Teacher Pathway

There are three MSC Teacher designations,  –  Teacher-in-Training, Trained Teacher and Certified Teacher. 

What you are permitted to teach and how depends on you teaching designation. Details about the different designations  and levels of scope for teaching are described on this page. You can also learn how to move along the teacher pathway, step by step. This is particularly important for newly trained teachers (Teachers-in-Training) who must complete steps 2-4 in order to become fully trained and therefore eligible to teach the 8-week MSC independently. 

Teacher Designation and Scope of Teaching

Upon successful completion of the Teacher Training, you are considered an MSC Teacher-in-Training. 

  • You are only authorized to teach the MSC 8-week program with simultaneous enrollment in the series of ten group online Zoom consultation sessions.
  • You are not authorized to teach MSC without these consultation sessions as a Teacher-in-Training.
  • You may offer introductory talks and workshops up to 3 hours in length.
  • You may act as a General Assistant to two Certified Teachers (or a Certified Teacher and Trained Teacher) who are teaching an MSC Intensive, but this does not count towards the teaching requirement for becoming a Trained Teacher.
  • Other formats or adaptations are not allowed for Teachers-in-Training.
    – You may not represent yourself as anything other than an MSC Teacher-in-Training and you may not teach the MSC program independently until you have been granted Trained Teacher status.

Once you submit your Trained Teacher Application Form, having completed your Practicum, Zoom sessions and 8-week MSC, you will be awarded Trained Teacher status. 

  • You may continue to offer the 8-week in-person MSC course to the public (preferably with a co-teacher).
  • You may assist two Certified teachers who are co-teaching an MSC Intensive.
  • You may offer modified forms of MSC as long as they contain at least 85% of the content of the full MSC program and do not include more than one MSC session in a single day. 
  • Courses that group two sessions on one day are considered Intensives and Trained Teachers may not offer such Intensives without a Certified MSC Teacher as a co-teacher.
  • You may offer introductory talks and workshops up to one day in length

Certification is verification of a teacher’s competence whereas the designation of Trained Teacher simply recognizes that a person has completed the requisite training activities. It is highly recommended for those who continue to teach on an ongoing basis or wish to teach MSC Intensives or other adaptations.

Certified Teachers are defined as MSC teachers who have completed individual mentorship from an expert MSC Teacher and received their Certified Teacher certificate from UCSD.

As a Certified MSC Teacher you may:

  • Continue to offer the 8-week in-person MSC program
  • Offer 2-day MSC Core Skills programs
  • Co-teach MSC intensives, preferably in the 4 or 5-day residential format, but this may include further modifications like multiple weekends, or four 2-session days, etc.

Please note: CMSC does not allow programs that include the material from more than two sessions in a single day, as we believe strongly that this is just too much material for participants to absorb in such a short period of time.

You are strongly encouraged to consult with CMSC or an MSC Mentor on any modifications to the standard formats.

  • If you are unable to co-teach an intensive with another Certified MSC Teacher, you may have a Trained Teacher as a co-teacher or have a General Assistant (who could be a Teacher-in-Training) present for the full program
  • You are eligible to be trained to teach Live Online MSC or other CMSC-endorsed online programs 
 

Becoming a Trained Teacher

Step 1: Attend MSC Teacher Training (6-day, residential)

Upon successful completion of the Teacher Training, you are considered an MSC Teacher-in-Training. If you wish to teach MSC you must complete steps 2, and 4 to be granted full Trained MSC Teacher status and teach the 8-week MSC independently.

Step 2: Attend Teacher Training Practicum (10-weeks, online)

Required for all teachers who complete their MSC Teacher Training from February 2020 onwards. 

The TTP enables Teachers-in-Training to begin practicing their new-found teaching skills with each other in a safe, structured, online environment comprised of 15 fellow teachers-in-training and two TTP Trainers. Each week of the practicum will focus on a single MSC session and the trainees will be assigned to lead the various practices, topics and exercises of that session, with periods of feedback and discussion, as well as opportunities to interact during the week online as a group.

Step 3: Attend Zoom Consultation (10 sessions online) AND Teach your first 8-Week MSC

When you are your first MSC, you must sign up to attend 10 Zoom consultation sessions simultaneously.

The Zoom Consultation Sessions are rich opportunities for guidance and support during your first teaching experience.  For requirements and joining instructions please click here

Step 4: Submit your Trained Teacher Application Form

Please submit your Trained Teacher Application Form here.

CMSC will review your application form. If you have completed all the steps outlined above, we will email you your Trained Teacher certificate.

You will be designated a Trained MSC Teacher and your teacher status will be updated on the CMSC teacher directory.

At this point, you will be permitted to teach MSC independently as outlined on the Scope of Teaching chart on the right-hand side.

Becoming a Certified Teacher

Meet the pre-requisites to enroll

In order to begin the Mentorship process, the individual must

  • be a trained MSC teacher
  • have already taught at least four 8-week MSC programs
  • have video footage of either session 4 or 5 of a recent MSC program for the Collaborative Assessment.

Contact a Mentor and organize a Collaborative Assessment

The Collaborative Assessment consists of at least three sessions:

  • orientation session with mentor
  • mentor reviews video on their own
  • mentor and mentee create a mentorship plan

Enroll in the UCSD Mindfulness-Based Professional Training Institute

Applicants for Certification in the UCSD Mindfulness-Based Professional Training Institute (MBTI) must have successfully completed a formal mentorship plan co-created with their mentor. The minimum duration of a mentorship plan is fourteen individual mentorship sessions, which includes at least three sessions for the Collaborative Assessment process, and at least eleven sessions over the course of teaching at least two courses.

Complete Mentorship Plan of at least 14 session

Mentees are expected to record all MSC sessions during the mentorship process. 

Upon completing these requirements, the mentee submit a formal letter of application for Teacher Certification to the UCSD MBPTI Teacher Qualification and Certification Committee ([email protected]). Your mentor will also submit a letter of recommendation at this time. 

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