MTPC PATHWAY MENTORSHIP
The purpose of mentorship is to offer accompaniment, guidance, and encouragement to the training group leader by an experienced mentor throughout the 8 weeks of their group. The mentorship will promote the development of the mentee’s competence and good practice skills in the facilitation of the MTPC/MTLW program, including developing the skills set out in the Mindfulness-Based Intervention Teaching Assessment Criteria (MBI:TAC).
Time commitment and rates
Group leading mentorship is ten weekly sessions for one hour each and is currently offered via Zoom or Google Meets. The ten weekly sessions include one introductory session, one concluding session, and span the 8 weeks of an MTPC/MTLW group.
Mentorship for implementation is offered on a consultation basis.
Current rates for mentorship can be found on the rates page.
What to expect during mentorship
Mentorship sessions are an incubator for mentee practice and group leadership development. Sessions can be expected to be warm, collaborative, informative, and respectful. At the beginning of mentorship, the mentor and group leader trainee may discuss the specific context of the MTPC/MTLW group, the trainee’s goals for mindfulness leadership, and the mentee’s responses from the group leader reflection questions.
Mentees are expected to bring teaching questions, issues, and dilemmas to the mentorship, to ask questions and set part of the agenda, and to maintain an ongoing commitment to continuing education in mindfulness-based theories and techniques.
Mentees are expected to submit 4 recordings to CMC from their MTPC/MTLW group during their mentorship. The 4 recordings should be: 1 body scan or seated practice, 1 movement practice, 1 didactic teaching, and 1 inquiry following any practice. Mentees will receive an MBI:TAC assessment form on their recordings and can discuss this feedback with their mentor.
Weekly sessions are structured to include focus on the 6 domains of the MBI:TAC – curriculum and pacing, relationship with group members, embodiment of mindfulness, guiding mindfulness practice, inquiry and leading didactics, and group environment. More focus is placed at first on guiding practices and learning the curriculum and as the trainee develops, cultivation of the skills of co-leading, inquiry and group facilitation are deepened. Each session will include a review of the previous week’s group leading, the upcoming week’s curriculum, challenges, highlights, and time for some practice.
Mentors have taught at least 6-10+ MTPC/MTLW groups and/or developed the curriculum, and have had training on mentorship at CMC and/or a similarly recognized mindfulness training institution. Mentors are expected to to inquire into mentee’s MTPC/MTLW facilitating, to provide mentee with honest, constructive feedback, to support mentee in developing MTPC/MTLW teaching competencies and best practice skills, to address mentee’s reasonable development/training needs, to welcome constructive challenges to ideas and practice, and to document mentorship goals, meeting times, and notes.
