revolution from the inside out
Mindfulness for Mental Health Professionals Certificate Program
Are you a mental health provider who would like to be able to offer the healing attitudes and practices of mindfulness safely and inclusively to your clients? The Midwest Alliance for Mindfulness 100-hour MMHP Certification Program is designed to assist licensed and aspiring therapists, counselors, social workers, psychologists and other behavioral health specialists to add safe and inclusive mindfulness training to their repertoire of services. Up to 55 continuing education credits are available for KS and MO licensed mental health professionals.
PROGRAM PREREQUISITES
- Licensed or supervised mental health professional
- A basic understanding of and familiarity with mindfulness concepts and practices
- Completed application/agreement
MEETING DATES AND TIMES
- Optional half day opening retreat in January
- 10 biweekly 4-hour, teacher-led, large group meetings (40 hours total) 2nd and 4th Fridays from 1 to 5 pm US Central time January – May
- 10 biweekly 90-minute consultation small groups on alternating weeks TBD by group leader and members January – May
ADDITIONAL PROGRAM COMPONENTS
- 45 hours of self study including readings, recordings, and electives
- Participation in a mindfulness retreat of your choice of 1/2 day or longer
- Short reflection paper or video
- Case consultation
- Optional certificate presentation celebration
*free options for self-study and retreat will be provided through MAM, but outside resources will be at the participant’s own expense
TOPICS
- Roots of Mindfulness & Mindfulness Fundamentals
- Mindfulness in Mental Health Science and Research
- Cultivating Mindful Attitudes
- Ethics of Mindfulness
- Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Belonging and Trauma Sensitivity
- Compassion, Therapeutic Presence, and Self-Care as Imperative
- Guiding Meditation
- Embodiment, Mindful Movement and Somatic Practices
- Mindful Conceptualization and Intervention Planning
REQUIRED READING
A Clinician’s Guide to Teaching Mindfulness: The Comprehensive Session-by-Session Program for Mental Health Professionals and Health Care Providers by Christiane Wolf & J. Greg Serpa -AND- choice of at least one book from each of the following categories:
- DEIB: Mindful of Race by Ruth King, The Inner Work of Racial Justice by Rhonda Magee, Trauma Sensitive Mindfulness by David Treleaven, Deep Diversity by Shakil Choudhury
- Intervention: Full Catastrophe Living by Jon Kabat-Zinn, Heal Thyself: Lessons on Mindfulness in Medicine by Saki Santorelli, Mindful Path to Self-Compassion by Chris Germer, Compassion Focused Therapy by Paul Gilbert, The Mindful Way through Depression: Freeing Yourself from Chronic Unhappiness by Mark Williams
*Participants will purchase their own books prior to the start of the program
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
- Deepen personal development as a mindfulness practitioner and embodiment of the practices and attitudes in daily life
- Review basic neuroscience and scientific research supporting mindfulness as a useful too in the therapeutic toolkit
- Develop skills, attitudes, and knowledge to facilitate the safe and inclusive teaching of mindfulness attitudes and practices to diverse clients
- Demonstrate the importance of personal integrity and ethical standards in teaching mindfulness skills to clients
- Understand the importance of good practice guidelines for mindfulness teachers and how they impact service quality and client outcomes
- Explore therapeutic applications of mindfulness training in the clinical setting
TUITION PAYMENT OPTIONS
Enrollment for 2024 opens January 12, 2023 and the deadline to register is November 31. No refunds will be provided 30 days before the first meeting of thereafter. Please click the appropriate link below to register and pay. You will be emailed the application upon payment and if for any reason you are not selected, your tuition will be reimbursed in full.
- Regular Tuition = $3000 (MAM professional members may take 20% off of regular tuition using the discount code MEMBERS20 at checkout Purchase your MAM membership)
- Scholarship for underrepresented groups (see below) = $1500 (use discount code MMHPSCHOL)
SCHOLARSHIP
MAM hopes to train and reach members of underrepresented or vulnerable populations in an effort to increase program accessibility and promote equal opportunity. In accordance with our mission, vision and values, a fee reduction is available for up to 3 mental health professionals working in the US, who hold identities/intersections that are underrepresented in mindfulness training in the US, such as:
- Native Americans, Alaska Natives, Native Hawaiians, Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders
- Bilingual individuals providing services in a language other than spoken English (including American Sign Language)
- People of Color and/or Visual Minorities
- Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Intersex, Asexual people
Once you have made your payment, the standard application will be emailed to you. In addition to the standard application, a personal essay is required documenting how you meet the above criteria. Priority will be given to applicants who plan to take mindfulness into underrepresented or vulnerable communities – if this is your intention, please include your plans in the essay.
TEACHERS
Sydney Spears, PhD is a licensed social worker, Certified Mindful Self-Compassion teacher, trauma-sensitive yoga (TCTSY) facilitator, mindfulness instructor, and co-founder of the Midwest Alliance for Mindfulness. She is also a professor who teaches cultural diversity, clinical social work, and trauma-sensitive care. She also teaches Mindful Self-Compassion (MSC), trauma-sensitive yoga, and trauma-sensitive mindfulness through the Midwest Alliance in Mindfulness and Center for Mindful Self Compassion, with a focus on providing mindfulness-based practices and community outreach efforts for organizations and at-risk populations.
Tracy Ochester, PsyD is a licensed psychologist and the Heart-Mind Coordinator for Midwest Alliance for Mindfulness. She is also a Certified Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy teacher and mentor, a trained Mindfulness Based Relapse Prevention teacher, a co-teacher of Mindful Self-Compassion and Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction, and a registered yoga teacher. She has completed Compassion Cultivation Training, the Pachamama Game Changer Intensive for social and ecological justice, The Work That Reconnects (Joanna Macy) and is currently engaged in a year-long program in Engaged Buddhism with the Upaya Institute. Dr. Ochester sees mindfulness as a pathway for learning the fundamental skills necessary for personal and collective wellbeing.