Training to Teach “Introducing Mindfulness” – A 10-day Teacher Training Intensive – Makeda McKenzie and Andy Phee – May 1 to June 26

Payment plans are available at checkout.
Refunds are available. See our refund policy.

PROGRAM DATES: May 1, 8, 15, 22, 29, June 2, 3, 12, 13, 19, 26
PROGRAM TIME: 8:00 am – 4:00 pm (EASTERN US TIME) convert to my timezone
GROUP SUPERVISION DATES:  TBD

   NOTES:

• There is no training on June 5.
• You will only attend one Teaching Practice day, either June 12 or 13. Please schedule to attend both days, until you are advised which you will attend.
• You will only attend one of the 30-minute Group Supervision sessions, dates TBD one to two weeks after the program ends.

This unique and expertly designed course is offered in collaboration with Oxford Mindfulness Foundation. The course is designed to help you bring mindfulness into your workplace, healthcare, or community setting, skillfully, meaningfully, and efficiently.

Participants learn to teach Introducing Mindfulness, a 3- and 5-week program for workplace, education, criminal justice, healthcare setting, or for the general population.

Training to Teach “Introducing Mindfulness“, a 10-day, 80 hour teacher training course, provides the skills and attitudes needed to teach mindfulness practices and to present mindfulness talks. This program deepens your personal practice, develops teaching skills, and trains in theory, research and professional competencies. The training includes experiential practice, didactic teaching, skills training, and mentoring.

Program Benefits for Your Participants of Introduction to Mindfulness

This teacher training program will show you how to teach mindfulness in a way that supports:

• A sense of more space or time in the day
• An ability to resource oneself in more challenging moments such as distractedness, stress or anxiety
• An ability to begin to respond throughout the day with greater clarity, compassion in ways that align with what’s important 
• Greater appreciation of what is pleasant and enjoyable in life

Learn to Teach with Confidence

• Develop teaching skills in presenting practices and talks
• Deepen your personal practice
• Learn about the research and science of mindfulness 
• Develop your professional teacher competencies

Learn the Intention of the Program, Lead Inquiry, and Be Present as a Teacher

• Understand the Introducing Mindfulness curriculum and the rationale for its elements
• Introduce elements of the curriculum in an embodied way
• Conduct basic inquiry and discuss group processes
• Understand theoretical, empirical, and ethical foundations of the program

Curriculum materials and handouts for the program are provided. A Certificate of Completion is available from MHI to participants who attend the training. and a Certificate to Teach Introducing Mindfulness is available to those who complete the supervision. This program developed in collaboration with Oxford University and the Oxford Mindfulness Foundation.

Training Includes: mindfulness practices, mindfulness teaching skills training, feedback and guidance from mindfulness teachers, personalized mentoring, and formal Supervision upon successful completion of the 10-week course.

Learn to teach the 3-session program – 1 hour each session

The core 3-session program offers an introduction to mindfulness practice and theory in a format intended to be accessible to anyone new to mindfulness. Three key themes are explored:

• Attention – Understanding the mind’s natural tendency to be scattered and to wander; how we can train attention to create choices about where and how we place attention.
• Knowing and Being – Exploring different ways of knowing and being; recognizing how much of our experience is shaped by our thoughts; that other more experiential and observing modes are available to us.
• Responding not Reacting – Recognizing the difference between reacting and responding and developing ways to create the space to make choices between them.

Learn to Teach the 5-session program – 1 hour each session

The 5-session program includes all the teaching from our 3-session course and in addition, there are two sessions added. These two additional sessions are given in partnership with the workplace, community, education, or healthcare setting and provide tools and resources geared toward your specific organizations and audiences. 

• Pre-Program Session – Learn the tools to prepare the Pre-Program Session to help participants to get the most out of the program and how it can best impact and support their organization. 
• Post-Program Session – Learn to engage in inquiry and guide participants in reflecting on and integrating  key learnings from the Introducing Mindfulness program personally and in their organization. 
• Drop-In Sessions – Learn to create flexible, accessible drop-in sessions. Sessions  can address specific challenges or interests, allow for easy participation, and will include mindfulness practices beyond those in the Introducing Mindfulness program

Learn to Teach with Confidence

• Develop teaching skills in presenting practices and talks
• Deepen your personal practice
• Learn about the research and science of mindfulness 
• Develop your professional teacher competencies

Introduce Mindfulness in Your Work or as a Program

This training is for those who would like to introduce mindfulness into their work, organization, community or other settings but don’t intend to teach full 8-week courses. For example, it is suitable for those intending to introduce brief mindfulness sessions in general population contexts, workplaces, and educational settings, and for healthcare and mental health professionals planning to introduce mindfulness practices in clinical settings.

The Introducing Mindfulness program is intended to be delivered to adults.

Prerequisites for the 10-Week Training, followed by Supervision and Certification: 

1. Completed one of these three 8-week Mindfulness courses as a participant: Mindfulness-based Stress Reduction (MBSR); Mindfulness-based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT), or Mindfulness for Life
2. Have a regular personal mindfulness practice, ideally for at least a year
3. Have the knowledge and experience of the population and context where you would like to teach, for example, workplace, education, criminal justice, physical or mental healthcare, or general population

Access to suitable technology is required for this course and Supervision: internet capacity, space, privacy and the technical ability to participate via Zoom with video and microphone on.

Supervision for Introducing Mindfulness

To progress to certification, trainees need to lead two full 3-session Introducing Mindfulness (IM) courses while receiving supervision. The 4 Session Supervision Process is described below.

Certification to Teach Introducing Mindfulness

In order to receive a Trained to Introduce Mindfulness certificate, you need to submit a formal application through the MHI (Mindfulness and Health Institute) website.  This link will be sent to you.

The Certification Process Includes:

• Uploading a statement from your supervisor that, based on what they have seen of your teaching, they believe you are ready to Introduce Mindfulness into your chosen context.
• Completing your own self-reflection on the experience of leading an Introducing Mindfulness course with the support of a supervisor.

Once received, your materials will be reviewed. If you have met the requirements, an electronic version of your certificate will be available on the MHI platform. You will be informed if additional information is needed.