Spiritual Direction

On a May 30, 2026, Zoom call with the American Teilhard Association, there were several participants who referred to themselves as Spiritual Directors. They were not clergy and not necessarily psychotherapists, but they relate to others as spiritual beings on a path toward greater awareness.

I didn't know much about spiritual direction, so I decided to investigate what they have to offer. I also wonder if they are harbingers of the religion of the future for younger generations who have abandoned traditional churches and institutional religion?

From May 27 – June 1, 2026, the Hayden Institute, based in Asheville, NC, had its 2026 Summer Dream and Spirituality Conference: Cosmic Community, Sacred Hope. Find out more about Hayden's Summer Dream and Spirituality Conference presenters at the Hayden Institute Bookstore. The Haden Institute  was founded in 1994 "to educate participants about the transformational gifts of spirituality and Jungian psychology." If you are interested in training as a Spiritual Diirector Hayden's new class entry course is September 10-13, 2026.

Spiritual direction training programs are available in various formats, including in-person, online, and hybrid options, often leading to certificates or certification. Below are some recognized programs and their key details:

Programs and Certifications

• Portland Seminary Online Spiritual Direction Training & Certification

  Hybrid (online courses with a BridgeWeek intensive in Portland in September; half-day online intensives in November, February, and April).

• Selah Certificate in Spiritual Direction is a two-year training program for those seeking to become a spiritual director..  It is a program, a ministry, and a way of being that invites us, in community with one another, to pause and attend to the presence and communion of God.

• Truett Seminary Spiritual Direction Training Program offers a two-year training cycle, with the next cohort beginning in Fall 2026 on Monday evenings. The program includes sessions such as Spiritual Direction IV in Spring 2026

• Soul Shepherding Spiritual Direction Training and Certificate Program focuses on guiding others in emotional health and loving relationships with Jesus

• Franciscan University’s School of Spiritual Direction provides Catholic spiritual direction training and certification

• Divine Mercy University’s School of Spiritual Direction (SOSD) offers a Spiritual Direction Certificate (SDC) with four 8-week courses

• Avila Institute provides four 6-week online courses, including “Foundations of Prayer and Union with God”

• Shalem Institute’s Spiritual Guidance Program 2026 supports those in spiritual direction or holy listening through resources and experiential support

• United Seminary’s Certificate in Spiritual Direction prepares individuals to support others in their spiritual development

• Jesuit Spiritual Center at Milford offers a three-year, non-degree Spiritual Direction Internship program

• Ignatian Spiritual Direction Initiative is dedicated to supporting the ongoing formation of spiritual directors in the Ignatian tradition through networking, resource sharing, and programming.

• Center for Spiritual Formation provides a two-year online Spiritual Direction training for lay persons and pastoral leaders.

• Kairos Spiritual Direction Training is a two-year certificate program based on the Ignatian model

Best for Specific Needs

• Loyola University Chicago offers a Graduate Certificate in Spiritual Direction, requiring a master’s degree or higher, with a 15-credit-hour curriculum

• George Fox University provides an accelerated online Spiritual Direction Certification program

• Leadership Transformations’ Selah Certificate in Spiritual Direction is a two-year program for those seeking to become spiritual directors

• North Park Theological Seminary offers a two-year, cohort-based Certificate in Spiritual Direction

• Anam Cara "provides a place dedicated to the practice of soul friendship, coming alongside one another to facilitate healing, wholeness, holiness, and spiritual formation. 

Note on Certification: There is no single, official standard for spiritual direction training or certification, so programs vary in requirements and recognition

Spiritual direction training programs, like those offered by ISDI and Selah, typically require a call to spiritual companionship, theological background, and monthly spiritual direction, with formats ranging from online to hybrid.

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September 16-20, 2026 - The Guild for Spiritual Guidance is presenting the Imagine Symposium - a transformative retreat bringing together theologians, artists, scientists, and Indigenous knowledge keepers to explore the intersections of faith, nature, ecology, cosmology, science, and imagination. This is "an invitation to pause together—to listen more deeply to the Earth, to wisdom traditions, to science, to poetry, and to one another."

Themes & Focus:

• Ecological and spiritual consciousness

• Dialogue between cosmology and science

• Indigenous wisdom and land-based spirituality

• Imagination as a tool for building new worlds

Livestream includes keynotes and select workshops, plus event recordings. Recordings will become available about 2 weeks after the event. $700 for online access. Register here.