BCBS is delighted to announce our partnership with the Institute for Meditation and Psychotherapy (IMP) on their Certificate Program in Mindfulness & Psychotherapy – a 9-month immersive training for mental health and other healthcare professionals in the application of mindfulness to psychotherapy and the delivery of care.
The IMP began as a study group in the 1980s, consisting mainly of folks researching meditation. Dan Brown, who organized the first meeting, brought together an illustrious group, including Ram Dass, John Kabat-Zinn, Dan Goleman, Jack Engler, Paul Fulton, and others. The gatherings soon morphed into a study group of psychotherapists with committed meditation practices.
By the mid-1990s, the group offered a conference at the Boston University School of Social Work, partly to gauge broader interest in the psychotherapy and meditation communities. Building on the momentum of the conference, the group incorporated as the IMP some years later, with a vision of offering education in the application of Buddhist psychology to psychotherapy.
The Certificate Course evolved slowly, starting with weeklong retreats at BCBS, then growing to a semester-long course at the Massachusetts School of Psychology, and eventually culminating in a free-standing offering by the IMP in 2008. While the first events were entirely local, the program transitioned into a hybrid remote/local course, ultimately progressing into an entirely remote program (with in-person retreats).
The in-person retreats stopped during the pandemic, of course, and this new partnership with BCBS and the IMP has created the opportunity for an online program with both in-person and remote retreat options. These options have also positioned the program for a global community, with past participants from South America, the Pacific Rim, Europe, Australia, and many other places.
Much of the program’s success is undoubtedly due to its faculty, comprised of many of the most well-known and respected experts in this field, and its association with the CHA Center for Mindfulness and Compassion, affiliated with the Harvard Medical School Department of Psychiatry.
The certificate program continues to be directed by Paul Fulton.
Visit the IMP Certificate Program webpage to learn more!
