MBCL-Teacher Training

The MBCL Foundation Course offers an intensive introduction to the practice of self-compassion and compassion with others. This is the prerquisite for teaching MBCL.

Building on your own experiences, you can then attend the MBCL Teacher Training.

MBCL Foundation Course (3 days)

The MBCL foundation course provides an intensive introduction to self-compassion and compassion training. Even if you haven’t quite made up your mind yet whether you want to train as an MBCL teacher, you will receive a thorough introduction to MBCL exercises and will learn about the method’s many different uses in medicine, health care and educational contexts, among others.

The foundation course focuses on letting you experience the method and exercises directly. You will be taught the core MBCL exercises and observe through participation how an MBCL teacher leads important exercises, especially mindful inquiry.

Following the foundation course, participants may decide to integrate individual elements of MBCL into their work context as well as in their private practice.

The MBCL foundation course also provides an overview of the scientific basis of compassion and an introduction to its theoretical background in Western and Buddhist psychology.

Audio recordings of the exercises will be provided, so you will be able to continue the practice at home.

Audio recordings of the exercises included in the founders´ books on MBCL are also available for free download from the web site of the publisher (Routledge).

Requirements for participation in the MBCL Foundation Course

A sound own mindfulness practice is central to participation in the foundation course.

We also recommend that you attend a MBSR or MBCT course in advance and read one of the following publications on MBCL:

Mindfulness-Based Compassionate Living. A new training programme to deepen mindfulness with heartfulness by Erik van den Brink & Frits Koster, 2015

A Practical Guide to Mindfulness-Based Compassionate Living – Living with heart. by Erik van den Brink and Frits Koster, with Victoria Norton, 2018

Interest in the application of compassion in medicine, psychiatry, social work, educational institutions etc. is also welcome.

This offering is not suitable for participants without experience in mindfulness meditation. It is also not recommended for people with acute medical or mental health problems.

Prerequisites for participation in the MBCL TT Programme

The MBCL TT Programme is currently taking place in various countries in Europe and offered for professionals already familiar with mindfulness practice and mindfulness-based work. All applicants are required to have participated in only one of the following experiential offerings:

an MBCL Foundation Course (in person or online, minimum 3 days) - see also www.compassionateliving.info or www.mbcl.org for different options.
an 8-week MBCL training (in person or online) as a participant with a qualified MBCL teacher. Courses in various countries and languages can be found here: Find an MBCL Teacher
an MBCL retreat - see also www.compassionateliving.info or www.mbcl.org.
Participants must have adequate communication skills in English.

MBCL TT in different formats

The MBCL Teacher Training Programme is offered in two formats (depending on the country):

Either

Two three-day modules.

A six-day residential module.

Learning Objectives in the MBCL Teacher Training

To experience the main exercises of MBCL in more depth beyond the foundation course level.
To thoroughly review the content of an MBCL course.
To have a basic understanding of the scientific foundation of compassion training and its theoretical background in western and Buddhist psychology.
To review and develop the basic attitudes necessary for working with compassion-focused methods.
To have an understanding for which clients compassion training can be helpful.
To deepen the practice of mindfulness and clarify its relationship to compassion training.
Deepening the understanding of the structure and content of MBCL.
Learning how to teach the curriculum and how to guide MBCL exercises.
Introducition do leading inquiry following exercises.
Developing skills of how to present the background theory on compassion training.
Deepening one´s personal experience of compassion exercises.

Participation Requirements for the MBCL Teacher Training

All participants of the MBCL Teacher Training must fulfill one of the following requirements:

Participation in an 8-week MBCL course (if possible), or
participation in an MBCL foundation course, or
participation in an MBCL retreat.

Please note: The respective course must be led by an already certified MBCL teacher.
Here you find the list of certified MBCL teachers.

Should you have questions regarding our requirements, please contact our office.

Upon Completion of the Program: A- and B-register for MBCL teachers

To enter the A-register of professional MBCL teachers following the Teacher Training, one must:

be a certified mindfulnessteacher (in MBSR, MBCT, Breathworks or equivalent);
have successfully completed the MBCL Teacher Training (modules 1 and 2);
have deepened their established mindfulness practice with MBCLpractices for at least a year
and have sought adequate supervision in teaching their first MBCL course(s).

Professionals with sufficient training and experience in mindfulness-based work (e.g. ACT or DBT therapists), who are not certified mindfulness teachers, can follow the Teacher Training modules to deepen their work with

compassion-focussed themes and practices. They can enter a B-register, which does not entitle to formally teach MBCL courses to groups of MBSR/MBCT graduates, but to work with MBCL ingredients individually or in groups, within the ethical framework of their own profession.