Mindfulness for Life (also known as MBCT-L) is a development of MBCT for the general population. Its structure is similar to the original MBCT for depression, with 8 weekly sessions, home practice, and an extended practice session.
Alongside many of the practices and exercises from the original MBCT programme, it provides new practices and exercises to teach skills both for managing what is painful and difficult and for increasing wellbeing and flourishing.
If you’re an experienced MBCT teacher, this 2-day branch training provides you with a route to develop your teaching to include the Mindfulness for Life (MBCT-L) course as an option for your participants.
On completion, you’ll receive a ‘Certificate of Attendance’ from Oxford Mindfulness.
What to expect on this course
- You’ll be introduced to the theoretical, empirical, and ethical foundations of Mindfulness for Life, including the intentions and rationales for its elements, and how it is similar and different from MBCT
- The training includes the structure and sequence of the course, learning to teach key practices and exercises, including cognitive-behavioural exercises.
What you can do after this course
Full course materials and handouts for teaching are available to support you to teach the Mindfulness for Life 8-week course in a structured way, as taught by Oxford Mindfulness.
These include:
- Support for Teaching Manual which covers step-by-step guidance on teaching each session
- Participant Manual which confirms you have been trained to teach this course by Oxford Mindfulness and which you can share with your participants for their own use during the course
- Links to guided practices which you can share with your participants
On completion you will be able to teach this course to the general population – it is suitable for adults over the age of 18 years old.
Entry criteria – who can apply for this course?
You can apply for this training if you have:
- Completed an MBCT teacher training pathway of at least 12 months, which meets the Good Practice Guidance for training pathways, led by a trainer in-person or live online, and not self-guided.
- Been assessed as safe to teach under supervision by your training provider and / or be registered as a mindfulness teacher on eg BAMBA or another equivalent directory.
- Completed an 8-week Mindfulness for Life (MBCT-L) course as a participant, led by a teacher in-person or live online and not self-guided (Please note that this is different from an 8-week MBCT course.
- An established and regular personal mindfulness practice, ideally for at least a year. Please see the Good Practice Guidelines for Teaching Mindfulness-Based Courses Please see here (include link) for what this involves.
- Knowledge and experience of the adult population and context where you would like to teach. This might include workplace, education, criminal justice, physical or mental healthcare, or general population settings.
- Have the ability to speak, write, and understand English to a level where you can fully take part in all parts of the training without the need for extra translation support.
- Strong internet, the right equipment and the technical skills to join an online training programme via Zoom, with the video always on.
- A private indoor space where you can take part in the training without being interrupted or overheard by other people.
NOTE: Please do not sign up for this training if you are not fully trained to teach MBCT, or if your only experience is of attending a course as a participant. In these cases, your application will not be approved, and you may be charged an administration fee when we refund your payment.