MARC Training in Mindfulness Facilitation (TMF)

What this program is

The Training in Mindfulness Facilitation, known as TMF, is the twelve-month mindfulness facilitator certificate run by the UCLA Mindful Awareness Research Center. MARC sits within the Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior at UCLA Health and was directed for many years by Diana Winston, who continues as senior teacher and faculty lead. The program partners closely with the secular mindfulness teaching network rooted in Trudy Goodman's Insight LA and the wider InsightLA-MARC ecosystem in Los Angeles, with substantial guest faculty drawn from the Insight tradition and the secular mindfulness research field. TMF is one of the more clinically and academically anchored secular mindfulness teacher trainings in North America. It carries roughly 300 contact hours and combines a year of online study with at least one residential retreat. Curriculum covers MBSR-style mindfulness facilitation, Insight-tradition meditation practice, contemplative neuroscience, and the integration of mindfulness teaching with healthcare, education, and community contexts. UCLA's clinical home gives the program access to research faculty, current contemplative-science literature, and a wider clinical mindfulness community. The credential issued is UCLA MARC Certified Mindfulness Facilitator. Tuition runs around USD 8,400 at the time of writing, which is in the higher range for secular mindfulness teacher training but reflects the program's UCLA institutional context and its substantial faculty and supervision component. Cohorts are kept small enough for direct mentorship, and applicants are screened for prior practice and teaching readiness rather than admitted on a first-come basis. Graduates work as mindfulness facilitators in healthcare, schools, corporate settings, community programs, and private practice. The credential is recognized in the secular mindfulness field and is often paired with separate MBSR teacher training for facilitators wanting to deliver the specific eight-week MBSR clinical curriculum. TMF is broader in framing than MBSR and is positioned as a general mindfulness facilitation credential rather than a specific clinical-program license. It carries some weight as a UCLA credential in research and academic mindfulness contexts.

Curriculum and topics

Coursework moves through five domains across the year. Foundational mindfulness covers attention training, body awareness, and the secular framing of practice; this domain includes substantial personal practice and journaling. Insight-tradition meditation introduces students to vipassana practice, lovingkindness, and the contemplative roots of secular mindfulness. The contemplative-science domain covers current research from contemplative neuroscience, clinical psychology, and the wider mindfulness literature, drawing on UCLA and outside research faculty. Teaching methodology covers facilitation skills: how to guide a meditation, how to lead group inquiry, how to handle difficult emotional material in classroom settings, and how to design programs for different populations. Integration covers practice in real teaching contexts, with mentor support and case consultation. Required readings include Diana Winston's books, selected research papers, and core texts from the secular mindfulness canon.

How it's taught

TMF runs as a hybrid program: weekly live online cohort sessions, self-paced module work, monthly small-group meetings with mentors, at least one residential silent retreat, and supervised teaching practice during the year. Cohorts are kept small enough for individual mentor relationships. Faculty include Diana Winston and senior MARC teachers, with regular guest contributions from research faculty, Insight-tradition teachers, and clinical mindfulness specialists. Assessment combines participation, written reflections, peer teaching review, and a final integration project demonstrating the candidate's facilitation competence and theoretical grounding.

Who this program is for

Outcomes

Graduates earn the UCLA MARC Certified Mindfulness Facilitator credential. They're qualified to deliver mindfulness programs in healthcare, education, corporate, and community settings, and many integrate the credential with their existing professional license. Some graduates pursue separate MBSR teacher training to add the specific eight-week clinical-program credential. The TMF credential is recognized in the secular mindfulness field and carries weight as a UCLA-anchored credential in research and academic mindfulness contexts. Continuing education and supervision are available through MARC and through the wider Insight LA mindfulness network in Los Angeles.

Prerequisites

Applicants need a sustained personal mindfulness practice, typically at least two years of regular sitting, plus retreat experience and a clear professional or community context for teaching. The program is not an introduction; admission assumes existing meditation practice and capacity for the year-long commitment. Applicants come from a wide range of professional backgrounds.

How this compares

TMF sits alongside MBSR teacher training programs at Brown, the University of Massachusetts, the Mindfulness Center at the Brown School of Public Health, the Oxford Mindfulness Centre's pathway, and the Bangor Centre for Mindfulness Research and Practice. TMF is broader in framing than MBSR teacher training: it positions graduates as mindfulness facilitators rather than MBSR-specific clinical instructors. For facilitators wanting to deliver the specific MBSR eight-week program, separate MBSR teacher training is needed. TMF is more academically and research-anchored than commercial corporate mindfulness programs and more clinically connected than purely Insight-tradition lay teacher pathways.

Frequently asked questions