Additional Trust guidelines
We have developed additional guidelines for teaching Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy and Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction at the Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust.
Good Practice Guidelines for teachers
In order to offer our eight-week mindfulness courses at an appropriate standard within the Trust, it is expected that, unless working as a trainee mindfulness teacher under appropriate supervision, clinicians facilitating the courses should meet the national Good Practice Guidelines for teaching the courses, produced by the British Association of Mindfulness- Based Approaches (BAMBA).
These include requirements for personal practice,
continuing professional development, supervision and training.
Additional Trust guidelines
In addition to meeting these guidelines, teachers should:
- Have a professional mental health training that includes the use of evidenced based therapeutic approaches (unless teaching outside of a clinical setting, in which case other qualifications (e.g. teaching qualifications) or equivalent life experience (e.g. extensive mindfulness retreat experience over many years) may substitute for mental health training.
- Have attended at least one eight- week Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy or Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction course as a participant.
- Co-run at least two groups of the respective curriculum with a more experienced teacher before running the eight week courses with a peer of similar experience. A further two groups need to be co-run with either a more experienced teacher or a peer of similar experience (i.e. four groups in total) before solo or lead running the eight-week minfulness courses.
- Have a named mindfulness supervisor who agrees that the clinician is ready to run their own Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy or Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction courses. If the supervisor does not think the clinician is ready, clear indications must be given by the supervisor regarding what experience and training are needed.
- Access a minimum of three hours of individual or group supervision per mindfulness course with a named supervisor. Peer supervision may supplement supervision with a named supervisor but should not replace it.
Please note that these criteria are a minimum standard only and greater experience and training in mindfulness than that listed above may be necessary for people to lead the courses confidently. An audit will be conducted every two years amongst Trust Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy and Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction teachers. Information will be requested three times, and if there is no response and it is not possible to draw up a plan with teacher concerned about how the criteria will be met over a specific timescale, then Trust approved teaching status will be removed until such a plan is drawn up and met.
Teachers wishing to teach after an absence from teaching should have maintained the mindfulness continuing professional development, personal practice and retreat requirements set out in the national Good Practice Guidelines, and if they have not taught for three years or more, they should start by co-teaching with another teacher and access additional supervision.
May 2021
Mindfulness-Based Interventions Practice Network