MBCT training in IAPT: the experience of the first UK government funded teacher training programme

Abstract This paper reports on the experience of the first cohort of cognitive behaviour therapists completing the first delivery of a UK government-funded mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) teacher-training. Trainees completed a new curriculum approved by NHS England and commissioned by Health Education England (HEE) that enabled them to teach MBCT in Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) services in England and to meet the criteria for registration for the British Association of Mindfulness-Based Approaches (BAMBA). The components of the training are described. Mixed quantitative and qualitative methods were used to assess the experiences of those trainees who completed that training. High levels of satisfaction were reported and the ‘embodiment’ of the trainers and supervisors was flagged as particularly significant. The retreat was experienced as a core component of the training that helped deepen mindfulness practice. Various challenges were identified, including from the retreat, technical difficulties and challenges with completion for a minority of trainees. Learning from the difficulties and responses to them are reported. Key learning aims (1) To understand the experience of trainees on an MBCT training programme for CBT therapists in Improving Access to Psychological Therapy (IAPT) services in England. (2) To identify key features of a training for CBT therapists that were experienced as helping or hindering learning. (3) To understand the content and issues involved in delivering a mindfulness-based cognitive therapy training.