Mindful Self-Compassion residential teacher training
14 March 2027 at 15:00 to 20 March 2027 at 12:00
A week-long Mindful Self-Compassion teacher training course. The training runs from Sunday 14 March to Saturday 20 March 2027. It will take place at the peaceful and beautiful Sharpham House residential retreat, near Totnes, in Devon. It is 2.5 hours away by direct train from London Paddington. Arrival on Sunday 14 March is from 3pm and orientation day formally starts at 4.30pm. On Saturday 20 March we end at 12pm. It is essential that you are able to complete the training in full.
This is the start of your training journey to teach Mindful Self-Compassion. You’ll learn how to present the Mindful Self-Compassion curriculum and develop your own teaching presence.
Brief overview
The residential training is Step 3 on the pathway to becoming a recognised trained teacher of the eight-week Mindful Self-Compassion programme. The teacher training is built around the eight weekly sessions of the foundational Mindful Self-Compassion programme. Each half day is dedicated to a condensed, experiential review of one of the weekly sessions. These are followed by small group activities designed to give trainees opportunities to practice teaching, guiding meditations and facilitating discussion, with the close consultation of one of the teacher trainers. In addition, the training includes short talks, group exercises, discussion, and periods of silence which contribute to a retreat feel at times. Progression on the pathway is to Step 4. However, it is possible that during the training, members of the teaching training team may ask you to strengthen various personal or professional skills prior to your enrolling in the Teacher Training Practicum.
Who is the training for?
This six-day residential teacher training is intended for those who wish to teach the Mindful Self-Compassion programme, those who would like to integrate mindfulness and self-compassion in their ongoing professional activities (i.e., psychotherapy, coaching, nursing, teaching, etc.), and individuals who have a professional interest in the field (i.e., researchers etc.).
The teacher training team
Ali Lambie
Ali Lambie has a Masters degree in teaching Mindfulness-Based Approaches from the University of Bangor. Prior to training as a mindfulness teacher she was a counsellor for many years and spent eight years as manager of a counselling service within the NHS.
Ali lives in the south of England and set up Mindfulness Hampshire in 2011. Since that time she has offered regular courses, workshops and retreats locally and further afield. In 2013, Ali came across the work of Dr Chris Germer and Dr Kristin Neff in the form of Mindful Self-Compassion (MSC). This made a huge impact and she immersed herself in this field, gradually becoming a certified teacher and then teacher trainer of MSC: this work is her passion. These days Ali is fully self-employed teaching MSC and supervising and training others both in the UK and internationally with the Center for Mindful Self-Compassion in the USA. Ali enjoys supporting other teachers in her various roles and often has newer teachers working alongside her too. She has a deep love of the countryside and part of her practice is mindful walking in the woods each day.
Zoe Shobbrook
Zoe has been an MSC teacher trainer since 2019. For the last 16 years, after a decade working as a student/staff counsellor and group facilitator in higher education, she set up her own company in southwest London, offering beginner and deepening practice Mindful Based Stress Reduction and MSC courses, residential retreats and self-compassion informed therapy. She is a director at The Mindfulness Project and co-founded the thriving In Good Company practice community. She delivers programmes to a wide range of groups, reflecting her commitment to making these approaches accessible to diverse populations; in the workplace, charity and clinical settings. A lifelong yoga and meditation practitioner she has always been dedicated to paths of the heart and authenticity. Her practice includes her love of singing and conscious dance.
How to apply
Firstly, please make sure you meet all the pre-requisites below. You are invited to attend a free information session on 26 January 2026, where the teacher will be available to answer your questions.
You will be asked to complete a thorough application form, which will be carefully reviewed by the teacher training team. Acceptance decisions are made with care to ensure participants are well-prepared and the training space remains safe, supportive, and effective for everyone involved. Sometimes this involves a follow up call to talk the training process through a bit further and make sure it’s the right training at the right time for you. If you are also interested in Step 4, the online Teacher Training Practicum (TTP) that follows Step 3, we’ll send you the TTP application form once you’ve been accepted for the Residential Teacher Training. Or if you’re not sure you can commit to those TTP dates yet you can simply express interest via spft.smc@nhs.net.
Teacher training application pre-requisites
You must have:
- Completed a full-length or intensive MSC course (attended a min of 75% of the course)
- A five-day or multiple shorter silent teacher-led meditation retreats
- A 6-month gap between your MSC course and Teacher Training
- Have an established ongoing, daily, mindfulness meditation practice
- Have an established ongoing practice of loving-kindness and self-compassion formally and informally
You do not have to be a mental health professional to participate in the MSC teacher training.
Please Note: you are expected to allow a 6 month gap between completing your MSC course and beginning teacher training. This will allow you to reflect on whether you really want to begin the teaching journey. However, you may register for teacher training at any time after you complete the MSC course.
Cost of residential teacher training
Early bird rates
Below are the early bird rates (which include full board for six nights and all tuition fees and materials) if you pay your non-refundable deposit before 1 Aug 2026. Please indicate your room type preferences on your application form.
Room types will be allocated on a first come, first served basis and will also take into account any accessibility or support needs.
- Single occupancy ensuite room: £1800
- Single occupancy room with a bathroom shared between two rooms: £1700
- Shared ensuite twin room (with another trainee): £1600
Standard rates
Standard rates (which include full board for six nights and all tuition fees and materials) if you pay your non-refundable deposit between 1 Aug and 14 Nov 2026. Please indicate your room type preferences on your application form
- Single occupancy ensuite room: £1950
- Single occupancy room with a bathroom shared between two rooms: £1850
- Shared ensuite twin room (with another trainee): £1750
Application process
- Submit your registration form and pay the £500 non-refundable deposit as soon as possible to request your preferred room type, and by 1 August 2026 to secure an early bird rate.
Once your application has been received, you will receive a confirmation email which will include a longer online MSC Teacher Training Application This application includes a brief 200-word statement where you can share your reasons for taking the teacher training and your reflections.
- If your application is not accepted, a full refund will be granted. If your application is approved, the relevant balance of your payment will need to be made. The amount depends on the date you apply (before or after the early bird rate).
Bursary places
We would like to make this training available to as many people as possible and there are limited number of bursaries. In the past, it has been possible to give a discount of around £300 to most people who needed it but the decision about how much discount can be offered is dependent on how many applicants we have and is made shortly before the start of the training.
People applying for the bursaries are asked to register for the training, pay the deposit as soon as possible to request their preferred room type (i.e. stage 1 above) and at the same time complete and return a Bursary Application Form to the Sussex Mindfulness Centre at spft.smc@nhs.net which should address the following questions:
- Why do you wish to attend this training, and what are the specific financial or other barriers to your attending?
- How do you imagine implementing or integrating MSC into your life / teaching?
Please contact spft.smc@nhs.net for a bursary application form and to request the link to pay your £500 deposit.