Train to Teach: Self-Compassion for Children and Caregivers Program

Welcome to the Journey of becoming a Self-Compassion for Children and Caregivers (SCCC) Teacher! This journey requires a big heart and a passion for children’s well-being. SCCC teachers also understand that children’s acquisition of self-compassion is intricately linked to the resilience and self-compassion levels of their caregivers. To teach SCCC you need your own personal mindfulness and self-compassion practice, an authentic presence, and a curious and playful energy to bring to your interactions with children.

SCCC Teacher Training provides a foundation for teaching the SCCC program to children and caregivers (or groups of children). This teacher training pathway is designed for those who wish to teach the full 6-week SCCC course, as well as those who would like to integrate mindfulness and self-compassion into their ongoing professional activities with children (psychotherapy, coaching, teaching, etc.), and individuals who have a professional interest in the field (i.e., researchers, administrators, etc.).

Here are the steps to becoming a trained SCCC teacher

There are a couple of prerequisites to meet before being accepted into the teacher training program, and you are encouraged to carefully consider whether you meet these prerequisites before you apply.  Once accepted into the teacher training program, there are a couple of steps you will need to take in order to become a trained SCCC teacher.

Step 1: Fullfilling the Required Prerequisites

There are 2 courses individuals must complete before for applying to SCCC teacher training:

• FIRST PREREQUISITE: Previous participation in an 8-week Mindful Self-Compassion (MSC) course, 5-day Mindful Self-Compassion Intensive or 10-week Live Online MSC (LOMSC). MSC training can be taken with Jamie Lynn Tatera, or with another trained Mindful Self-Compassion instructor through the Center for Mindful Self-Compassion.

• SECOND PREREQUISITE: After taking the full Mindful Self-Compassion training, your next step is to take Compassionate Parenting (CP): Help Children Grow Self-Compassion. This course provides a foundation in the development of children’s self-compassion within the context of the caregiver-child relationship, and will enable effective facilitation of an optimal parent-child dynamic during SCCC classes. Graduates of Compassionate Parenting will also have the opportunity to view six parent-child self-compassion class videos.

• SCCC applicants must also have a personal mindfulness and self-compassion practice and experience working with children.

Step 2: SCCC Teacher Training

Cost: $795
A limited number of partial scholarships are available for participants with financial need.

After completing the two prerequisite courses (MSC and CP), you can register and apply for SCCC Teacher Training. Your application will be reviewed and upon approval, you will be accepted into the program. Scroll down to see upcoming live-online SCCC TT dates.

The SCCC teacher training consists of 14 weeks of live-online teacher training. The 14 weeks includes 8 weeks of live-online Resilient Parenting training followed by 6 weeks of live-online SCCC practice teaching (1.25 live-online hours of training per week).

Note: Teachers-in-Training will need to allocate an additional 1.5 hours of independent SCCC curriculum study per week during their six weeks of practice teaching. 

Participants in the SCCC teacher training course will receive:

• Teacher training including both online and live-online instruction in the SCCC curriculum and practice teaching components of the program
• The SCCC teacher guide for teaching the six-session Self-Compassion for Children and Caregivers class
• Video and audio resources for teaching the Self-Compassion for Children and Caregivers program
• Bonus Self-Compassion for Kids Mini-Lessons

Step 3: Consultation Sessions

Cost: $295 ($245 for low-income countries)

After completing the asynchronous and live-online sessions of the SCCC TT, your next step on the teacher training pathway is to teach the SCCC class to parent-child pairs (or groups of children only if you only intend to be a Self-Compassion for Children teacher) and enroll in and complete three consultation sessions. To become a fully trained SCCC teacher, teachers-in-training must enroll in a series of three consultation sessions while teaching the SCCC program.  During each of your consultation sessions, you will discuss your experience teaching (or preparing to teach) the SCCC program as well as any questions that you have.  Consultation sessions may be private or small group.​

To be eligible to apply for Trained Teacher status after completing your consultation sessions, the following is required:

• Your SCCC course must have at least 6 parent-child pairs (or six children)
• Your course must follow the SCCC curriculum and not be a modification or adaptation of the curriculum

Teacher Trainer and SCCC Program Developer Jamie Lynn Tatera

Jamie Lynn Tatera is a Certified Mindful Self-Compassion instructor, a Mindful Self-Compassion for Teens instructor and teacher trainer, SCCC program developer, teacher and teacher trainer as well as an elementary school teacher.

Jamie Lynn brings a wealth of experience, skill and passion to her SCCC classes and SCCC teacher trainings.

Upcoming Live-Online SCCC Teacher Training Dates

Self-Compassion for Children and Caregivers (SCCC) Teacher Training

Live-online teacher training for individuals who would like to teach the SCCC program in an educational, clinical, or community setting begins January, 2025.

Dates and Times of 14 Live-Online Sessions (1.25 hours per week):

• Our next SCCC Teacher Training will begin in January 2025, exact dates TBD.
• Prerequisite courses must be completed by December 2024 to attend the January 2025 training.

The Self-Compassion for Children and Caregivers (SCCC) teacher training has been created to align with the adult Mindful Self-Compassion (MSC) and Mindful Self-Compassion-Teens (MSC-T) teacher training processes offered through the Center for Mindful Self-Compassion.