An independent standard for mindfulness practice

Our aim at WAMBA is to provide membership for all Mindfulness Practitioners thus helping to create an independent and unified standard of practice amongst all practitioners and training providers. Accredited Mindfulness Practitioners and training providers are more likely to obtain the confidence of the public when part of a larger umbrella of other professional practitioners.

Mindfulness is taught in many settings, by teachers who arrive from many backgrounds. A shared, published standard allows the public, employers and health care professionals to understand what a practitioner's qualification actually represents.

Accreditation is a formal statement that a practitioner or training provider has been assessed against WAMBA's published standards and has been found to meet them. It is not a licence to practise, and it does not replace statutory professional registration where that applies.

Accredited members hold the right to:

• state that they are accredited by WAMBA;
• display the WAMBA logo and use the associated post-nominal letters;
• appear in the public WAMBA directory;
• be confirmed through public verification on request.

Accreditation is granted for a membership year and continues only while the member remains in good standing and continues to satisfy the ongoing good practice requirements.

Applicants submit evidence of their training, their personal practice, their supervision arrangements and their ongoing professional development. Assessment is documentary and is carried out against the published membership requirements.

1. Application and submission of supporting evidence.
2. Verification of teacher training, qualifications and professional background.
3. Review of supervision, retreat attendance and personal practice commitments.
4. Decision, issue of certificate, and listing in the public directory.
5. Annual renewal, with confirmation of continued good practice.

Where an application does not yet meet the full standard, applicants may be offered Associate Membership while they complete the outstanding requirements.

Every member agrees to a code of ethics and to a complaints procedure. Members of the public can confirm a practitioner's standing at any time through public verification, and can raise a concern with WAMBA directly.

Where a member is found to be in breach of the standards or the code of ethics, WAMBA may issue conditions, suspend accreditation, or remove the member from the register. Members removed from the register lose the right to use the WAMBA name and logo.

WAMBA is governed by a board with responsibility for the standards, the assessment process and the complaints procedure. The registered office is at 1810 7th Ave., Suite 900, Seattle, WA 98101, United States. Standards are reviewed periodically and any change is published in advance of taking effect.