Interest in Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) and Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) has grown rapidly in the UK, prompting health, education, and social work practitioners to develop competencies as mindfulness-based teachers. This has raised fundamental questions about training processes, standards, and competence assessment. The paper examines how competencies are addressed in secular mainstream contexts, presents a framework for how teaching competencies develop in trainees, and reviews current assessment methodologies. The authors argue for continued international dialogue among mindfulness-based trainers and teachers to build a robust professional context for future teachers.
A framework for supervising teachers of mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) is presented, developed from the experience of eight supervisors, existing literature, and the authors' own training and supervision work. The framework maps the distinctive features of mindfulness-based supervision (MBS) using concentric circles that represent its essence, form, content, and process. The aim is to support the expansion of MBIs without compromising their integrity and efficacy by increasing the availability of competent supervision.