Modules for course C8BV | MA/MIND
MA Mindfulness-Based Approaches (5yr)

Compulsory Modules

Semester 1

• PMP-4001: Mindfulness - Foundation (30) Core
  The module involves active participation in a mindfulness-based approaches course which will broadly follow the curriculum of Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) with elements of Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) incorporated. This part of the module will include an engagement within the teaching group and individually in a process of investigation into the learning that is arising and unfolding through direct participation in the programme and a daily personal mindfulness practice. There is therefore an expectation that participants will commit to the establishment of a daily mindfulness practice and experiential, investigative exploration of this. This is supported by regular connection with a tutor between sessions to investigate the process of learning through the personal practice of mindfulness and participation in a mindfulness-based approaches course. During the teaching days there will be space to reflect in small groups on personal observations and experiences of the learning and teaching processes. There will also be presentations and discussions on the theoretical underpinnings and rationale for mindfulness-based approaches to change and learning.
• PMP-4004: Research (30) Core
  This module is suitable for students with or without academic and/or practical research experience, who want to appraise existing research into mindfulness (both quantitative and qualitative) and to undertake research in this field for their MSc or MA thesis. Learning will centre on the evidence base for Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction and Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy as published in the USA, UK and Europe. The emphasis will be on inferential research into mindfulness in health care, but the module is open to those working in other fields. Students will develop a range of research skills including rigorous literature review, research design, and the collection, management, analysis and synthesis, of data, as a basis for developing a research proposal for their MSc or MA Thesis in an area of their choice within the field of mindfulness. Experience of mindfulness practice is essential, and students will gain this by taking the module ‘Mindfulness-Based Approaches: Foundation’, either alongside or before this module.
• PMP-4007: Thesis - MA (60) Core
  Students who have completed the four taught mindfulness-based modules, and wish to proceed to a full MA degree in Mindfulness-Based Approaches, are invited to submit a thesis of 10,000-20,000 words (typically around 15,000 words). Students must have previously completed the module PMP-4004 Mindfulness-Based Approaches: Research, or have been granted exemption from this module because of previous relevant postgraduate research. However, prior scientific research experience is not a requirement for the thesis, and students will not be expected to carry out inferential scientific research into mindfulness-based approaches as part of their thesis, or within their professional role. The MA Thesis module is designed for students whose main interest is in teaching or otherwise using mindfulness-based approaches within their professional work. Working with a personal supervisor, students will conduct, analyse and complete primary or secondary research into mindfulness-based approaches in an area of their choice, informed by appropriate literature on mindfulness and its clinical applications, including published research, and the student’s observations and experiences. The thesis will describe the basis and approach of the study, and the collection, analysis and implications of the data. Alternatively, students may write an MA thesis consisting of an extended and structured literature review of a topic appropriate to mindfulness-based approaches.

Semester 2

• PMP-4001: Mindfulness - Foundation
  The module involves active participation in a mindfulness-based approaches course which will broadly follow the curriculum of Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) with elements of Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) incorporated. This part of the module will include an engagement within the teaching group and individually in a process of investigation into the learning that is arising and unfolding through direct participation in the programme and a daily personal mindfulness practice. There is therefore an expectation that participants will commit to the establishment of a daily mindfulness practice and experiential, investigative exploration of this. This is supported by regular connection with a tutor between sessions to investigate the process of learning through the personal practice of mindfulness and participation in a mindfulness-based approaches course. During the teaching days there will be space to reflect in small groups on personal observations and experiences of the learning and teaching processes. There will also be presentations and discussions on the theoretical underpinnings and rationale for mindfulness-based approaches to change and learning.
• PMP-4004: Research
  This module is suitable for students with or without academic and/or practical research experience, who want to appraise existing research into mindfulness (both quantitative and qualitative) and to undertake research in this field for their MSc or MA thesis. Learning will centre on the evidence base for Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction and Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy as published in the USA, UK and Europe. The emphasis will be on inferential research into mindfulness in health care, but the module is open to those working in other fields. Students will develop a range of research skills including rigorous literature review, research design, and the collection, management, analysis and synthesis, of data, as a basis for developing a research proposal for their MSc or MA Thesis in an area of their choice within the field of mindfulness. Experience of mindfulness practice is essential, and students will gain this by taking the module ‘Mindfulness-Based Approaches: Foundation’, either alongside or before this module.
• PMP-4007: Thesis - MA
  Students who have completed the four taught mindfulness-based modules, and wish to proceed to a full MA degree in Mindfulness-Based Approaches, are invited to submit a thesis of 10,000-20,000 words (typically around 15,000 words). Students must have previously completed the module PMP-4004 Mindfulness-Based Approaches: Research, or have been granted exemption from this module because of previous relevant postgraduate research. However, prior scientific research experience is not a requirement for the thesis, and students will not be expected to carry out inferential scientific research into mindfulness-based approaches as part of their thesis, or within their professional role. The MA Thesis module is designed for students whose main interest is in teaching or otherwise using mindfulness-based approaches within their professional work. Working with a personal supervisor, students will conduct, analyse and complete primary or secondary research into mindfulness-based approaches in an area of their choice, informed by appropriate literature on mindfulness and its clinical applications, including published research, and the student’s observations and experiences. The thesis will describe the basis and approach of the study, and the collection, analysis and implications of the data. Alternatively, students may write an MA thesis consisting of an extended and structured literature review of a topic appropriate to mindfulness-based approaches.

Optional Modules

60 credits from:

• PMP-4002: Mindfulness-Teaching 1 (30) (Semester 1 + 2)
  The module is intended for those who want to engage in a learning process to support existing teaching of mindfulness-based courses, or potential development towards teaching mindfulness-based courses. It will involve active participation in the courses of Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy and Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction, with reflective and practical processes on the underlying principles and skills required in this teaching. Students are required to continue a commitment to an ongoing daily mindfulness practice as an essential part of understanding and embodying mindfulness qualities when they teach. The programme will be taught through in-depth exploration and investigation with tutors and fellow students on the core teaching themes/strategies that arise within mindfulness-based courses and participants’ responses to these, and detailed consideration of the ways through which those who engage in mindfulness practice come to understanding of the methods and results of the practice. The module will be focused on developing the understanding required and the competence needed to teach mindfulness-based courses. Teaching days will be structured to enable students to practice delivering mindfulness meditation guidance and enquiry, both essential elements of the programme. Detailed peer and tutor feedback will be given.
• PMP-4003: Teaching 2 (30) (Semester 1 + 2)
  This module is suitable for those wishing to build on the core skills of teaching mindfulness-based approaches developed during the other mindfulness-based modules. The module focuses on the skills and knowledge necessary to teach mindfulness-based courses in a group setting: leading practices, group exercises and enquiry; mindful approaches to working with challenge and uncertainty in self and others; adapting mindfulness-based courses to particular client groups and contexts; assessment and orientation of participants; understanding of group process and leadership in mindfulness-based courses; and embodiment of mindfulness process by the teacher of mindfulness-based courses. During teaching days the student group will be facilitated in experiencing the various elements which form and affect a group. In this way the students will experientially develop their understanding of the stages of group development and styles of group leadership. These understandings will be connected through a process of reflection, discussion and analysis with the particular considerations involved in teaching mindfulness-based approaches in a group context.
• PMP-4008: Buddhist Background (30) (Semester 1 + 2)
  The module will explore key elements within the Buddhist psychological background to those mindfulness-based approaches which are used as clinical interventions: Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) and Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT). It will investigate the historical origins of mindfulness approaches and the part played by Buddhist thought and practice in their evolution. Students will be taught to investigate the boundaries between the religious / spiritual context of Buddhism and the modern clinical and scientific context of mindfulness-based approaches. They will also be encouraged to research and investigate for themselves how a deeper understanding of its Buddhist historical and spiritual background might enrich their understanding of the clinical and personal applications of mindfulness. The assessment for this module will be by an individual presentation made by each student, and a substantial piece of textual and practical research given as a single written assignment, to demonstrate the student’s in-depth understanding of the area of study.
• PMP-4011: Assessed Teaching Prac (30) (Semester 1 + 2)
  The module offers the opportunity for those teaching mindfulness-based courses as part of their work to gain an academic postgraduate award. Students who attain a mark of at least 50% in their teaching practice (Assignment 1) as assessed by the Mindfulness-Based Interventions – Teaching Assessment Criteria, will also gain a CPD Certificate of Competence in Teaching Mindfulness-Based Courses. This award also recognises that they have met the Centre for Mindfulness Research and Practice’s highly regarded and stringent standards of training to teach mindfulness-based courses. For the student this experience will combine a focus on both personal and professional development with an opportunity to gain recognition for mindfulness-based teaching competence. Students will be encouraged to integrate the following areas: awareness of personal process, experience of teaching practice, and the theories and rationales underlying mindfulness-based courses. The module will offer a structure for assessing the student teacher while they work within their own professional context, and with the client group they customarily train in mindfulness. There will also be the opportunity to demonstrate responsible and sensitive use of supervision processes during the teaching required by the module.
• PMP-4014: Mindfulness & the Brain (30) (Semester 1 + 2)
• PMP-4003 Teaching 2 (pre-requisite PMP-4002).