level 2 courses every year.

You can find out more about him here. 

Website: tudatossag.net

Phone: +36 70 5374979

Mindfulness Senior Trainer Fiona McMahon

Fiona  McMahon is a fully Certified Mindfulness MBSR and MBA Teacher, a member of the training and support team and a licensed affiliate offering the Mindful Academy International accredited Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction MBSR Teacher Training courses and Continued Professional Development CPD 8-week MBSR Courses.

She has a BA in Psychology,  MA in Education,  Post Graduate Diploma in Occupational Psychology, and is a Certified Mediator. She now works as an Independent Training and design consultant for the European Commission in Brussels and runs 8-week MBSR courses and Mindfulness Retreats.

Fiona has been working in the area of psychological wellness and personal development since the 1980s. She has designed and supported the implementation of policies promoting Respect and Dignity at work for many European Institutions.

She supervises teams of counselors across Europe who support colleagues in distress at work. She has also designed programs on Building Effective Relationships, Leadership skills, Building Emotional Resilience, Mediation, Conflict Resolution, Stress Reduction, and Emotional Intelligence. She also worked for the United Business institutes Brussels as a Lecturer in Leadership and on modules for the MBA course.

For more details please visit www.Cabraghlodge.ie

Telephone 00 353 (0) 857123484