Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy Teacher Training Intensive

2022 Course Overview

Information for the 2023 course is not yet available.

Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) is an 8-week, empirically-validated and insurance-reimbursable therapeutic mindfulness intervention shown to be effective for prevention of depression relapse with increasing evidence for treating symptoms of anxiety, depression and stress. Based on the research of Drs. Zindel Segal, John Teasdale, and Mark Williams, and documented in their book "Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy for Depression”, this professional training combines the practice and clinical application of mindfulness meditation with the tools of cognitive therapy.

The MBCT Teacher Training Intensive (TTI) is a foundational step in the MBCT Teacher Training Pathway and is equally applicable to therapists interested in incorporating elements of mindfulness practice into their clinical work. It is designed to cycle through the 8-week MBCT curriculum in two ways: First, participants are led through key components of the program by the instructors and then, using “teachbacks,” participants are supervised as they guide each other through the cardinal mindfulness practices and cognitive therapy exercises that comprise MBCT.

Throughout this training, didactics, experiential practice, and small group process — including daily meditations, mindful movement, and periods of silence — are relied upon to consolidate the participants’ learning of basic mindfulness group facilitation skills for clinical settings. A continuous theme emphasized in this training is the importance of the clinician’s own mindfulness practice, especially how self-knowledge gained through practice can be used in helping clients in emotional distress. These rigorous trainings are appropriate for professionals in the health care, community health, education, mindfulness research, mindfulness intervention, and leadership fields.

Who Should Attend

This course is designed for primary care physicians, psychologists, nurse practitioners, specialty physicians and physician assistants. This course may also be of interest to physicians who practice in family medicine, geriatrics, healthcare education and leadership, hospital medicine, internal medicine, lifestyle and mind-body medicine, nutrition, obstetrics and gynecology, oncology and hematology, pain medicine, palliative medicine, preventative medicine, psychology and mental health and psychiatry.

Learning Objectives

Upon completion of this activity, participants will be able to:

• Identify the core teaching elements of the MBCT program
• Define the role of sustained meditative practice in facilitating emotion regulation and defusing negative thought patterns
• Summarize the theme, rationale, intentions and practice skills for each of the eight MBCT sessions
• Discuss the relevance and importance of meditation practice and self-inquiry for the facilitator of MBCT and how this informs the integration of awareness practices within a psychotherapy frame
• Describe the origins and rationale behind MBCT
• Deliver MBCT practices and inquiry at an introductory level