Moving from Trainee to Leader: Becoming a Mindfulness Training for Smokers Group Facilitator

Pearls on Becoming a Mindfulness Training for Smokers Group Facilitator

by Rachael Joyner, DNP, FNP-BC, APRN, Duke Smoking Cessation Program

Behavioral interventions are a cornerstone of evidence-based tobacco treatment. For patients who are already on pharmacotherapy, adding behavioral treatment greatly increases quit rates. For several years now, our team at the Duke Smoking Cessation Program has been using mindfulness techniques as a way to support our patients in quitting. (For more details on mindfulness and its use as a smoking cessation tool, check out my previous post on the topic.)

Megan Keith, LCSW, MSW, Duke Smoking Cessation Program

Megan Keith, MSW, LCSW, our resident mindfulness expert, facilitates an 8-week course for patients called Mindfulness Training for Smokers (MTS). During this class, participants learn how to practice mindfulness and use it to manage smoking triggers, withdrawal symptoms, urges, and stressful situations. Every mindfulness practice in MTS is taught for the purpose of smoking cessation, but is also applicable to anxiety, depression, stress, eating issues, and alcohol abuse, which are all significant relapse triggers for smokers.

Megan also teaches a virtual class for people interested in starting a mindfulness group intervention in their own practice setting (Mindfulness Training for Smokers--Facilitator Training). She mentored social work intern Emmy Smith, who recently went through the MTS Facilitator Training and then led her first MTS group class. I talked with Emmy to hear about her experience moving from MTS trainee to facilitator..

Share a little about your experience of going through the MTS Facilitator Training course and then sitting in on an MTS group class. What did you expect before starting, and did the course meet those expectations? Did you feel prepared to start your own group after your training?

The training course exceeded my expectations by providing a deeper understanding of group facilitation. The course offered great information on what to expect from structuring the group around the MTS videos, as well as how to speak to group members about the concepts discussed in the curriculum. Two of the most daunting things about facilitating a group for the first time were feeling unprepared to create a nice group flow and feeling unable to answer questions group members had. The training course addressed both concerns at length and helped me feel prepared despite my remaining nerves.

What are some of the challenges you faced when starting a new group? How did you address these challenges?

I felt excited and nervous to begin a new virtual MTS group. My group had some new members and some who had attended MTS groups before. Aside from the technological learning curve that telehealth can have initially, I found it most challenging to manage time due to how varied group members’ contributions can be. With Megan’s help, I worked on understanding the flexibilities in facilitation, which may include skipping over supplemental materials to prioritize group discussion about the MTS videos or saving some discussion breaks until we have watched multiple videos. Something else that has helped with time management is the fact that there is ample time built into the group agenda to allow for discussion. This has proven to be very helpful for both group members and for me as a facilitator.

What other thoughts would you like to share with people considering taking the MTS Facilitator Training course in preparation for starting their own group intervention?

I have had a wonderful time facilitating the MTS group and found it to be structured in a way that successfully promotes group member engagement with the educational materials. I have seen how the information presented in group helps members understand their tobacco use and what addiction and quitting means to them. As a first-time group facilitator, running an MTS group felt like an accessible way to start, and I am grateful to have been well-prepared by the MTS Facilitator Training coursework.

Join our upcoming Mindfulness Training for Smokers – Facilitator Training on May 6, 2025 from 10 am to 5 pm ET (virtual). Visit https://www.dukeunctts.com/mts-facilitator-training to learn more and register.

Participants earn up to 9.25 CE hours from Duke Continuing Education and Professional Development. Duke-UNC TTS is an approved CE provider by the Council for Tobacco Treatment Training Programs.

About the Author

Rachael Joyner, DNP, FNP-BC, APRN, is a family nurse practitioner with the Duke Smoking Cessation Program. She holds a National Certification in Nicotine and Tobacco Treatment and received her Doctorate in Nursing Practice from the University of Florida. She loves working collaboratively with patients to help them become tobacco free.