Spiritual direction training
For more about becoming a spiritual director, see “5 steps to becoming a spiritual director.” Many seminaries and retreat centers offer training programs…here are a few that I’m familiar with in the United States….
5 steps to becoming a spiritual director
If you feel that you might have a calling as a spiritual director, the first step is to begin seeing a spiritual director yourself.
Step 1: Find your own spiritual director….
Why charge a fee? And how much?
I’ve come to peace with charging money for offering spiritual direction. In fact, I believe that my charging a fee benefits my directees, and not just me. Why?
Spiritual direction
A spiritual director is a compassionate, concerned observer whose task is to help people notice the ways in which Spirit is moving in their lives….
How to find a spiritual director
Ask around at your place of worship, or check the Spiritual Directors International Seek and Find Guide. Spiritual direction is not a licensed profession in any state or country, as far as I know, so it’s up to you to ask questions and make sure that you feel comfortable with whomever you select as your spiritual director.
About supervision
Ideally, every spiritual director should be under some type of supervision. The differences between spiritual direction and therapy, pastoral counseling, friendship, and caretaking are sometimes tricky to discern, and meeting regularly with a supervisor or supervision group can help.
Supervision agreement
I ask my supervisees to read and sign a boilerplate agreement that covers some general ground: what services I can and can’t provide, our agreed-to rate for payment, my commitment to confidentiality, and the limits that I must put on confidentiality in exceptional cases.
Spiritual direction agreement
When someone contacts me about meeting for spiritual direction, I am curious to learn what the person is expecting and hoping for from direction, and how the logistics of a direction relationship would work for them and for me. It’s a chance for both of us to get a sense of each other and whether we are a good match.
A good book
My review of Candlelight, by Susan Phillips.