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.
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.
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.
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:
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.
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.
"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."
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.
(Note: online tutor-led sessions are not listed here. Typically these are facilitated in evenings.)
Certified Mindfulness Teacher (MBSR / MBCT) (Institute For Mindfulness Based Approaches); MSC Teacher (Centre for Mindful Self Compassion); MBCL Teacher; Psychotherapist (MSc in Counselling & Psychotherapy University of Northampton)
Erica holds an MSc in Psychotherapy and is Co-Director of The Mindfulness Centre for Professional Training. She teaches MBSR, MBCT, and Mindful Communication, and is a supervisor trained in MBI-TAC.
M.A. Mindfulness-based Approaches (Bangor University), Lic. Ac., Dip. Herbal Medicine, has also gained the Certificate of Competence to Teach Mindfulness-Based Courses from the Centre for Mindfulness Research and Practice at Bangor University.
M.A. Mindfulness-Based Approaches, H.Dip. Ed., Post-Grad. Dip. Psych., Member PSI. Helen helped to develop the M.Sc. programme in Mindfulness-based Interventions at the School of Psychology in UCD, and co-founded the Mindfulness Centre in 2008.
Niamh began her training in teaching Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction in 2007 with a foundation year at the University of Bangor in North Wales, and completed her training with the Institute for Mindfulness-Based Approaches (Germany) in 2010.
MSc Mindfulness Based Intervention, BSc (Hons) Occupational Therapy, CORU Registered Occupational Therapist, with further training in other mindfulness based interventions including Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy, Trauma Sensitive Mindfulness.
A graduate Psychologist with a Master of Science (MSc.). in Psychology from Brunel University London, a 3-year MSc. in Mindfulness-Based Approaches at Bangor University, Wales and a third MSc. in Applied Social Research from Trinity College Dublin.
Head of Psychology for 30 years in St James’s Hospital Dublin, established and directed the MSc Cognitive Psychotherapy in TCD until 2006. He founded Jigsaw (The National Centre for Youth Mental Health) in 2006.
Professor Brendan Kelly, Professor of Psychiatry/ Psychiatrist at Tallaght University Hospital TCD/Tallaght University Hospital, and UCD Visiting Full Clinical Professor at University College Dublin School of Medicine and Medical Sciences.
“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."
"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.
Entry criteria – you can apply for this course if you:
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.
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:
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:
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.
These online sessions will take place on the following Mondays at a time that your tutor will arrange directly with your tutor group.
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.
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:
The total cost of training €4,760 which includes the fees for: