About
Our Program for the Formation and Training
of Spiritual Directors
Requirements for Program Certificate (pdf download)
Program Application Form (pdf download / .doc download)
About spiritual direction
What is spiritual direction? What does a spiritual director do?
Spiritual direction is a series of conversations between a
director and someone who seeks to “grow in wisdom and grace” (Luke 2:
52). Not a ‘life coach,’ not a counselor or therapist, the spiritual
director is a gifted and skilled guide who ministers more like a
mid-wife, by assisting in bringing to birth a deeper, richer sense of
God’s presence amid the joys and struggles in the directee’s life. In
each spiritual direction relationship, there is a clear understanding
that—in an increasingly transparent way—God is the Spiritual Director.
The human spiritual director, therefore, is simply an experienced and
insightful guide who companions someone interested in 1) becoming more
aware of the presence and movement of God in his/her life and in 2)
responding to God in a more conscious, consistent, and committed way.
The focus of spiritual direction is not the relationship between
director and director; rather, it is the relationship between the
directee and God that occurs within the unique, day-to-day
circumstances and relationships (self, family, work, community of
faith) of the directee’s life.
Spiritual direction for Christians, especially as it has been expressed in the history of Roman Catholicism, emerges and stands as a time-honored ministry within the Judeo-Christian tradition, since God first called a people to be His own. The director seeks to help the directee embody (incarnate) the relationship within the Triune God, to image a unity of distinct persons in truth and in love in all of his or her life circumstances.
Spiritual direction for Catholic Christians is an expression of the mission of the Church, who exists “to teach, to govern and to sanctify” (Catechism of the Catholic Church, Part I, §9), It helps those who seek direction to place their lives ‘in holy order’ by attending to the spiritual dimension al all of life’s experiences and by trying to discern what God might have the directees know by way of them.
The work of spiritual direction is discernment of the whole person—the ‘self-in-community,’ ‘the individual-who-serves’—that God invites into deeper union. Thus called to faithfully live out one’s commitment to God and neighbor, directors assist the directee in discerning how s/he is uniquely called and now s/he might respond whole-heartedly in ways that bring about God’s kingdom “on earth as it is in heaven” in their everyday lives.
Who seeks spiritual direction?
People from all walks of life who earnestly want to find
meaning amid the joys and struggles of daily life; women and men who
yearn to deepen their understanding of themselves and to become more
aware, more intentional, and more responsive in their relationship with
God and others; individuals who desire to become the person God is
calling them to be.
What does a spiritual direction session look like? What might a directee talk about?
Typically once a month, spiritual direction takes place as a face-to-face conversation in an office or other place where the directee and director can be comfortable and undisturbed. Most often the session begins with a time of silence and prayer. Directees can share anything they wish that seems to be affecting them relationship with God in either positive or negative ways. Nothing is off limits! Because spiritual direction is not the same as counseling or mentoring, the spiritual director does not ‘fix things;’ rather, s/he helps directees become aware of how God may be speaking to them and helps them discern ways to respond that bring wholeness and peace to their lives and relationships.
What can one expect from spiritual direction? What does spiritual direction cost?
Spiritual directors ensure that sessions are focused on the directee’s spiritual growth and development, and their prayers, suggestions, and questions are all oriented to that end. Having listened prayerfully to what the directee shares, they may suggest a prayer form, a spiritual practice, or pose a question that the directee might hold before God. They help the directee discern when an issue might be best addressed in conjunction with other spiritual support, such as a confessor or pastoral counselor. In every instance, the directee can expect absolute confidentiality and unconditional love from someone who sees them as they truly are—God’s most beloved child.
Because competent spiritual directors enhance their innate
gifts through on-going formation, training, and supervision, most must
charge a fee for their service. Most often, fees are on a sliding scale
and are negotiable, so directees should not be reluctant to discuss
what they can comfortably afford. The average range in the Boise area
is $20-$50 per session. Some suggest whatever might be the equivalent
of one hour’s pay for the directee.
What can a person expect as a result of spiritual direction? What are its ‘Fruits?’
Directees can expect to become more aware of the presence and movement of God in their lives. Participation is an opportunity to examine and appreciate theirs as a unique relationship with God, with joys and challenges to be savored and shared with their director. Directees can expect to notice a deepening sense of freedom in responding to God in more conscious and committed ways. While loss and disappointments will always be part of life’s journey, directees will come to know they are listened to, understood, affirmed and companioned.
About the program
Why offer a program for the formation and training of spiritual directors?
Women and men of many faith traditions are seeking a greater
sense of the presence and movement of God in their lives. In light of
Mission Centered Education’s mission, to help people to ‘grow in wisdom
and grace,’ the reasons for offering this program are four-fold:
1. To help individuals who want to deepen their own relationship with God to do so in a supportive, responsive community;
2. To help such individuals, whether ordained or lay, to enhance their innate gift of discernment by developing practical skilled valued by Spiritual Directors International;
3. To help individuals skilled in the process of discernment decide if, how and to which populations God might be inviting them to serve others as spiritual directors; and
4. To build community among spiritual directors of different faith traditions and backgrounds, so as to build capacity for understanding, appreciation, and collaboration within and among our communities of faith.
For whom is this program intended?
Lay, vowed, and ordained ministers of all faith traditions who
feel a call to the spiritual direction ministry; professionals who wish
to integrate the spiritual dimension into their own particular area of
expertise; spiritual directors who are seeking enrichment/development
and networking with others in peer supervision; leaders who facilitate
adult faith and personal formation in group settings, such as RCIA, AA,
Al-Anon, small church communities, and others.
What topics does the program cover?
Year
1:
Foundations: theological, historical and personal formation.
- Foundations of relationship with God (Scripture, forms of prayer, spiritual practices and disciplines)
- Historical traditions of spirituality, primarily from the Christian traditions (both Catholic and Protestant )
- Schemas/stages of healthy psychological, emotional, and spiritual development (Maslow, Kohlberg, Fowler, Gilligan, et al.)
- Communications skills (listening, probing, responding technique and practice)
- The art and skills of discernment in one’s own life (recognizing the presence and movement of the Spirit in life experiences)
- Understanding the spiritual direction relationship, even as God is the director (transference, counter-transference, resistance, avoidance; boundaries; referral, etc.)
Year
2: A deepening of all Year 1 curriculum and practicum
- Internship (spiritual direction to others under direction of a trained supervisor)
- Self and peer assessment (using verbatim and other assessment tools; consultation )
- Confidentiality and other ethical considerations (using guidelines of Spiritual Direction International)
- Spiritual direction in group settings
- Ethical commitments of the spiritual director (to directee, to self, to the larger community)
- Resources for continuing personal and ministerial development
How is the curriculum covered?
Participants meet with faculty 4 times a year for prayer,
instruction and community at Nazareth Retreat Center and/or at St. Paul
Student Center in Boise, ID. Throughout the program, each participant
will engage in prayerful discernment through reading, journaling,
continuing to meet with one’s own spiritual director, posting
reflection papers on assigned readings for faculty and peers to read,
and by responding to other’s’ postings. Each participant is required to
draft a spiritual autobiography (approximately 15 pages) to be shared
with a faculty member and his/her own spiritual director, no later than
the first day of the second session in Year 1. Once a month, each
participant is required to arrange for a ‘quiet day,’ an 8 hour period
of quiet for personal prayer, reading, and meditation. In Year 2,
participants will serve as spiritual director interns for 2 directees
and will participate in supervision sessions
Does every participant receive a certificate? What does certification mean?
Attendance and active participation at all sessions and documentation of all requirements earns a certificate of completion. Certification does not award credit toward an academic degree at the bachelor’s or master’s level. At the present time, there is no universal standard for the certification of spiritual directors; however, this program has been designed to align with all of the knowledge base, skills and values of Spiritual Directors International.
