Enrichment Session for Spiritual Directors: When Directees Talk Politics

Online Enrichment Sessions for Spiritual Directors
Sundays, 1:00-4:00pm EST - Zoom
***Attend all 4 sessions for $100***

October 13, 2024: Nicholas Collura

When Directees Talk Politics

Have you ever frozen in panic when a directee has brought up politics? Or do you sometimes wonder what role spiritual companionship might play during politically fraught seasons?

Some of us may regard political conversation in a spiritual accompaniment session as a distraction from soul work or as a transgression of our professional role or ethical code. This workshop recognizes politics as an expression of values that can shape a directee's self-image, impact spiritual and emotional well-being, and serve as context for questions of vocation, justice, and prayer. How can we help directees to explore connections between their political world-views and their spiritual lives?

 
Additional Sessions 
NOTE: If you would like to attend all 4 sessions at a discounted rate ($100 for the entire series), there is the possibility to do so when you register for this Oct. 13 session.  Otherwise, if you would like to attend multiple sessions, please register for each session individually.

November 24, 2024: Kathy Garrett, certified SoulCollage® Facilitator

SoulCollage® Concepts and Spiritual Direction

SoulCollage® is a psychospiritual collage process founded by family therapist, Seena Frost in the 1980’s. Since that time, an international community has grown with over 5000 trained SoulCollage® facilitators who guide people to discover their own creativity, intuition, and spiritual insights with SoulCollage®. Founder Seena Frost describes the SoulCollage® process in this way: 

"The SoulCollage® process starts simply. We cut out and collage images that have called to us and glue them onto 8 by 5-inch mat board cards, and then, over time, we dialogue with these images as if they were conscious beings. Through these "readings" we often receive deep and surprising answers to our life questions. Every step of the process helps us be in touch with feelings, beliefs, intuitions, and wisdom. All are valuable things we might not know are in us until we hear the words coming out of our own mouths, or until we feel the emotions well up from inside. This is the discovery part of the SoulCollage® process, we may come to accept ourselves more fully and see value in feelings we previously avoided. We may find ourselves making wiser decisions and believing more consciously in our life purposes. We may step forward more boldly and speak up more clearly; we may enjoy life more and feel greater peace."  

Kathy Garrett, Ph.D., certified SoulCollage® facilitator, will share her own journey with SoulCollage® and explain the SoulCollage® process. She will also guide us to make and “read” a personal SoulCollage® card and facilitate a conversation about applying concepts from the Soul Collage® process in Spiritual Direction.  
Register here for November 24
 

February 23, 2025: Paul Burgmayer, Ph.D

Identifying Your Own Voice as a Spiritual Director

An afternoon of exploration into your spiritual direction practice

Ever find yourself questioning why you do certain things as a spiritual director? Is it habit? Training? Or simply what you feel is expected? Have you ever considered changing your approach? Maybe you're drawn to being more contemplative.  Or less serious - allowing a bit more laughter into your sessions. Perhaps you're interested in finding a different balance between exploring your directee's prayer life and their everyday life. What if you tried breaking one or two of the rules you learned in training to see what new possibilities arise?

Your growth as a director doesn’t stop when formal training ends. During our time together, you'll reflect on the evolution of your practice, compare notes with other spiritual directors, and explore adjustments to your practice that might uncover deeper connections with God and the person before you.

During our online session, topics to be explored include:

How our training has shaped our practice
Experiences since our training that have changed us
Aspects of our practice that feel comfortable or uncomfortable now
A look to historical spiritual direction practices for new perspectives on ours
Considering alternative methods like the enneagram or focusing to explore a directee’s inner life
Crafting a personal plan going forward based on insights gleaned from our discussions

Does this sound intriguing? Maybe even fun? If so, join us for an afternoon dedicated to exploring your spiritual direction practice. Let’s see what emerges with lots of introspection, discussion, and a little bit of learning.
Register here for February 23
 

April 6, 2025: Tricia Way

Listening as a Radical Act of Love, Healing, Justice, and Transformation

This session will offer Spiritual Directors an opportunity to join together in community and reflect deeply on the content, quality, and impact of our listening in the work that we do. Tricia Way, co-author of The Little Book of Listening and facilitator with JUST Listening, will guide us in thinking about what hinders our ability to listen presently and what can strengthen it. We will also contemplate the radical potential of listening from a place of presence with ourselves and another person, opening space for love, healing, justice, and transformation to emerge from the listening encounter. There will be time for personal reflection as well as large and small group discussions during our time together in this enrichment session.
Register here for April 6