Department of Medicine
Behavioral and Preventive Medicine
Professional Development Programs
Tobacco Treatment Specialist Training and Certification Program
The Massachusetts Tobacco Treatment Specialist (TTS) Training and Certification Program within the Center for Tobacco Treatment Research and Training (CTTRT) is an intensive, evidence-based and nationally recognized training program designed for persons who deliver moderate to intensive tobacco treatment services within a health care or community setting. The program includes both an online course, “Basic Skills for Working with Smokers”, that provides an introduction to the basic concepts in tobacco dependence treatment, and an intensive 5-day in-person Tobacco Treatment Specialist Core Certification training course designed to help providers master the necessary core competencies for providing evidence-based treatment for nicotine dependence. Continuing education credits and certification as a Tobacco Treatment Specialist are available. Faculty Director is Dr. Lori Pbert; Program Director is Ms. Beth Ewy.
Grant Writing for Clinical Research Course
The Division of Preventive and Behavioral Medicine, as part of the Office of Faculty Affairs Faculty Development Program, periodically offers a course on grant writing to assist junior faculty in developing their skills in this area. It is focused on clinical research, although it is open to all faculty interested in developing or sharpening their grant writing skills. The course consists of a full day Saturday session which provides an overview of the grant writing process, the review process, and mechanisms and sources of funding, and seven evening sessions, involving interactive lectures and hands-on breakout groups. Attendees learn about the various steps involved in writing a grant proposal, and develop their own potentially fundable proposal over the course of the program. It is expected that attendees will continue to work on their research skills with a mentor after the course is completed. Faculty include Drs. Sybil Crawford, Judith Ockene, and George Reed, and Mr. Phil Merriam.
Internship Program in Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction for Health Professionals
The Internship Program in Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) is an opportunity for healthcare professionals and educators to engage in a firsthand experience of the Stress Reduction Program, its methodology and approach to learning, growing, human development and healing. Since its inception in 1981, more than 1,000 health care professionals have participated in this 60-90 hour internship program in mind-body and integrative medicine. The program is intended to offer interns a contextual framework for the clinical and educational application of MBSR.
Teacher Development Intensive (TDI) in Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction
The Teacher Development Intensive (TDI) in Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction is designed for people who are actively teaching MBSR. The course is a highly interactive, participatory, collaborative learning experience requiring homework and ongoing participation outside program sessions. The program is conducted annually and consists of three four-day weekend sessions spanning a three-month period. Primary attention is given to balancing content-specific training in MBSR with the deliberate cultivation of the inner life of MBSR teachers. Simulated classroom situations, case studies, practice teaching sessions oriented around the specific methods and salient principles of MBSR practice and instruction are emphasized. Journal keeping, inquiry exercises, and dialogical methods are utilized.
Outreach Programs
The Center for Mindfulness offers a variety of outreach programs for corporations and other public and private sector organizations. During the past twenty-one years, we have worked with groups as diverse as corporate employees, CEOs, educators, attorneys, judges, health care professionals, Roman Catholic priests, Olympic and professional athletes - including the world-champion Chicago Bulls and Los Angeles Lakers basketball teams.
Participants in our Outreach Programs demonstrate changes in a variety of physical and mental behaviors and attitudes that are directly related to positive changes in work-related performance. These include an enhanced ability to respond to situations rather than simply react, greater concentration and focus on their work, and increased awareness of stress at the time it is occurring, and an increased ability to take effective steps to address it.
A detailed description of our corporate and other outreach programs may be found on the CFM web page.