In 2027, the Sussex Mindfulness Centre is offering the biannual Interpersonal Mindfulness Programme teacher training programme in the UK, in conjunction with international partners US-based Relational Mindfulness Collaborative and China-based ATINAT.

On this page, you can see the steps you need to take if you wish to teach the eight-week Interpersonal Mindfulness Programme (IMP). The teacher training programme is for experienced mindfulness teachers wishing to deepen their practice and capacity to teach interpersonal mindfulness.

Here are the the steps towards becoming a recognised teacher:

Step 1: Fulfil prerequisites

Fulfil the prerequisites. Click this link and find the prerequisites listed at the bottom of the page. These prerequisites include: personal practice, participation on retreats, attending an eight-week IMP course etc. Most participants will have met all these requirements before embarking on Step 2 below. However, in some cases depending on the participants’ experience and circumstances, they may do the residential training with one or two requirements outstanding. In these cases, all prerequisites must be met before teaching the Interpersonal Mindfulness Programme.

Step 2: Residential training

Participate in the residential training Teaching Presence in Relationship: An Interpersonal Mindfulness Training for MBSR/MBCT Teachers. The next course takes place in the Ammerdown Retreat Centre, in Somerset, UK from 21 to 30 October 2027. You can find out more and apply here.

Step 3: Two-day teaching practice

Participate in a two-day teacher training practicum (Seminar for Teaching Practice) to further develop teaching skills and understanding. This is an online two-day, trainer-led opportunity for you to practice offering the programme with other teachers who attended the residential training. You can find out more about the two day teaching practice here.

Step 4: Group supervision

Engage in eight consecutive Small Group Supervision Meetings online—preferably in alignment with teaching an eight-week IMP. Supervision can be requested by a group of four to eight people and will depend on supervisor availability. Individual supervision does not fulfil the requirement for small group supervision. You can find out more about the group supervision here.

Step 5: Join list of approved teachers

After completing Step 4, participants are eligible to have their names and courses listed on the IMP/Relational Mindfulness Collaborative website. A letter of completion will be issued upon the successful completion of each stage of the training. Participants are asked to retain these letters and provide them when applying to join the list of approved teachers.

Collaborating partners

The Sussex Mindfulness Centre is the UK-based host organisation offering this training, and will jointly accredit the IMP teacher training qualification with the Relational Mindfulness Collaborative.

Relational Mindfulness Collaborative is a global community of mindfulness meditation teachers who offer programmes for teaching and learning interpersonal mindfulness practices.

The ATINAT Institute of Mindfulness Training works in close collaboration with the Global Mindfulness Collaborative, to cultivate mindfulness education resources for the Chinese-speaking community, that align with global standards.