YEAR ONE and TWO
SCHOOLS OF SPIRITUAL DIRECTION
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year one
OVERVIEW
The School of Spiritual Direction training is a two-year certificate programme that prepares you to be a spiritual director. We are a charity based in Northern Ireland with cohorts across the UK nations and Europe. We have plans to go elsewhere where we are invited, particularly Asia and Africa. Our sister organisation is based in the US. Together our goal is to make spiritual direction a normal and widely available form of pastoral care inside and outside churches.
Year 1 MODULE THEMES
FIVE FACE-TO-FACE RETREATS
Here is a brief thematic overview of each module’s focus, as well as a general description below of the overall work involved for Year 1. Our five face-to-face meetings normally occur every other month over the course of two days. These typically meet from 9am-5pm (with 90 min for lunch). We meet in hospitable homes, churches and retreat spaces.
Introduction to Spiritual Direction
Spiritual Direction Foundations
Self-Awareness and the Enneagram
Discernment and Group Direction
The Journey of Faith
WHAT’s included
COURSE CONTENT
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There are eleven books to read: about two for each of the five modules, creating a reading pace of about one book per month. In our present culture we have a nasty habit of confusing information with wisdom. We do our best to not inundate you with reading in order to maintain a reflective, curious posture. Think formation versus information.
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Participants meet monthly with their own spiritual director. We’d prefer you find one who has been trained in Sustainable Faith’s School of Spiritual Direction so that you can experience it in the way we teach it, but this isn’t a requirement. If you need help finding one, we are happy to help!
Participants agree to offer spiritual direction to two people, meeting a minimum requirement of ten practice sessions over the course of Year 1. Meeting with directees from the outset isn’t premature. The simultaneous combination of offering direction, receiving direction, reading on the topic and group interaction accelerates learning. (During Module 1 we’ll discuss ways to get the word out and find directees.)
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Our development as directors is tightly knit to our own spiritual formation. Consequently, we introduce a particular spiritual exercise each time we’re together, encouraging you to continue in the practice while we’re apart. This shared practice will make for richer conversations when we’re together again.
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Summary Reflection is a simple one-two page reflective paper in which you briefly recap your experience of the following:
+ receiving direction
+ offering direction
+ engaging in the given spiritual practice
+ present reflection on reading
+ any pertinent life experiences you want to share with the cohort
+ questions you may want addressed during the next cohort gathering -
Supervision, individual or in small groups, is a way of going deeper with our spiritual direction practice by examining, in a reflective way and with the help of others, a portion of a particular direction session where you experienced some form of interior reaction or turbulence. To help you, we have a Contemplative Reflection Form that you’ll fill out with a portion of your spiritual direction conversation. Supervision is a part of good practice for any spiritual director.
During Year 1, you’ll have the added feedback tool of recording your practice sessions. (You’ll need written or oral permission, of course; additionally, let directee’s know we’ll protect their anonymity and only your teacher will listen.) The added benefit of recording all your sessions is that you can go back and listen to yourself as a director, noticing things that escaped you during live sessions. When you choose a particular session for a Supervision Form (see above), upload the recording on which it’s based. Your teacher will listen to these and give constructive feedback.
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1. Complete the SSD Application Form
2. Meet with a teacher to discern if it’s a fit
3. Reserve your spot with a deposit
YEAR 1 LOCATIONS/DATES AND COST
YEAR 1 in the UK and Europe beginning Autumn 2025-2026
contact us if you want to apply or ENQUIRE for the upcoming year!
UK
Northern Ireland Year 1:
Sara carlisle
19-20 September
14-15 November
16-17 January
13-14 March
8-9 May
England Year 1:
joanna allen and duncan house
19-20 September
7-8 November
9-10 January
6-7 March
15-16 May
Scotland Year 1: Sandra Innes
10-11 October
5-6 December
6-7 February
10-11 ApriL
29-30 May
Europe
Netherlands Year 1:
helen vince
19-20 September
7-8 November
9-10 January
13-14 March
8-9 May
France Year 1
for Member Care Workers:
Susan powell
dates tbc
COST:
The cost for Year 1 is £2000 (£1800 in Northern Ireland) for the 2025-2026 school year. Once you’ve submitted your application and had a conversation with your teacher (who gives the green light), you can reserve your spot with a £400 non-refundable deposit. You can pay the entire cost up front if it’s affordable and more convenient. If not, you can elect to pay the balance of £1600 in nine consecutive monthly payments of about £178 at the beginning of each month. The deposit is due by the end of the month before your cohort begins and your first payment is due at the beginning of the month your cohort begins.
Other cost information:
Books, spiritual direction, transportation, lodging and food are not included. Each cohort will receive lodging and food information for their particular site from their teacher.
year TWO
OVERVIEW
In Year 2, our desire is to deepen the formation and spiritual direction training that began in Year 1. Most people go directly into Year 2 after their first year but this is not a requirement. In this second year we deepen our experience, skill and practice of individual and group spiritual direction, we deepen self-awareness via the Enneagram and Ignatian discernment, we broaden our exploration in supervision, and we expand our understanding of theology and neuroscience and how they undergird our work. Each module has specific objectives, but three meta-objectives for all modules are: 1) acquire a Trinitarian theological foundation for the ministry of spiritual direction; 2) deepen our own spiritual formation through contemplative practices; 3) grow in skills needed for spiritual direction.
Year 2 MODULE THEMES
Here is a brief thematic overview of each module’s focus, as well as a general description below of the overall work involved for Year 2. Our five face-to-face meetings normally occur every other month over the course of two days. These typically meet from 9am-5pm (with 90 min for lunch). We meet in hospitable homes, churches and retreat spaces.
Introduction to Spiritual Direction
Spiritual Direction Foundations
Self-Awareness and the Enneagram
Discernment and Group Direction
The Journey of Faith
What’s included
COURSE CONTENT
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Similar to Year 1 we aim to read for formation, not information. There are currently seven required books to read and two that we revisit from Year 1.
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Generally recognized international standards for spiritual direction training programs require twenty sessions of offering direction over two years of training. This however, is a minimum requirement. Our expectation and hope is that you’ll offer direction to two-three practice directees per month over the course of Year 2. Time in the trenches is critical to your development.
You agree to continue meeting monthly with your own spiritual director. The only detour occurs when you begin the Ignatian Journey (explained below).
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In the month prior to beginning the Ignatian Exercises, you’ll be assigned to a small journey group of three-four members from your cohort. You’ll also be introduced to the spiritual director who will accompany you through the 18th Annotation, which is an abbreviated version of the full exercises. After an introductory gathering with your Ignatian Director, your group will meet online on a weekly basis with the director for ten weeks to explore your experiences. Meetings are kept to about one hour. Because you’re receiving spiritual direction during these group meetings, because you meet weekly over the course of thirteen weeks, and because we want to preserve the focus of the Exercises, we ask you to temporarily suspend direction with your normal director. You’ll only miss three meetings.
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It’s common practice for each student to upload for the teacher and other cohort members a one-two page reflection on the various aspects of our common work in the month between Modules. Summary Reflections generally take under one hour to complete. In Year 2 we also reflect on our experience in the Ignatian Exercises.
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The standard requirement is to receive ten supervised sessions over the course of two years, and this is a primary feature of our Year 2 experience. Our approach to supervision is contemplative in nature, as we pay special attention to interior movements that hinder us in spiritual direction and interior movements that are important for listening to and discerning God’s voice within. Students are always surprised by how much they enjoy supervision.
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1. Complete the SSD Application Form
2. Meet with a teacher to discern if it’s a fit
3. Reserve your spot with a deposit
YEAR 2 LOCATIONS / DATES / COSTS
Please contact us if you want to apply or ENQUIRE
UK
Northern Ireland Year 2:
Sara Carlisle
17-18 October
12-13 December
20-21 February
17-18 April
5-6 June
England Year 2:
Joanna Allen and Duncan House
17-18 Oct
5-6 December
6-7 February
10-11 April
5-6 June
Scotland Year 2:
Sandra innes
7-8 November
16-17 January
6-7 March
8-9 May
26-27 June
Europe
Netherlands Year 2:
Helen Vince
10-11 October
12-13 December
6-7 February
17-18 April
19-20 June
France Year 2
for Member Care Workers:
Susan powell
18-19 september
20-21 november
21-22 january
19-20 march
21-22 may
COST:
The cost for Year 2 is £2000 (£1800 in Northern Ireland) for the 2025-2026 school year. Once you’ve submitted your application and had a conversation with your teacher (who gives the green light), you can reserve your spot with a £400 non-refundable deposit. You can pay the entire cost up front if it’s affordable and more convenient. If not, you can elect to pay the balance of £1600 in nine consecutive monthly payments of about £178 at the beginning of each month. The deposit is due by the end of the month before your cohort begins and your first payment is due at the beginning of the month your cohort begins.
Other cost information:
Books, spiritual direction, transportation, lodging and food are not included. Each cohort will receive lodging and food information for their particular site from their teacher.
OUR TEACHERS
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Sara Carlisle
Northern Ireland and Scotland
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Joanna Allen
England
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Duncan House
England
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Helen Vince
The Netherlands
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Susan Powell
France
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Sandra Innes
Scotland
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Natalie Baxter Strange
Belgium
