SMART Facilitator Training

SMART – A 9-Session Program

smartEducation™ (SMART – Stress Management and Resiliency Techniques) is an evidence-based program designed to address the needs of educators (K-12 and post-secondary), professional support staff and mental health professionals involved in the education and care of children, youth, and young adults, as well as organizations committed to the health and wellness of their staff.

Who Should Attend

• Educational professionals including teachers, educational assistants, child and youth workers, social workers, psychologists, occupational therapists, audiologists and speech-language pathologists, physiotherapists, student support staff as well as administrators and office staff.
• Healthcare professionals who work in community settings.
• Organizational professionals interested in offering in-house mindfulness training to staff. 

SMART Certification:

• Offers a coherent, stepped approach.
• Integrates formal teaching with workshops/residential mindfulness trainings, skills training and supervision/mentoring.
• Uses the Mindfulness-based Interventions Teaching Assessment Criteria (MBI-TAC) (R. S. Crane et al., 2013) to support SMART facilitator learning and assess competency when teachers graduate from the training program.
• Expects SMART teachers to work within the ethical codes of their professional bodies. If they do not have such a code, training and attention to codes set out by the most relevant professional body are suggested as a safeguard and to promote good practice (Baer, 2015).
• Is evidence-based relying on and generating the best available evidence to inform the training.

SMART Facilitator Certification Requirements

1. Completion of the following pre-requisites:

• Completion of one online or face-to-face Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction course (MBSR) as a participant. Acceptable online course – Palouse Mindfulness 
• An established mindfulness practice including meditation and mindful movement
• Experience in managing groups

2. Academic Qualifications:

• Undergraduate degree in education, psychology, health sciences, social work, or equivalent degree, or
• Advanced professional degree and/or equivalent experience

3. Certification (150 hrs)

The program consists of 80-hour facilitator training, 40 hours of practicum, assisting, co-teaching,
20 hours of mentoring instruction, and 10 hours of self-study in SMART program delivery.

• SMART: Attend 9-session course as a participant and complete the course requirements. (20 hrs) MSC-Short course: Attend the 6-session course as a participant and complete the course requirements.  (10 hrs)
• 3-Day Foundations: The focus in this course is on the skillset required as a facilitator to safely deliver the SMART program, including guiding practice & mindful movement, inquiry and review of the SMART  curriculum.  Facilitator Training Notes Manual will be provided. (12 hrs)
• Practicum:  During this 9-session interactive course, participants receive feedback, coaching in guiding practice, facilitating discussions, organizing sessions and managing the group (20 hrs) plus Session Preparation (10 hrs) and Mentoring (10 hrs)
• Facilitation & Mentoring: Teaching SMART with a fellow trainee (20 hrs) to your population plus Mentoring (10 hrs)
• Self-Study: Participation in ongoing professional development with Mindfulness Everyday:
  – Professional Development Training, Retreats, and Mentoring | directed Self-Study: resources, relevant research and articles. 
  – Submission of certification documentation, including final exam and reflection paper. (10 hrs)
• Guided Silent Retreat: A residential teacher led silent retreat that is a minimum of three to five days in duration to be completed for certification.

Please note that completing the above training components does not guarantee certification. Additional training and or mentoring may be recommended.

Register for the SMART Waitlist here:

Required & Suggested Reading List*

Required

• The Mindfulness-based Emotional Balance Workbook: An Eight-week Program for Improved Emotion Regulation and Resilience, Gonzalo Brito Pons, and Margaret Cullen
• The Mindful Path to Self-Compassion: Freeing Yourself from Destructive Thoughts and Emotions, Christopher K. Germer
• Mindfulness: An Eight-Week Plan for Finding Peace in a Frantic World, Mark Williams and Danny Penman
• The Mindfulness Teaching Guide: Essential Stills & Competencies for Teaching Mindfulness-Based Interventions, Rob Brandsma
• Trauma-Sensitive Mindfulness: Practices For Safe And Transformative Healing, David Treleaven

Suggested

• Buddha’s Brain: The Practical Neuroscience of happiness, wisdom & love, Rick Hanson
• Emotional Alchemy: How The Mind Can Heal The Heart, Tara Bennett Golman
• Forgive for Good: A Proven Prescription for Health and Happiness, Dr. Fred Luskin
• Full Catastrophe Living: using the wisdom of your body and mind to face stress, pain, and illness,Jon Kabat-Zinn

*Some of the links found on mindfulnesseveryday.org are Amazon Affiliate referral links. Mindfulness Everyday is a participant in the Amazon
Services LLC Associates Program, is an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.ca and Amazon.com. This means that if a reader clicks on text or an image, mindfulnesseveryday.org may receive a commission from purchases. There is no additional cost to you — it helps pay for scholarships for educators who need financial support for our training programs.

Course Information & Application

Learn more about the 9-Session SMART Facilitator course by clicking here

Ready to apply? Click here to submit your application today!