Dates: January – May, 2023; specific dates list below
Meeting Times: 9:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. US Pacific Time
Sliding Scale: $750-$5,000. Code BP3T23.
Continuing Education Credits: This program offers 18 CE credits for $180 for applicable psychologists and California licensed MFTs, LCSWs, LEPs, LPCCs, nurses, and chiropractors.*

Visit BPT Program page here.

GENERAL PREREQUISITE: Completion of at least one silent multi-day residential or multi-day online Insight Meditation retreat recommended by the start of the program (e.g. Spirit Rock, IMS, IRC, etc.)

PROFESSIONAL PREREQUISITE: This course is designed for those working in caregiving and mental health professions. This includes psychologists, psychiatrists, social workers, counselors, and mindfulness teachers.

DESCRIPTION
Deepen your understanding of meditation and nourish your work with clients in this five-month training designed for clinicians, counselors, mindfulness teachers, and others providing mental health support. In this training, you’ll join a community of peers for an in-depth exploration of mindfulness, Dharma, and science that will support both your personal practice and your work with others.

Through periods of meditation, Dharma talks, discussion, small group explorations and clinical case studies, you will develop greater confidence in applying mindfulness-based interventions with clients, deepen your understanding of the intersections of Buddhism and psychology, and further cultivate your own meditation practice and tools for self-care.

This training includes an experiential investigation of our own life and practice as well as our roles as clinicians. It is ideal for people who want to explore their own minds and hearts as a springboard into best serving their clients, rather than those who are primarily seeking coaching on the implementation of mindfulness-based treatment manuals.

As counselors we know that only when one has truly made oneself a patient can one become a healer. Through our practice, we become the patient and come to understand, affirm, and ultimately, transform ourselves. It is this transformation that ripples outwards to our clients and community. This training brings both sides of ourselves—the patient and the healer—together as we practice and learn together.

The training will provide an immersion in Buddhist psychology and the meditation practices that illuminate our minds, foster goodness, and transform habits that compound suffering. We’ll dive into the scientific research on mindfulness and its increasing prominence in psychotherapeutic interventions, and explore data regarding the efficacy of mindfulness and the mechanisms through which mindfulness confers its benefits. The training will examine the convergences and tensions between clinical research and Buddhist psychology and describe ways to integrate mindfulness into treatment. We’ll consider possible contraindications of mindfulness and how to tailor the intervention to individuals. Please join us.

PRE-COURSE WORK
Once accepted into the program, all participants will be given access to Foundational Buddhist Teachings, an online course consisting of five daylong retreats. Students are encouraged to review this course material prior to the class to ensure all participants can join our course with a level of shared understanding regarding foundational Buddhist concepts and terms.

PROGRAM DATES
Program training period is January – May 2023. Specific training dates below.
All meeting times are: 9:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. Pacific Time.

• Jan 7 & 8 (2 days)
• Feb 11
• March 11
• April 15
• May 20 & 21 (2 days)

PARTICIPATION AND ATTENDANCE GUIDELINES
Your participation in this training is important. The cohesion of the group is an important aspect of this training, so participation serves both your own development as well as the group. We ask that you commit to the dates and to participate wholeheartedly.

In addition to course meetings, participants will have opportunities to participate in smaller consult groups with the teacher throughout the program term.

For participants wishing to receive CE credits: In order to receive Continuing Education Credits, participants must attend all sessions live, on time, and in full. Your attendance is tracked carefully to grant your CE credits. Board regulations prohibit partial credit for partial attendance, therefore, incomplete attendance nullifies CE credit eligibility. No exceptions. More information on Continuing Education (CE) credits below.

For participants not wishing to receive CE credits: Attendance at both two-day retreats (January and May) is mandatory. We expect that all participants will also attend each monthly daylong, however, we understand that sometimes there are unavoidable emergencies.

FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE
We generally only offer financial assistance one time a year per person. Choosing the fee you can reasonably afford helps make courses available to all, regardless of ability to pay. No one turned away for lack of funds, as space allows. If you are in need of financial assistance, please email registration@spiritrock.org.

CANCELLATION FEES:
$50 cancel fee* = if cancel >1 week prior to program start
$100 cancel fee* = if cancel between 1 week and 2 days prior to program start
No refunds = if cancel <2 days prior to program start
(*fees reduced for scholarship folks)

QUESTIONS? Please email us.