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MBSR and MBCT for therapists: training, videos and tests

MBSR (Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction) and MBCT (Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy) are eight-week group programmes built on mindfulness practice. MBCT adapts MBSR by adding principles of cognitive behavioral therapy.

The method in short

MBSR
Jon Kabat-Zinn, 1979; a programme for the general population
MBCT
Zindel Segal, Mark Williams, John Teasdale; an adaptation of MBSR with CBT principles, first designed for people at risk of repeated depression
Format
Eight weeks in a group after an orientation session; MBCT groups are limited to 24 participants
Teacher training
Usually an eight-week course first and months to years of personal practice, then supervised teaching

Primary sources: Brown University: MBSR vs. MBCT, Oxford Mindfulness: what is mindfulness

We give you information and answer for how we select it. Check terms, prices and dates with the organiser.

Mindfulness-Based (MBSR/MBCT) training

We do not run courses. Each programme has a link to the organiser and a check date.

Brown University, School of Professional Studies, USA

Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy Teaching Certificate

A live-online certificate run with the Mindfulness Center at Brown. The page says one can begin to deliver MBCT after six months and that the full certificate takes one to two years or longer, with three silent retreats, one of them seven days.

Format
Live online
Language
English
For
Typically health care, psychology or social work professionals with at least a year of experience, prior CBT training and an average of 2+ years of daily meditation practice
Organiser’s siteChecked: November 1, 2026

Brown University, School of Professional Studies, USA

Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Teaching Certificate

A multi-tiered live-online pathway run with the Mindfulness Center at Brown. The page says one can qualify to teach in about a year and complete the full certificate in two or more years; the 8-week MBSR course is named as the prerequisite on its course page.

Format
Live online
Language
English
For
A broad range: educators, health professionals, therapists and counsellors and others; an average of 2+ years of daily meditation practice
Organiser’s siteChecked: November 1, 2026

Oxford Mindfulness, UK

12-Month Teacher Training Programme

An online programme of 29.5 training days over 12 months that ends with the Trained Teacher Certificate from Oxford Mindfulness. All the courses trainees complete are based on MBCT; the clinical route includes MBCT for Depression.

Format
Online
Language
English
For
The page addresses clinical professionals and people who will teach adults in education, the workplace or the community; it lists no formal entry requirements
Organiser’s siteChecked: November 1, 2026

Bangor University, Wales, UK

MA Applied Contemplative Approaches: Mindfulness and Compassion

A three-year part-time online master's. Year 1 covers practice and the essentials of teaching, year 2 applied teaching, year 3 a teaching project with an 8-day online teacher training retreat. The page does not name MBSR or MBCT.

Format
Online, part-time
Language
English
For
A degree is normally required (professional experience is considered case by case), a teacher-led mindfulness course of 6 to 8 weeks and at least six months of regular practice; IELTS 6.0 for international applicants
Organiser’s siteChecked: November 1, 2026

How to choose a programme

  • Recognition. A professional association registry or an accredited provider list.
  • Practice. Hours under supervision and live discussion of your own cases.
  • Teachers. Experience in this particular method.
  • Outcome. A certificate, a path to certification or only knowledge.
  • Entry. Whether you need a base qualification and proof of practice.

Mindfulness-Based (MBSR/MBCT) videos

All videos on methods

Breaking the Cycle: How Mindfulness and MBCT Reshape Mental Health with Zindel Segal

Channel: Brown University School of Professional Studies · Checked: November 1, 2026

A talk from Brown’s Evolution of Mindfulness series. MBCT co-founder Zindel Segal on integrating mindfulness with cognitive therapy: where MBCT came from, its scientific foundations and its role in mood disorders. The description adds a reading list.

Open on YouTube ↗

The Foundations of Modern Mindfulness with Jon Kabat-Zinn (JKZ)

Channel: Brown University School of Professional Studies · Checked: November 1, 2026

Part 1 of the same series: MBSR founder Jon Kabat-Zinn on how MBSR turned ancient practices into an approach used in health care, and on chronic stress, anxiety and resilience.

Open on YouTube ↗

Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy: The Story So Far and a Vision for 2050 | 2025 Annual Gathering

Channel: Oxford Mindfulness · Checked: November 1, 2026

Ruth Baer and Willem Kuyken on the story of MBCT so far and a vision for its future, recorded at the 2025 Annual Gathering in Marlow, UK.

Open on YouTube ↗

Mindfulness-Based (MBSR/MBCT) associations and institutes

Practitioner registries, training standards, conferences. The links go to official sites; the descriptions are ours.

USA

The Mindfulness Center at Brown University

A research and teaching centre in Brown’s School of Public Health, set up in 2017. The MBSR and MBCT teacher training pathways are run together with the university’s School of Professional Studies.

Official siteChecked: November 1, 2026

UK

Oxford Mindfulness

A not-for-profit foundation that partners with the University of Oxford; its programmes are built on MBCT. It trains teachers, offers professional development and mentoring for trained teachers, and holds an annual gathering.

Official siteChecked: November 1, 2026

UK

The Mindfulness Network

A UK charity offering mindfulness-based supervision, retreats and teacher training; completion of its Teacher Training Pathway is certified jointly with Bangor University. It states that it is an affiliated teacher training organisation of BAMBA.

Official siteChecked: November 1, 2026

international

Access MBCT

An international listing of professionals who work in or support MBCT; its founding members include Zindel Segal and Mark Williams. It helps people find an MBCT therapist and guides them through training; its page says criteria for listing training organisations are still being developed.

Official siteChecked: November 1, 2026

Tests and scales for Mindfulness-Based (MBSR/MBCT)

All tests

Short scales to see the starting level and change over time. They are screening, not a diagnosis.

Many tests can be sent to a client as a link (a button on the test page), and the result comes to your email. If answers show signs of risk, the test shows help lines.

Mindfulness-Based (MBSR/MBCT) questions

How do I choose a training to teach MBSR or MBCT?

Compare entry conditions (an eight-week course first, months to years of personal practice, professional experience), the length of the pathway, whether supervision is included and whether teaching is assessed against criteria such as MBI:TAC. For example, Brown reports an average of 2+ years of daily practice, while Bangor asks for at least six months of regular practice.

How is MBCT different from MBSR and from CBT?

Both programmes run eight weeks. MBSR is designed for the general population and stress; MBCT adds principles of CBT and targets specific conditions, above all recurrent depression. Unlike conventional CBT, MBCT puts the emphasis on awareness, attention and emotion regulation rather than on the content of thoughts.

Which scales can I use alongside a course?

Our site has PHQ-9 for depressive symptoms and GAD-7 for anxiety: they can be taken before a course and repeated after, and sent to a client as a link. There is no mindfulness-specific scale in our catalog yet.

Do I need to be a clinician to train as a teacher?

It depends on the programme. For MBCT, Brown describes typical applicants as health care and psychology professionals with a year of experience and CBT training, while for MBSR it also lists educators and people from other professions. Read the entry requirements on the programme page.

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