Mindful Sport Performance Enhancement (MSPE) Instructor Training
Friday, December 4 – Saturday, December 5, 2026
Online via Zoom
Led by Keith A. Kaufman, PhD, CMPC and Timothy R. Pineau, PhD, CMPC with Carol R. Glass, PhD
Mindful sport performance enhancement (MSPE)® has emerged as a leading mindfulness-based mental training program for athletes and coaches. The focus of this interactive experiential workshop will be on the educational content and mindfulness exercises that comprise the six MSPE sessions, with attention to best practice in organizing and leading a MSPE program and tailoring it for different athletic environments. Attendees will have the unique opportunity to practice, lead, and discuss MSPE exercises and actively shape the exploration of core concepts with the co-developers of the protocol. Participants will receive specific recommendations on facilitating MSPE sessions and ways to encourage athletes to commit to mindfulness practice. The theory and evidence base underlying MSPE will also be discussed.
MSPE Instructor Training is designed for mental health and sport science professionals, coaches/athletic staff, graduate students, and others who already have familiarity with mindfulness and sport and would like to offer MSPE to athletes, coaches, or other performers. Prerequisites for this workshop, which is offered at an intermediate instructional level, include: (1) familiarity with the MSPE protocol, having read Mindful Sport Performance Enhancement (Kaufman, Glass, & Pineau, 2018) and (2) an established personal meditation practice. To get the most out of the training, we recommend also having experience working with sport/performance populations and incorporating mindfulness into your work. The online workshop covers the same content as our "in person" training, including experiential exercises, small and large group discussions, and frequent opportunities for questions.
Learning Objectives and Outcomes
After completing MSPE Instructor Training, participants will be able to:
➢Explain the construct of mindfulness in terms appropriate for athletes and coaches
➢Present the theoretical rationale for MSPE
➢Identify and differentiate the specific performance facilitators targeted in MSPE
➢Discern the current state of empirical support for MSPE, including strengths, limitations, and future directions
➢Facilitate core elements of each MSPE session, utilizing "flexibility within fidelity" to the protocol
➢Adapt the protocol to specific athletic settings based on best practices for delivering MSPE
➢Design examples of sport-specific mindfulness exercises that could be tailored to a particular athletic environment
➢Apply strategies to promote athlete adherence to mindfulness practice both during and after MSPE training
Registration and Payment
This is an interactive and experiential training that relies heavily on group participation, so please note that only 30 seats are available. The cost of the 2-day workshop is $540. A limited number of reduced-fee seats are available for full-time students at a 35% discount. Full refunds (minus any applicable processing fees) will be given for cancellations up until November 27, 2026 (1 week prior to the training). We will do everything we can to assist people in addressing any technical difficulties they experience during the workshop, but unfortunately cannot offer refunds if a participant misses part or all of the workshop due to technical issues related to their device or internet connection.
Participants will receive a certificate of completion and may describe themselves as trained MSPE instructors. They will also receive useful handouts prior to the workshop, including a set of Resources for the Training, a list of MSPE Research and References, and our Resource Guide for FAME Assessment.
Continuing Education
The 2-day Instructor Training program, when attended in its entirety with your camera on, is available for continuing education (CE) credits for an additional $50 fee.
Continuing Education for Psychologists and Other Mental Health Professionals: 11 CE credits. Credit is awarded in quarter-hour increments for instructional time only. All practice segments are structured to build participants' skill in facilitating MSPE, and all are offered for CE credit. Check-in, break times, the prerequisite reading, and personal meditation practice outside the workshop do not count for CE credit.
Attendance: Full attendance is required to receive CE credit, and partial credit is not available. Attendance will be verified by direct observation by the workshop leaders and CE Coordinator.
Approval Statement: The Clinical/Counseling Sport Psychology Association (CCSPA) is approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. CCSPA maintains responsibility for this program and its content.
If you are not a licensed Psychologist in the United States and are not certain whether these APA CE credits meet criteria for your continuing education requirement, please check with your respective licensing board before registering for this option.
Continuing Education for Certified Mental Performance Consultants (CMPC): This live virtual workshop is approved by AASP for 11 CEUs to partially meet the CMPC® continuing education recertification requirement.
Accessibility
This program is accessible to individuals with disabilities and the MSPE Institute is committed to accessibility and non-discrimination in all of our services and offerings. Participants are asked to be aware of the need for respect and privacy throughout the program. If participants have special needs, we will make reasonable attempts to accommodate them upon request, consistent with ADA requirements. To request an accommodation, contact Carol Glass at [email protected] or (301) 452-3806 by November 27, 2026.
Conflict of Interest Statement: The presenters are developers of MSPE and have a financial interest in the protocol, including royalties from APA Books. No commercial or corporate support was received for this program or the instructors. Fees collected or APA CE credits are passed along to the CE sponsor.
Questions and Grievances: A written grievance procedure will be available prior to and during the training on request. Please address questions, concerns, and any complaints to Carol Glass.
NEW OFFERING! Optional MSPE Instructor Training Booster Sessions
These 1-hour quarterly virtual Booster Sessions are intended for Trained MSPE Instructors as an additional space for applied and research consultation with Keith, Tim, and Carol. It will also be an opportunity for people to share their recent MSPE work and any exercises and practices they've developed.
Please note that these sessions are not a mandatory component of the MSPE Instructor Training, and registration is purchased separately here for either a single session or a 4-session package. No additional CEs are available and each Booster Session is capped at 15 seats.
Accessing the Workshop
This 2-day workshop will be conducted via Zoom. You can download the Zoom application for free on your computer or mobile device, and it will be important that you have updated to the latest version of Zoom prior to the workshop. Shortly before the training you will be sent a Zoom link to access each day of the workshop, along with a number of useful handouts and resources.
Schedule (All times listed are US Eastern Standard Time using a 24-Hour Clock format)
Friday, December 4:
Check-in and Welcome: 10:50 - 11:00
First Section: 11:00 - 12:50
Break: 12:50 - 13:10
Second Section: 13:10 - 14:50
Break: 14:50 - 15:10
Third Section: 15:10 - 17:00
Saturday, December 5:
Check-in: 10:50 - 11:00
First Section: 11:00 - 12:50
Break: 12:50 - 13:10
Second Section: 13:10 - 14:50
Break: 14:50 - 15:10
Third Section: 15:10 - 17:20
The workshop will open on Friday, December 4 at 10:50 EST for participants to greet each other and to troubleshoot any technical issues. Please make sure to join the Zoom meeting 10 minutes prior to 11:00 EST each day to ensure a prompt start time. Also please note that the workshop will include 2 scheduled 20-minute breaks each day. Please plan accordingly and have prepared any food, beverages, or other items you may need to access during these breaks.
Suggested Materials
- Two pieces of candy/chocolate or other bite-sized food available to use in a brief eating meditation on Friday
- Your copy of Mindful Sport Performance Enhancement: Mental Training for Athletes and Coaches (to refer to if you wish)
- The Resources for the Training, MSPE Research and References, and Resource Guide for FAME Assessment that you will receive several days before the workshop
Workshop Leaders
Keith A. Kaufman, Ph.D., CMPC is a clinical and sport psychologist specializing in the mental training of athletes and others who wish to improve their health and performance. He has operated his own private clinical sport psychology practice in the Washington, DC metropolitan area since 2008. Dr. Kaufman also served as a Research Associate at The Catholic University of America and taught undergraduate Sport Psychology there for over a decade. Recently, he has co-founded a new endeavor to explore the integration of sport psychology and sports analytics.
Timothy R. Pineau, Ph.D., CMPC is a clinical and sport psychologist with a private practice in Washington, DC, and has taught courses in Mindfulness and Meditation at The Catholic University of America. His 10+ years as a competitive rower and coach sparked his interest in sport psychology. Dr. Pineau has a particular specialty in working with collegiate athletes/teams, and he also incorporates mindfulness-based approaches in his private practice to facilitate performance enhancement in other domains (e.g., business).
CE and Participant Coordinator
Carol R. Glass, Ph.D. is a Professor Emerita of Psychology at The Catholic University of America in Washington, DC, where she was the long-time director of the Mindfulness & Sport Lab. Her research interests include psychotherapy integration and mindfulness-based approaches to alleviate anxiety and promote peak performance, and she has authored over 130 scholarly publications. Dr. Glass served as a member of Catholic University’s Athletic Advisory Board, and has over 50 years of experience with mindfulness and as a clinical psychologist.
Keith, Tim, and Carol are the co-developers of Mindful Sport Performance Enhancement (MSPE®), authors of Mindful Sport Performance Enhancement: Mental Training for Athletes and Coaches (APA, 2018), and founders of the MSPE Institute providing educational services and consulting on mindfulness, mental training, and performance. We have consulted with a wide range of athletes and teams from around the world in youth, collegiate, and adult sports, from amateur to elite. Through the MSPE Institute, Keith and Tim co-host the Mindful Sport Performance Podcast, and Tim authors the Zen in the Zone Substack and leads an annual virtual meditation retreat.
Registration Opens Monday, October 5th 2026 at 8:00AM ET
