I have just returned from a two day training offered by the Centre for Mindfulness at Bangor. I was training to use a set of teacher assessment criteria called the Mindfulness Based Interventions Teacher Assessment Criteria (MBI-TAC). The MBI- TAC was developed by the universities of Bangor, Oxford and Exeter. The criteria is intended to support training organisations and teacher trainees in sustaining integrity in teaching mindfulness. It is a transparent set of criteria to define competency in mindfulness teaching. I was assessed using this criteria, and hold a Certificate of Competency in Teaching Mindfulness. I also refer to the MBI-TAC as a support in supervising mindfulness teachers. In the current ‘wild west’ of mindfulness courses and teachers, we need a rigorous assessment criteria to ensure that people teaching mindfulness are appropriately qualified.
The UK Network of Mindfulness Teachers has set up a register of teachers who meet the training and supervision requirements to teach mindfulness. This goes some way to regulating the field, and making sure that people attending mindfulness courses are in safe hands.
There are a variety of mindfulness course available to the general public, however Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction and Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy are considered to be the gold standard courses. Both have undergone rigorous scientific research, and are recognised and recommended, MBCT, by the National Institute of Clinical Excellence.
It’s good to know you are in safe hands when you book on a mindfulness course. I offer the above as a guide for finding the best possible teacher and course.