13 Month Teacher Training Programme

27 days over 13 months:
6 online and 3 in-person weekends with 2 residential components

About this Training

The 13-Month Teacher Training Programme is a comprehensive pathway designed to equip you with the knowledge, skills, and confidence to teach mindfulness effectively across diverse settings. Whether you’re a professional working in a clinical setting or interested in bringing mindfulness to other environments like education, the workplace, or community organisations, this program will train you to facilitate mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) and provide an introduction to mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) and how to adapt these programmes for a variety of settings.

Information Evening: Train to Teach Mindfulness

December 10th, 7-8pm
Online via Zoom

​Join us for a live online information session to discover more about the Mindfulness Centre for Professional Training Teacher Training Diploma.

More Info & Registration
Application closing Friday 31st January 2025
Cost
€4760
Category
Teacher Training
Location
Blended Online, In-person and Residential Learning
Start Date
8th & 9th February 2025
Times
9:30am - 4:30pm
Occurrence
27 days over 13 months: 6 online and 3 in-person weekends with 2 residential components

What You'll Learn

  • Curriculum Mastery: Gain a deep understanding of the MBSR/MBCT curriculum, its purpose, and the reasoning behind each element.

  • Embodied Teaching: Develop the skills to lead the curriculum in a way that is authentic and embodied, creating a supportive learning environment.

  • Group Facilitation: Learn the art of inquiry and how to effectively manage group dynamics to foster an inclusive and safe space for all participants, including skills in trauma sensitive and neuro-affirmative facilitation.

  • Foundational Knowledge: Understand the theoretical, evidence based and ethical underpinnings of mindfulness practices, focusing on the intentions, structure, and essential practices within each program.

Certification Pathway

Upon full participation and assessment, you’ll receive a CPD certificate of 300 hours as well a confirmation letter from the Mindfulness & Compassion Centre for Professional Training, acknowledging your readiness to teach under supervision.

To achieve your Trained Teacher Certificate, you’ll need to:

  1. Complete a supervised teaching course, submit your final project, and include recorded video footage of your teaching.
  2. Demonstrate your skills in alignment with the program's standards (Mindfulness-Based Interventions: Teacher Assessment Criteria (MBI:TAC)

Program Structure

This 13-month program includes 21 intensive training days (blend of online and in-person) and a 6 night residential retreat, enabling you to deepen your practice and teaching competency progressively.

Following successful completion of the teacher training programme, you will have the option of applying for certified MBSR / MBCT teacher status. 

This involves a (minimum) 5 month period where you will liaise with an experienced mindfulness supervisor in planning, facilitating and recording your first course. 

The final stage is submitting your recorded course for assessment. The assessment will be carried out by a teacher trained in using the Mindfulness-Based Interventions: Teacher Assessment Criteria (MBI:TAC). 

Following the MBI:TAC assessment you will be eligible to join the Mindfulness Teachers Association of Ireland as a full member.

Over the course of this 13-month program, this training will cover:

  • In-depth study of the Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) curriculum and an introduction to the Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) curriculum.

  • Group Facilitation and Inquiry Skills: Learn essential techniques for guiding mindfulness groups, including facilitating inquiry sessions that foster insight and reflection.

  • Adapting Mindfulness: Teaching mindfulness programmes in a variety of settings.

  • Trauma Sensitive Mindfulness: Mindfulness facilitation that is trauma sensitive and mindfulness including a module on Neuroscience of Trauma

  • Neuro-affirmative mindfulness for neurodivergent groups.

  • Mindfulness and social change: How does mindfulness fit into society? This course will also cover how mindfulness is being used to face and respond to the challenges of our world.

Dr Tony Bates
Faculty Member
Dr. Tony Bates

"To teach mindfulness is to give someone a gift for the rest of their life. The Mindfulness & Compassion Centre offers an excellent professional training course for teachers, which I strongly recommend to you."

  • Small group with in-person teaching components - Our ethos has always been to train small groups of teachers in ways which provide for the development of mutual support. For this reason, we only train small groups and we see the value of an in person teaching component. Throughout the thirteen months, you'll have the opportunity to build meaningful connections with each other, and we’ll also come to know you on a deeper level.
  • Deepen Your Personal Practice and Understanding of Mindfulness: Understand the History of Mindfulness – from its ancient foundations in Buddhist psychology to how Western psychologists now understand the experience of being human.
  • Strengthen your own practice through a three-day residential retreat and a six-day silent retreat, both of which support your growth as a teacher.
  • Contribute to a Supportive Learning Environment: Develop your own teaching style while supporting your peers by giving and receiving feedback in a structured, constructive way.
  • Reflect on Your Teaching Journey: to assess your teaching strengths and areas for growth.

To get the most out of this course, you should plan for approximately 45 minutes of daily home practice and an additional 2-3 hours of reading and preparation between each training session.

Note: This program is designed to prepare you to teach mindfulness to adults (18 years and older) and is not suited for delivering mindfulness courses to younger populations.

What to Expect from This Course

Training Dates

(Note: online tutor-led sessions are not listed here. Typically these are facilitated in evenings.)

2025

Module 1
February 8th & 9th
In Person
Module 2
March 8th & 9th
Online
Module 3
April 12th & 13th
Online
Module 4
May 10th & 11th
Online
Module 5
June 7th & 8th
In Person
Residential Retreat
August 9th & 16th
Residential
Module 6
September 13th & 14th
Online
Module 7
October 11th & 12th
In Person
Module 8
November 8th & 9th
Online

2026

Module 9
February 7th & 8th
Online
Residential Retreat
March 19th - 22nd
Residential

Meet the Team

“Led by experienced instructors who blend evidence-based practices with a supportive, community-oriented approach, the course offers a well-rounded curriculum that includes hands-on teaching practice, personal mentorship, and tools to effectively integrate mindfulness into various settings - be it education, healthcare, corporate, or community environments."

“Mindfulness is the capacity we all have to direct our attention to what is happening right here, right now, with an attitude of kindness towards ourselves and our experience.

The Mindfulness Teacher Training programme offered by the Mindfulness & Compassion Centre is an immersive programme designed for individuals looking to deepen their practice and develop the skills necessary to teach mindfulness with confidence, authenticity, and compassion.

In this comprehensive training, you will explore the foundations of mindfulness, meditation techniques, and methods for guiding others in their journey towards greater awareness.

Led by experienced instructors who blend evidence-based practices with a supportive, community-oriented approach, the course offers a well-rounded curriculum that includes hands-on teaching practice, personal mentorship, and tools to effectively integrate mindfulness into various settings - be it education, healthcare, corporate, or community environments.

Participants in the Mindfulness Teacher Training course will gain practical experience, deepen their understanding of the psychology and neuroscience behind mindfulness, and learn ethical, skilful ways to share these practices with others.

Whether you're an educator, therapist, coach, or someone passionate about personal growth, this program offers a meaningful path to deepen your personal and professional engagement with mindfulness.

You can find more information at Mindfulness.ie and hopefully embark on this programme to cultivate greater mindfulness, presence, and compassion in your life and the lives of others."

Dr Tony Bates
Faculty Member
Brendan Kelly
Professor of Psychiatry, Trinity College Dublin

Hear from our Students

Sam Hanley
Physiotherapist and Mindfulness Teacher
Maeve Kenny
Founder and Director of Hissy Fit Pilates
Shenaz Kelly Rawat
Organisational Psychologist & Psychotherapist
Dr Tony Bates
Judy O'Grady
Assistant Principal & Post-Primary School Teacher of Maths & Physics

"I couldn't recommend this pathway enough as a way to become a registered Mindfulness Teacher here in Ireland."

"I qualified as a Mindfulness Teacher in June 2024 having completed my training with the Mindfulness Centre for Professional Training. It was such an enjoyable experience. Transformational actually! I really benefited from the approach which this course structure took. It allowed for slow learning, blending daily self-practice, with online block sessions over some weekends and in-person block sessions over other weekends.

I decided to train as a Mindfulness Teacher to truly embed my daily mindfulness practices. The course definitely helped me deepen my daily mindful living and it also benefited me in so many other ways. Family life is richer, where I am more open to seeing possibilities in life, not just for me but for my husband and children as well.

Our home is a calmer space to be in, mainly because we all have benefited from present moment awareness, mindful communication, mindful eating and just being.

Also, I have delivered MBSR courses, Introduction to Mindfulness Courses, and have given Mindfulness Talks in Post-primary Schools and in a University as well.

I couldn't recommend this pathway enough as a way to become a registered Mindfulness Teacher here in Ireland."

Please complete and return to info@mindfulness.ie or post to The Mindfulness Centre, 33 Lower Pembroke St, Dublin 2. On receipt of the application form we will contact you to arrange an interview.

FAQs

Who is the training for?

  • This training is for you if you’d like to teach MBSR/MBCT or mindfulness courses adapted from this curriculum and you’re willing to commit to continuing professional development and adherence to professional ethical standards after training. 
  • Applications are especially welcome from those who can access a population they’re actively involved with and will be able to introduce MBSR/MBCT. 
  • We’re also interested in applications showing potential to engage with marginalised or underrepresented communities and where we might be able to support the implementation of MBSR/MBCT into non-English speaking communities through training bilingual teachers. 

Entry criteria – you can apply for this course if you:

  • Have completed or started a teacher-led, 8-week Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction or Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy course as a participant, led by a teacher in-person or live online (please note that other 8-week courses do not qualify). 
  • Regularly practise mindfulness – ideally daily, for at least a year. 
  • Have experience of working with the people and in the context where you’d like to teach, for example, in the workplace, within education, criminal justice, physical or mental healthcare, or with a general population. Have some knowledge and experience of working with individuals and groups. 
  • Are able to speak, write, and understand English to a level where you can fully take part in all parts of the training without the need for extra translation support. 
  • Have strong internet, the right equipment and the technical skills to join an online training programme via Zoom, with the video always on. Have a private indoor space where you can take part in the training without being interrupted or overheard by other people.

Is this training only for those who want to teach MBSR?

This course is designed for anyone interested in becoming a mindfulness facilitator, as well as those who wish to participate for personal growth and development.

Will I be certified to teach after completing this 13 month training?

Not yet, you will have to complete your Practice Project to receive the certification to teach. Upon full participation and assessment, you’ll receive a confirmation letter from the Mindfulness & Compassion Centre for Professional Training, acknowledging your readiness to teach under supervision. 

To achieve your Trained Teacher Certificate, you’ll need to:

  1. Complete a supervised teaching course, submit your final practice project, which will include recorded video footage of your teaching to be assessed using the MBI-TAC process.
  2. Demonstrate your skills in alignment with the program's standards.

NB. The cost of completing the Practice Project is €500. This includes 4 hours of supervision with an experienced teacher during the delivery of the first 8 week MBSR or MBCT course you teach and assessment of the recorded course using the Mindfulness-Based Interventions: Teacher Assessment Criteria (MBI:TAC). The assessment will be carried out by a teacher trained in using the MBI:TAC. Supervision and assessment are carried out by 2 different teachers. The practice project will then be moderated by the Directors of the Centre. Where further moderation is deemed necessary this will be carried out by Dr John Peacock, the External Examiner.

After obtaining your certificate, you can apply to be listed on:

  • The Mindfulness Teachers Association of Ireland Directory as a trained teacher

What support do I get through this training?

During the course you will be supported by your lead tutors and faculty as well as the support from your fellow trainees. Between the core modules there will also be 5 tutor group sessions where you will have access to your course tutor who will support you in both your personal practice, learning and teaching practice. You will also have 2 individual meetings with the Directors over the course of the training at a separate time from the teaching blocks.

When are the small group tutor sessions?

These online sessions will take place on the following Mondays at a time that your tutor will arrange directly with your tutor group. 

  • 17th February 2025
  • 21st July 2025
  • 18th August 2025
  • 15 December 2025
  • 19th January 2026

Where are the in person training weekends held?

The in-person weekend blocks will take place in our centre in Dublin 2. The Mindfulness and Compassion Therapy Centre, 33 Pembroke St. Lr, Dublin 2. We have access to a private park nearby so from time to time, where applicable we may use the park for practice.

What payment plans are available?

We understand that this is a big investment in yourself and a one time payment is not possible for everyone.  There is a payment plan available where the cost is broken down into four parts, namely a deposit and three instalments:

  1. Initial Deposit: €500 (due upon registration)
  2. First Instalment: €1420 (due in February 2025, before the course starts)
  3. Second Instalment: €1420 (due in July 2025)
  4. Third Instalment: €1420 (due in October 2026)

The total cost of training €4,760 which includes the fees for:

  • Teaching of the modules by core faculty and visiting teachers 
  • Tutor group sessions, 
  • Feedback on written work 
  • Individual feedback sessions
  • Materials:- copy of curriculum, manual and handouts, 
  • All fees for 6 nights silent retreat in August 2025, based on standard room twin sharing. Single supplement extra. 
  • All fees for a 3 night residential training block March 2026. *based on a single standard room.