Facilitating Path of Freedom

A Two-Step+ Training Pathway

We are grateful for your interest in bringing Path of Freedom: Mindfulness-Based Emotional Intelligence into prisons, jails, and other correctional settings.

Path of Freedom has been offered since 2006 and has reached over 150,000 participants through in-person classes, correspondence programs, and digital learning platforms. Over the years, we have seen how powerful this curriculum can be when it is facilitated with care, humility, and fidelity.

Because prison facilitation requires more than goodwill, we have developed a two-step training pathway for people who wish to facilitate Path of Freedom in correctional settings.

Completing the online course is the first step. It does not automatically authorize someone to facilitate Path of Freedom. Those who wish to become facilitators must complete the online course and then apply separately for the live Facilitator Practicum.

Step One: Path of Freedom Foundations Online Course

The Path of Freedom Foundations Online Course introduces participants to the core principles, practices, and structure of the Path of Freedom curriculum.

This course is appropriate for:

people who want to learn about Path of Freedom
volunteers exploring prison mindfulness work
prison staff, chaplains, educators, and reentry workers
mindfulness practitioners interested in mindfulness-based emotional intelligence
people considering future facilitator training

This course may be taken for personal learning, professional development, or as the first step toward becoming a Path of Freedom facilitator.

Important Note

Completion of the Foundations Online Course does not authorize participants to facilitate Path of Freedom, represent Prison Mindfulness Institute, or use Path of Freedom materials in another program.

Those who wish to facilitate Path of Freedom must apply for the live Facilitator Practicum after completing the Foundations course.

Step Two: Path of Freedom Facilitator Practicum

The Path of Freedom Facilitator Practicum is a live, application-based training for people who wish to facilitate Path of Freedom in prisons, jails, or other correctional settings.

This practicum is not an introductory mindfulness course. It is designed for people who already have a foundation in mindfulness practice, emotional self-awareness, and group facilitation.

The practicum focuses on learning how to facilitate the Path of Freedom curriculum with fidelity, clarity, and appropriate boundaries.

Participants will practice:

teaching short sections of the curriculum
leading approved Path of Freedom exercises
guiding mindfulness practices in prison-appropriate language
facilitating inquiry and discussion
responding skillfully to participant questions
staying within the scope of the curriculum
recognizing common forms of facilitator drift
maintaining appropriate boundaries in correctional settings

Participants need to attend all live Zoom sessions, prepare between sessions, and receive feedback on their facilitation.

Who Should Apply for the Facilitator Practicum?

The Facilitator Practicum is intended for people who have completed the Path of Freedom Foundations Online Course and have relevant experience in one or more of the following areas:

mindfulness or meditation teaching
group facilitation
contemplative practice communities
prison, jail, or reentry work
chaplaincy or spiritual care
education or adult learning
emotional intelligence or communication training
work with vulnerable or underserved populations

REQUIRED: Applicants should have an established personal mindfulness practice. This means more than occasional use of meditation apps or casual interest in mindfulness. Applicants should be engaged in regular practice and able to reflect on how practice informs their own life, communication, emotional regulation, and service.

Good intentions are important, but they are not enough. Prison facilitation requires steadiness, humility, emotional maturity, respect for the curriculum, and the ability to work within clear boundaries.

Facilitator Authorization

Completion of the Facilitator Practicum does not automatically authorize someone to facilitate Path of Freedom.

Because Path of Freedom is offered in sensitive correctional environments, authorization is based on demonstrated readiness, not attendance alone.

At the end of the practicum, participants may be:

authorized to co-facilitate Path of Freedom
authorized to facilitate with mentoring or supervision
asked to complete additional preparation before authorization
not authorized at this time

Prison Mindfulness Institute reserves the right to determine whether a participant is ready to represent Path of Freedom in a correctional setting.

Program Fidelity

Path of Freedom is a curriculum-based program. Facilitators are authorized to deliver the curriculum, not redesign it.

Facilitators are expected to teach the approved Path of Freedom lessons, practices, sequence, core language, and learning objectives provided by Prison Mindfulness Institute.

Facilitators may make minor adjustments for timing, group size, literacy level, facility rules, or participant needs. For example, a facilitator may shorten a discussion because the class started late, simplify language for the group, or choose one approved reflection question instead of several.

However, facilitators may not add, remove, replace, or substantially change curriculum content without written authorization from the Prison Mindfulness Institute.

This includes, but is not limited to:

adding outside worksheets, videos, readings, poems, rituals, or practices
replacing Path of Freedom exercises with other methods
adding therapeutic models or trauma-processing practices
adding restorative justice practices not included in the curriculum
changing the sequence or purpose of the lessons
blending Path of Freedom with another curriculum
using parts of Path of Freedom inside a separate program
presenting altered material as Path of Freedom

If a facilitator wishes to teach their own curriculum, they may do so separately, but they may not present it as Path of Freedom or use Path of Freedom materials without written permission.

Why Fidelity Matters

Path of Freedom has been carefully developed over 20 years for use in correctional settings. The curriculum is designed to support mindfulness, emotional intelligence, self-awareness, responsibility, and freedom from habitual reactivity.

When facilitators substitute their own preferred methods, even with good intentions, the program can lose its coherence. It can also create confusion for facilities, participants, and other facilitators.

Maintaining fidelity helps ensure that participants receive the program as intended and that Prison Mindfulness Institute can stand behind the quality, safety, and integrity of what is being offered.

Cost and Scholarships

We know that most Path of Freedom facilitators are volunteers. We do not want cost to prevent sincere and qualified people from applying.

The Foundations Online Course has a standard registration fee.

The live Facilitator Practicum is offered separately and may be grant-supported or scholarship-supported when funding is available. Participants receiving scholarship support are expected to honor that support by attending in full, preparing, participating, and committing to curriculum fidelity.

Summary of the Pathway

Step One: Apply for and complete the Path of Freedom Foundations Online Course.
Step Two: Apply for the live Path of Freedom Facilitator Practicum.
Step Three: Complete live training, practice teaching, and receive feedback.
Step Four: Participate in an authorization review.
Step Five: If authorized, facilitate Path of Freedom with fidelity and ongoing connection to Prison Mindfulness Institute.

Completing the online course is an important first step. Becoming a facilitator requires additional training, demonstrated readiness, and authorization from the Prison Mindfulness Institute.