Graduate Degree Requirement

Oasis Institute
#1

Hello CFM team and all,

After completing my first training (Mind Body Medicine), I’m seriously considering truly diving into the various remaining trainings with the intent to become a certified teacher. I, though, do not possess a graduate degree, and for the time being don’t plan on getting one. What’s more, my undergraduate degree is in a fairly unrelated field (Business), so while I’ve wholeheartedly taken up meditation and mindfulness as my way of life, on paper I don’t check the usual boxes.

On the Oasis website it states that you can request an exemption from this rule, but this request can only be made at the time of applying for certification. This is a bit troubling to me, because by that point I would have already invested much time, energy and money. What’s more, CFM has been making it clearer that teachers-in-training will be very strongly encouraged (if not forced) to eventually certify (as opposed to stopping after TDI), and so I’m concerned about going all the way to the certification process only to have my application rejected.

My understanding, gained from Saki and Florence at the Mind Body Medicine retreat, is that by far the most important quality for a teacher is embodiment - embodiment of the practice of mindfulness. I am deeply committed to living mindfully, and so I believe that would suffice to warrant my certification, but I would so love to gain some more confidence around this.

I understand that CFM cannot simply say that everyone will surely be exempted, but could the CFM team perhaps say that, if the candidate is determined to truly be embodying the practice, and performs well in TDI, etc., that the graduate degree requirement will certainly be waived?

Many thanks to all in advance,
Gregor

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#2

Gregor, I’m in the same situation as you are. Bachelor’s and work experience in an unrelated field. (This in itself does have huge merit in spreading mindfulness, however!) I share your commitment in living and embodying mindfulness. I’m in the process of changing careers to mindfulness coaching. I also share your concern in the issue of having a graduate degree. I will be following this feed. Thank you! Allison

#3

That makes 3 of us. I have a BSN in Nursing and 43 years of nursing experience. I just retired and will not be getting an advanced degree. I too will be following this thread. Judy

#4

Hi Allison, Gregor and Judy,

Thanks for your thoughtful posts on this subject. We at the CFM have long given consideration to this topic as well. Your interest and concerns, as well as the time and care you have taken in sharing them, are appreciated.

Our intention is to instill all aspects of our teacher education and training program with deep integrity. Oasis certifies excellently prepared MBSR teachers, who have all the skills and experience needed to carry this growing body of practice forward. We have developed, and will continue to develop, our standards to support training the most skilled MBSR teachers possible.

For many of our MBSR teacher trainees, the path toward certification has included graduate school. For some, the aspect of MBSR teaching skills that includes a deep study and growing understanding of a field of learning has been gained in other ways.

Often, long term dedication to a vocation that doesn’t necessarily have a graduate degree attached to it, e.g. nursing, yoga teaching, or bodywork therapies, is the major part of that alternate experience. We also welcome those with backgrounds in law, business, and other civic fields, as they too may have important insights to contribute to the MBSR field.

We are currently working on more fully developing the process by which trainees without graduate degrees convey their alternate qualifying experiences with the Oasis teacher trainers. This may or may not include shifting the timing of that presentation to earlier in the pathway.

That said, just as there is no certainty that someone will graduate when they enroll in college or graduate school, there is no guaranteed or promised outcome for Oasis training for anyone who chooses to train with us, regardless of whether they have or do not have an advanced degree.

It’s also helpful to remember that Oasis training, like mindfulness practice, is a process of coming to know yourself more deeply. Further, it is a process of being known and seen by the teacher trainers who make determinations about certification. So, it’s supportive to bring the same attitudes that mindfulness fosters in our lives and relationships to the process of training to teach.

Thanks again for your interest, and please be in touch again if you have further queries on this or any other Oasis training topic.

Kind regards,
Eowyn

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