Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy: A Seven-Day Teacher Training Course
Melanie Fennell & Antonia Sumbundu
Hadeland, Norway, 9th – 15th June 2013 -Fully booked-
The intention of this residential MBCT teacher training retreat, held in the peaceful setting of the Sanner Hotel, Hadeland, is to offer participants an opportunity to deepen their understanding of Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT), through direct experience of the 8-session programme, and through opportunities to practise teaching elements of MBCT to one another with supervision from the instructors. MBCT combines mindfulness meditation practice with ideas from cognitive therapy in an innovative and effective relapse prevention treatment for recurrent depression. Consequently, it is now recommended in Health Service treatment guidelines, for example in Denmark and the UK. Recent pilot studies suggest that MBCT can also be helpful to patients with a wider range of problems, both emotional and physical.
The retreat will be facilitated by highly experienced practitioners of MBCT, based in the Oxford University Department of Psychiatry and in Copenhagen, and offers an opportunity to explore the approach in depth. Participants are expected to:
- Have some prior knowledge of cognitive therapy
- Have completed an experiential 8-week MBCT course including regular home practice. Applicants having completed an 8-week MBSR course are welcome however are encouraged to do the MBCT course prior to the teacher training if at all feasible (see below for details).
- Have an established personal mindfulness meditation practice
- To have read “Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy for Depression” (Segal, Z.V., Williams, J.M.G. & Teasdale, J.D., (2002; revised 2nd edition published October 2012), Guilford, New York)
- To have a serious interest in bringing MBCT into their lives and work.
The programme reflects the integration of personal practice and professional application that is central to the approach. It includes a blend of didactic, experiential and small group work, including periods of silence which offer a supportive and harmonious context for deepening the personal experience of mindfulness meditation. Specific themes and areas of focus will include:
- The seamless cultivation of mindfulness throughout the workshop, through formal and informal practices, both in silence and in conversation and dialogue
- An brief overview of the development of MBCT, the theory underpinning it, and research that supports its clinical value
- Mindful approaches to the experience and expression of pain, depression, stress and anxiety within ourselves and those with whom we work
- Experiencing enough mindfulness meditation practice and self-inquiry to understand the importance of being a practitioner before starting to work with mindfulness as a clinician
- Opportunities to practice teaching key meditation practices, with feedback from fellow participants and from the instructors
Maximum 32 participants
Pre-course requirements
To benefit fully from this teacher training, thorough experience of the 8-week MBCT course is highly recommended. Applicants are therefore strongly encouraged to complete a MBCT course prior to participating in this teacher training course. We recognise however, that there is currently a shortage of qualified MBCT teachers in Norway, and advise you to contact us for information about available courses. If you are unable to attend a MBCT course in Norway, we recommend that you choose one of the following options:
* Follow the MBCT programme by distance learning (online). Distance learning including regular supervision is offered by the Centre for Mindfulness Research & Practice, Bangor University, Wales (http://www.bangor.ac.uk/mindfulness/) and by the Oxford Mindfulness Centre, University of Oxford (info by emailing omcadmin@psych.ox.ac.uk – please head messages “Online supervision”)
* Complete the programme as outlined in Segal, Williams & Teasdale’s book Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy for Depression (2002; please use revised 2nd edition published October 2012, Guilford, New York) together with colleagues, and to receive weekly supervision as you do so by distance learning with either the Bangor or Oxford centre.
If you are unable to do any of the above, a final backstop would be to complete a MBSR course. It might be possible to find ways of making up what is missed – the cognitive components that are specific for MBCT and not covered by MBSR – in terms of additional days focussing on experiencing the cognitive components and how the programmes differ. Please feel free to contact us if this is the only option for you and we will provide you with information about additional days in due course.
Please contact us at info@nfon.no if you have queries regarding these requirements
Seminar fee and application
Membership in the Norwegian Association of Mindfulness (NFON) is required and costs 250 NOK per calendar year. The seminar fee is 23 500 NOK which includes accommodation and full pension for 7 days. Final deadline for registration is 15th of March 2013. For registrations prior to 1st november 2012 an early bird discount of 2000 NOK applies. Your registration is valid once payment is confirmed. Cancellations made prior to 1st of February 2013 will be refunded with 70% of the fee. We regret to inform that for cancellations made after this date, the fee is non-refundable.
This workshop is now fully booked, but if you have any queries, you can get in touch either by emailing info@nfon.no or by calling NAM via Bergljot Gjelsvik on contact number 01865 61 31 55.
Teachers
Melanie Fennell was a pioneer of cognitive therapy for depression in the UK. She developed the highly successful Oxford Diploma in Cognitive Therapy and Oxford Diploma/MSc in Advanced Cognitive Therapy Studies, and teaches on the MSt in Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy. She has a particular interest in cognitive therapy for depression and low self-esteem. She is a research clinician with Mark Williams, developing MBCT for suicidal patients.
Antonia Sumbundu is a clinical psychologist, a specialist in CBT and supervision. She has successfully completed a MSt in MBCT awarded by the University of Oxford. Antonia has been interested in clinical applications of meditation for a long time, and has been teaching and lecturing on MBCT and MBSR both nationally and internationally for a number of years.
Comments from participants at a similar Teacher Development Course (September 2011):
All answers to the prompt: “The best things about the workshop were ….”
Everything was excellent. The instructors’ professional standards, integrity, style of presentation, clarity of delivery and level of knowledge were the best things. And everyone’s kindness and wisdom. Brilliant!
Thank you for an excellent week – a rich experience in many ways. Nurturing, pleasurable, encouraging mastery.
Experiential days preceding the teachbacks – provided bedrock for the teaching practice. Practice in pairs and small group with immediate feedback was great.
The teaching style – patient, clear, guided but open and welcoming. The atmosphere – open, safe and containing (beautiful and peaceful). The teachback – wonderful opportunity to practice, especially in pairs and small groups. The periods of silence.
