CityU holds 1st mindfulness ambassador training, nurturing helping professionals to promote power of mindfulness
The Faculty of Health and Wellness (FHW) at the City University of Macau recently held the first edition of the “Positive Psychology for Health and Wellness Series: Mindfulness Ambassador Training for Helping Professions” at its Taipa campus. A total of 45 participants successfully completed the training and became “guardians of the mind”, who will go on to promote the power of mindfulness within the community.
The “Mindfulness Ambassador Training for Helping Professions” is guided by the core philosophy of “helping people, help themselves” and integrates mindfulness with positive psychology. Using a “seed instructor model” to spread knowledge and practices, the program aims to cultivate local individuals with strong mental and physical health literacy. It also seeks to enhance the psychological resilience of society as a whole, in alignment with the FHW’s mission to “serve the community and promote well-being”.
The 12-hour training program adopted an immersive mindfulness learning approach, systematically cultivating mindfulness practice and group facilitation skills. The goal was to equip participants to lead group mindfulness sessions as certified “mindfulness ambassadors”.
The course was jointly led by FHW Assistant Professor Zhang Donghang, Jenny Lok Chan Nei, program coordinator of the Department of Innovative Social Work, and psychology experts Dr. U CHAO and Dr. Wong Wai San. The program attracted practitioners from the social work sector as well as social work interns.
Assistant Professor Zhang Donghang stated that mindfulness training is a scientific tool for modern citizens to cope with stress and enhance psychological resilience. He mentioned that with the growing demand for mental health support in society, cultivating professional mindfulness facilitators has become increasingly important.
Program Coordinator Jenny Lok emphasized the FWH’s commitment to developing mindfulness ambassadors through a structured curriculum. She highlighted that these ambassadors are well-trained, possessing both deep personal practice and group facilitation skills, and are equipped with core techniques such as the TRIP teaching framework. She further noted that the program will enable them to provide professional services across various settings—including communities, workplaces, and healthcare institutions—thus contributing to the development of a robust social mental health support network.
Dr. U CHAO and Dr. Wong Wai San centered their instruction around the TRIP teaching framework, integrating theory and practice throughout the course. Through a variety of themed mindfulness activities, they guided participants from cognitive understanding to practical application, enabling a progressive and in-depth learning experience in mindfulness.
This session focused on developing the core competencies of the mindfulness ambassadors, starting from mindfulness breathing practices to real-world community service applications. The program enhanced participants’ awareness and facilitation skills from the inside out. Practical elements such as mindful tea breaks were incorporated into the course to bring mindfulness into everyday life, shaping professional facilitators with both teaching ability and outreach capacity. The training program supports participants in achieving both personal growth and community service.
