What are the Prerequisites and Required Course Materials?

Prerequisites to take this training are the following:

1. Completion of a live 8-week mindfulness course, such as MBSR, MBCT, or equivalent.
2. Documented experience and skill in working effectively and respectfully with young adults.
3. Optional: If you wish to be certified to teach MBCollege for Young Adults, then you need to have completed at least Level 1 MBSR or MBCT teacher training at a recognized training institution, such as UMASS-Center for Mindfulness, Global Mindfulness Collaborative, Oxford Mindfulness Foundations, Brown University, UCSD, and the Mindfulness Network (Bangor University, Wales). Note: This is not required to participate in this training. See more information about certification below.

Trainees are expected to have the following course materials by Orientation:

1. Emerging Adulthood: The Winding Road from the Late Teens through the Twenties (3rd edition) by Jeffrey J. Arnett (not included with tuition) 
2. The Mindful College Student: How to Succeed, Boost Well-Being, and Build the Life You Want at University and Beyond by Eric B. Loucks (not included with tuition)

What is Mindfulness-Based College for Young Adults Teacher Training?

Evidence suggests that at this time in history, many young adults are experiencing high levels of stress, depressive symptoms, loneliness, body mass index, and sedentary activities. Young adulthood is also a remarkable time in life for opportunity, as neural pathways in the brain mature, and young adults build the foundation for their life’s directions, such as career, relationships, and health-promoting behaviors. Evidence suggests that mindfulness courses such as Mindfulness-Based College for Young Adults (MB-College) support health and well-being in ways adapted to young adults, who are destined to be the future of our societies.

Mindfulness-Based College for Young Adults (MB-College) was developed by Dr. Eric Loucks, Associate Professor of Epidemiology, Behavior and Social Sciences, and Medicine, and Director of the Mindfulness Center at Brown University. This curriculum was designed to support the distinct experiences and challenges of emerging adults aged 18-29 years. Integrating Dr. Loucks’ research on mindfulness and his experience teaching college students, MB-College Teacher Training provides valuable tools and resources to support this challenging period of adult life.

This Certificate and pathway to teach MB-College is both a didactic and experiential training that fosters learning by doing, as well as learning by listening, reading, and discussion.  While the training focuses on learning to teach mindfulness-based tools for college students and young adults, as a teacher-in-training, you will also develop and refine competencies that are aligned with those defined in the Mindfulness-Based Interventions: Teacher Assessment Criteria (MBI:TAC), a researched and internationally recognized model for teachers of mindfulness-based programs. This teacher training pathway also includes a review of the current research on mindfulness tools designed specifically for young adults and the current state of societal influences on young adults.

Teachers-in-training also delve into the principles, theories, and underpinnings of mindfulness-based approaches adapted specifically for emerging adults (persons 18-29 years of age). Specifically, trainees will understand how to utilize mindfulness techniques to address the unique challenges and needs of this age group. By the end of this training, trainees will be equipped to lead drop-in meditation sessions and design introductory mindfulness-based curricula specially designed for emerging adults. 

This hybrid learning experience includes the following:

• A 1-hour live online Orientation designed to provide a comprehensive overview of training expectations and required assignments
• Self-study videos of a full 8-week MB-College course and required readings. 
• Two live online teacher-led four-hour half day retreats to explore the curriculum and classroom examples of teacher-student interactions, including principles of mindfulness for young adults
• Live online teacher-led three-hour seminar on the skillful process of developing adaptations of MB-College.

What are the Steps to Complete the Hybrid Training?

1. Review all course videos of the recorded MB-College class. Complete and submit self-reflections.  
   • Orientation (2.5 hours)
   • Weeks 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8 (2.5 hours each)
   • All-Day session (4 hours)
2. Complete readings and submit self-reflection exercises.
   • Emerging Adulthood: The Winding Road from the Late Teens Through the Twenties (not included with tuition)
   • The Mindful College Student: How to Succeed, Boost Well-Being, and Build the Life You Want at University and Beyond (not included with tuition)
   • 3 journal articles (available upon registration)
3. Participate in 4 live online sessions:
   • One 1-hour Orientation
   • Two 4-hour half-day retreats where the MBC elements are explored and practiced with peer and teacher feedback
   • One 3-hour retreat on adaptations

What Designation Do I Have After the Training?

Certificate of Completion

Upon successful completion of the course requirements, students will receive a Certificate of Completion. This confirms your attendance, participation and completion of assignments in this training of learning to teach and adapt the Mindfulness-Based College for Young Adults (MB-College) curriculum.

What you may do and say after this training depends on if you are qualified / certified to teach MBSR or MBCT:

Those who are not Qualified or Certified MBSR/MBCT teachers: For those who are not Qualified or Certified MBSR/MBCT teachers and have successfully completed the MB-College teacher training, including the session on adaptations, you have permission to adapt the MB-College curriculum to your professional or personal community, such as an athletic coach, an educator working with young adults, or a professional in the workplace. These adaptations need to be identified as such, as they are not the curriculum and may not be called Mindfulness-Based College for Young Adults, which is a specific curriculum, copyrighted by Brown and licensed by the Mindfulness and Health Institute.

Qualified or Certified MBSR/MBCT teachers: For those who are Qualified or Certified MBSR or MBCT teachers and have successfully completed the MBCollege teacher training, you may do everything those who are not qualified or certified detailed above. You are also now Qualified to teach MB-College.  While you are Qualified to teach MB-College, you are not fully trained and certified.  Thus, at this stage, we ask that you present yourself as a teacher-in-training for the MB-College curriculum, that you do not charge a fee for teaching until you are fully Certified, and that you invite volunteers from your community to attend and who understand that this is part of your ongoing training to become a Certified Teacher of Mindfulness-Based College for Young Adults.

How Do I Earn a Certificate To Teach MB-College?

For those wishing to become certified to teach Mindfulness-Based College for Young Adults, you must be Qualified to Teach MBSR or MBCT or an equivalent mindfulness-based course at a minimum; then teach at least two (2) MBCollege courses and film yourself teaching.  These are then reviewed for certification for an additional fee of $1,195.

You are eligible to apply for a Certificate to Teach Mindfulness-Based College for Young Adults if you:

• Are at least a Level 1 Qualified MBSR or MBCT instructor.
• Have completed all readings, coursework, and reflections of the MB-College Teacher Training.
• Have completed the attendance requirements of your live instruction training (100%).
• Have taught at least two Mindfulness-Based College for Young Adults courses at no cost. Ideally, teaching until you are confident that you are ready to apply for certification. 

Certification Review will be available as an additional course for $1195 once the above requirements are met. The process for review is the following: 

1. Film a live MB-College (with the permission of participants), timestamp where MB-College-specific elements take place, and submit for review where a teacher trainer assesses adherence to MB-College curriculum, alongside qualitative feedback consistent with MBI:TAC* domains. 
2. Submit films for certification review.

*Note: The MBI:TAC covers various aspects of teaching mindfulness, including embodying mindfulness in personal practice, understanding the theoretical underpinnings of mindfulness, demonstrating appropriate facilitating skills, interpersonal communication, and creating a safe and supportive learning environment. It also covers the framework of didactic and experiential curricula, including pedagogical skills, classroom management, and adaptability.