WAKEFIELD, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The International Mindfulness Teachers Association (IMTA) today formalized operations to meet the growing need for qualified mindfulness teachers and establish a clear, professional path to ensuring consistent, quality mindfulness teaching in classrooms, institutions, and organizations around the world. The IMTA also announced the launch of its membership and credentialing programs where candidates can apply for membership and qualify to receive recognition as a certified professional or as an accredited program.
Mindfulness practice has long been associated with lower stress, higher self-esteem and greater well-being for students and adults. For hiring organizations, understanding the difference between an unqualified and qualified mindfulness teacher can be subtle and varied, but it can significantly impact how well mindfulness programs can help practitioners. Standardized as a profession, mindfulness teaching, and teacher training will finally be certified and accredited globally.
"Worldwide, demand is growing for qualified, mindfulness teachers across many sectors including schools, hospitals, and businesses," said Dawa Tarchin Phillips, executive director, IMTA. “The IMTA was founded to ensure that these organizations can find qualified, credentialed mindfulness teaching professionals so they can reap the many health, performance and well-being benefits of these evidence-based practices. The availability of credentialing is a significant milestone for the mindfulness field, and the IMTA is proud to be the first organization to be able to offer a path toward certification and accreditation.”
The IMTA Board of Directors and founding members are renowned experts in their field:
- IMTA Founding Board Member Phillip Moffitt, founder of the Life Balance Institute and a co-guiding teacher at Spirit Rock Meditation Center
- IMTA Founding Board Member and Executive Director Dawa Tarchin Phillips, senior mindfulness teacher, co-founder of The Mindful Leadership Online Training Conference and Mindful Leadership Tribe, and Founder and CEO of the firm Empowerment Holdings, LLC
- IMTA Founding Board Member Diana Winston, director of Mindfulness Education at the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) Semel Institute’s Mindful Awareness Research Center (MARC)
Advisory Board - Global Leaders Within The Mindfulness Field
The
IMTA
Advisory Board includes an impressive group of 20 world-renowned
mindfulness experts including Mirabai
Bush, a key contributor to Google’s Search Inside Yourself Program,
and the co-founder and former executive director of The Center for
Contemplative Mind and Society; and Sharon
Salzberg, a world-renowned teacher of mindfulness meditation
practices in the West and co-founder of the Insight Meditation Society;
among many others.
IMTA Credentialing Tracks & Application Process
The IMTA
offers two credentialing tracks: an accreditation track for educational
organizations and a professional certification track for individual
teachers:
-
Individual Track: Become an IMTA Certified Mindfulness Teacher
(CMT):
Designed for mindfulness teachers who have successfully completed eligible education and training, the organization offers the IMTA Certified Mindfulness Teacher, Professional Level (CMT-P). The IMTA also plans to develop the IMTA Certified Mindfulness Teacher, Advanced Level (CMT-A) program certification.
-
Organizational Track: Become an IMTA Accredited Mindfulness Teacher
Training Program (AMTTP):
For educational, institutional and organizational teacher training programs, the association offers the IMTA Accredited Mindfulness Teacher Training Program, Professional Level (AMTTP-P) credential and plans to provide an Advanced Level program accreditation.
Candidates interested in certification or accreditation may submit applications on the IMTA website. The IMTA’s Credentialing Committee will review applications related to a core set of competency areas. Once credentialed, recipients will receive a seal illustrating their designation (CMT for individuals and AMTTP for programs), and a listing in the IMTA’s online directory of accredited programs and certified teachers.
IMTA Membership: Individual and Organizational
The IMTA
offers two-levels of membership, Individual
and Organizational,
and is open to teachers and organizations, respectively, that are
actively working to shape the future of the mindfulness teaching field.
Membership designations, Associate
and Full,
are for candidates either aspiring to be credentialed or that have
officially achieved their IMTA credentials, respectively. Credentialing
programs for individual teachers are also open to non-members
at non-member rates.
About the IMTA
The International Mindfulness Teachers
Association (IMTA), a registered non-profit 501(c)(3), is the leading
organization dedicated to the professionalization and standardization of
the mindfulness field. Collaboratively founded by world-renowned
mindfulness leaders, the IMTA develops and maintains program and teacher
standards, fosters an international community of mindfulness teachers,
and offers two credentialing tracks – one for mindfulness teacher
training programs to become accredited, and the other for individual
mindfulness teachers to become certified. Membership is available to
teachers and organizations actively working or aspiring to shape the
future of their field. By joining the IMTA, organizational and
individual members can take their place in a global community of
certified mindfulness teachers and accredited educational programs
committed to advancing the mindfulness profession around the world.
Visit http://www.imta.org.
Follow us:
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- Facebook https://www.facebook.com/MyIMTA
- LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/MyIMTA/
Supporting Advisory and Board Member Quotes
“Becoming a
qualified mindfulness teacher takes years of dedicated personal
mindfulness practice, study, training, and teaching experience. IMTA has
been developed to ensure that qualified professionals will be
identified, recognized and supported to maintain the highest integrity
of the field,” said IMTA Founding Board Member Diana Winston, director
of Mindfulness Education at the University of California Los Angeles
(UCLA) Semel Institute’s Mindful Awareness Research Center (MARC).
“The IMTA believes the growth of accredited, rigorous, well-designed and impactful programs are a critical factor in guiding the development of a new generation of IMTA certified mindfulness facilitators, trainers, and teachers,” said IMTA Founding Board Member Phillip Moffitt, founder of the Life Balance Institute and a co-guiding teacher at Spirit Rock Meditation Center.
“By building a community that establishes global standards, the IMTA aims to establish mindfulness teaching as a field known for depth, clarity, and compassion,” said IMTA Advisory Board Member Sharon Salzberg, author, and nationally known senior mindfulness teacher.
