Teaching the formal guided meditation practices and experiential exercises of Mindfulness-Based- Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) to individual psychotherapy clients is a pragmatic way for practitioners to integrate MBCT curriculum elements into psychotherapy while also developing as teachers. In this training clinicians are introduced to two experiential exercises designed to enhance metacognitive awareness of thought content and process in conditions of ambiguity. Additionally, a brief version of the formal sounds and thoughts guided practice will be demonstrated. Eliciting the rationale for practice interactively during the inquiry process following MBCT practices and exercises is also demonstrated. Transdiagnostic processes that maintain maladaptive cognitive, physiological, and behavioral reactivity are highlighted using brief case example excerpts. Specific adaptive processes developed with practice in MBCT, including meta-cognition, meta-awareness, and compassionate action are featured. Attendees receive resources for practicing the curriculum elements demonstrated in order to support implementation with clients. Participants are also invited to identify challenges and questions through reflective practice that will be addressed in follow-up CE events designed to support development of competence teaching MBCT practices in individual psychotherapy sessions.
Suggested reading*
The Mindful Way Workbook: An 8-Week Program to Free Yourself from Depression and Emotional Distress.
Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy for Depression, Second Edition 2nd Edition
Mindfulness-Based Interventions - Teaching Assessment Criteria (MBI-TAC)
Bernstein, A., Hadash, Y., & Fresco, D. M. (2019). Metacognitive processes model of decentering: Emerging methods and insights. Current opinion in psychology, 28, 245-251.
Michalak, J., Crane, C., Germer, C. K., Gold, E., Heidenreich, T., Mander, J., ... & Segal, Z. V. (2019). Principles for a responsible integration of mindfulness in individual therapy. Mindfulness, 10(5), 799-811.
Molnar, C. (2025)*. Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT): Curriculum, Training, and Clinician Guide. In The Palgrave Handbook of Third-Wave Psychotherapies (pp. 489-512). Cham: Springer Nature Switzerland.
*Registrants will receive a copy of the chapter by Dr. Molnar one week before the training.
CE Learning Objectives
Following this presentation, participants will be able to:
1. Describe, and directly observe implementation of, 2 experiential exercises from the MBCT curriculum that are designed to strengthen metacognition and facilitate emotional information processing.
2. Describe 2 essential elements of the guided sounds and thoughts practice, as taught in the MBCT curriculum, to strengthen meta-cognition and meta-awareness.
3. Describe a practice plan and 2 resources for developing competence implementing the exercises and practices demonstrated in individual psychotherapy sessions.
4. Observe an MBCT teacher trainer who meets criteria for inclusion on the international registry [www.accessmbct.com], as both therapist and teacher trainer, implementing a 10-minute sounds and thoughts formal guided practice.
About Presenter
Chris Molnar, Ph.D., a licensed psychologist and clinical investigator, founded Mindful Exposure Therapy for Anxiety and Psychological Wellness Center (META Center) in 2007. She completed doctoral training at the Pennsylvania State University and post-doctoral fellowship training in traumatic stress, neuroscience, and psycho-physiology at the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC). She is an expert in the assessment and treatment of anxiety, OCD, PTSD, emotional, and stress-related conditions using evidence-based practices. Through a co-sponsorship between META Center & PBTA she leads one of the handful of professional MBCT Teacher Training Organizations in the USA and virtually offering Continuing Professional Development. This includes the week-long professional CE retreat workshop for professionals seeking foundational training to develop competence teaching MBCT. She also teaches both Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) and Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) in individual and group psychotherapy formats. She has developed adaptations for highly distressed clients, using Relational Mindfulness Practices (RMPs), to meet the needs of clients who have difficulty initially with the traditional 8-week MBSR & MBCT programs and elements. At META Center, she offers integrative interventions grounded in findings about the brain, emotion, and learning to facilitate mental and behavioral habit change, even in the face of severe distress. Before founding META Center, she served as a clinical investigator and therapist supported by grants from the National Institute of Health and other agencies. She is also on the editorial board of Behavior Therapy and serves the public in many ways, through professional presentations, workshops, publications, and affiliations.
Target Audience
This presentation is intended for licensed mental health professionals and advanced graduate student trainees seeking licensure. The instructional level of this presentation is BEGINNER.
Note: This workshop does not require attendees to have a formal mindfulness practice.
Continuing Education
- Philadelphia Behavior Therapy Association is approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. Philadelphia Behavior Therapy Association maintains responsibility for this program and its content.
- Philadelphia Behavior Therapy Association is also approved by the NY State Education Department to offer psychology continuing education
- This program provides one & a half (1.5) CE credits
- PBTA is also an authorized provider of CE credits for Professional Counselors, Marriage and Family Therapists, and Clinical Social Workers licensed in the state of Pennsylvania. Non-Psychologist Licensees outside of PA & practitioners outside of the USA please confirm eligibility with your specific licensing board.
- Full attendance with video display is required to obtain CE credit for this program. APA guidelines do not permit PBTA to issue partial CE credits. No refunds are provided for CE programs. No exceptions allowed.
- All events are Eastern Time Zone
- Contact Claire, PBTA's CE assistant if you need any learning accommodations no later than one week before event. Email Claire at pbtacontinuingedassistant@gmail.com
