An MBCT therapist delivers mindfulness-based cognitive therapy, an eight-week group programme built specifically to prevent relapse in recurrent depression rather than to treat a current episode from scratch. It combines mindfulness practice with elements of cognitive therapy, teaching people to notice the early return of the thinking patterns that tend to precede a fresh depressive episode, and to respond to them differently before they take hold.
Who it is recommended for
NICE recommends MBCT specifically for people who have had three or more previous episodes of depression, reflecting evidence that the programme is most effective as a relapse-prevention tool for people who already know depression is likely to return rather than as a first treatment for a single episode.
The commitment involved
Sessions are weekly and run around two hours, considerably longer than a typical therapy appointment, with daily practice expected between sessions to build the skill rather than simply discuss it. UK teachers are listed on the BAMBA register, which gives a way of checking that a course is being delivered by someone properly trained in the approach rather than a general mindfulness teacher applying it without the clinical training MBCT specifically requires.