Certificate in Interfaith / Interspiritual Direction (Guidance)
A 16-month distance learning program
resulting in a Certificate in Interfaith/Interspiritual Guidance
Next Cohort runs October 2024 - January 2026
With Faculty Members
Jeanette Banashak, EdD, PhD
Rev. John Chang-Yee Lee, DMin
Kristina Stone Kaiser, DMin
Our Leading Edge Training Model
Our certification program for interfaith/interspiritual guidance will teach you the art and practice of spiritual guidance / direction / companioning and prepare you to establish a private, client-based practice or work / serve within an organization of your choosing.
Our andragogy (adult learning model) focuses on the inner development of the spiritual seeker and guide, compassionate sacred activism, familiarization with the world's religions and prominent spiritual movements; and the many ways spirituality is being experienced today, including "spiritual but not religious." This approach helps us deepen our knowledge of how seekers experience the Sacred in their own unique ways. Over time, this leads to an unfolding awareness that beneath each tradition runs a river of ultimate truth shared by many.
Our 16-month journey takes us from interfaith to interspiritual, deepening our personal understanding of how the Divine reveals itself in each person's life, across time and traditions. By mastering the art of deep listening we can be available to all individuals, thereby expanding the role of the spiritual guide to be a compassionate leader in the world.
If you are already a trained spiritual director, we have another program that is better suited to your needs. Read more here.
"SGTI has not only opened me up to the beauty and diversity of the spiritual traditions and practices our world holds, but it has offered me a deeper understanding of myself and my own spiritual life and by extension the potential I hold to compassionately serve others on their spiritual journey."
~ K. G., Energy Worker, Michigan
Program Structure
A 5-day Hybrid Residential Retreat opens the program (details below)
Discussions begin on interfaith and interspiritual guidance
Key components are introduced, including Compassionate Sacred Activism & Non-Judgmental, Compassionate Listening
Contemplative practices from various traditions are offered, inviting us to cultivate an ever-deepening self-awareness
Online Format with synchronous and asynchronous components
New modules begin every 2 to 4 weeks, offering a variety of ways to engage
Hands-on practice with Seekers occurs Janaury 2025 to January 2026 (Virtual or In-Person)
Monthly (60-minute) session with a trained supervisor via Zoom (cost not included in tuition)
Monthly Peer Group (90-minutes) and Discussion/Practice Group (60-minutes) via Zoom
Additional 1-2 day Virtual Residential Retreats throught the 16-months
Central themes are continued and new themes are introduced
Deep Listening and Spiritual Guidance are practiced in small gropus
Cohort members connect, share, and learn from one another
Virtual Graduation Ceremony January 2026
Course Requirements
Certification as an Interfaith/Interspiritual Guide includes completion & mastery of
1 Hybrid Residential Retreat (5 days) and 4 virtual Residential Retreats (1-2 days)
30 learning modules (new module every 2-4 weeks)
Each module includes elements of both Sacred Compassionate Activism and Sacred Listening.
12 Peer group sessions via Zoom
14 Discussion/Practice Group sessions via Zoom
24 hours of Spiritual Guidance practice with Seekers (Directees) (in-person or vitually)
12 One-on-one mentoring sessions with a supervisor referred to you by SGTI
Maintainance of a regular contemplative practice and monthly personal spiritual direction/guidance session
14 Reflective Expressions, 2 Interspiritaul Projects, and 1 Final Paper (8-10 hrs. of study per week)
Areas of Study and Mastery
Interreligious Awareness
Explore major religious traditions including Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism, Christianity, Islam, and Indigenous Traditions
Also explore Secular Humanism, Atheism, and “Spiritually Independent” Traditions
Learn about Interfaith/Interspiritual Guidance (How do I offer guidance to people of specific traditions?)
Interspirituality
Learn about
Our universal common heritage
Perennial Traditions
Nature-based spirituality
The mystic’s path to Oneness
Global implications for interspiritual awareness
Modes of Interspiritual Guidance
Human & Spiritual Development
Engage in
Models of Growth & Development
Conditions for Development
Identity and Consciousness
Character
Deep Listening
Listening in its various forms
Attention, Awareness & Transparency
Self-compassion
Discernment
Asking questions that aid in meaning making
Contemplation
Self-Awareness of the inner landscape
Tending to our inner bias
Prayer forms & Contemplative Practices across traditions
Creativity & spirituality exploration
Insight & Intuition cultivation
Deepen in your own tradition while exploring the gifts of other traditions
The How-To’s of
Spiritual Guidance
Ethics within Spiritual Guidance
Developing a Private Practice
Facilitating Group Spiritual Guidance
Responding to the call to Compassionate Sacred Activism
2024 Tuition
Our 16-month program cost is $5948.
This Includes
• 16 months of online training (30 modules)
• 12 Discussion/Practice sessions via Zoom (60 min)
• 12 Peer Group sessions via Zoom (90 min)
*Does not include $50 (non-fundable application fee).
Additional Costs Not Included in Tuition
Books & other (optional) learning opportunities noted in the curriculum
Personal Spiritual Direction with a spiritual guide of your choice
Supervision with an SGTI approved supervisor
Optional travel, room & board for opening Residential Retreat
Hybrid Learning in Racine, WI
Meeting place: Siena Retreat Center, Racine, Wisconsin USA
Dates: October 16 - 20, 2024
Housing: 4 nights, private room & bath.
Meals: All meals will be provided from Wednesday dinner through Sunday breakfast.
Siena Center offers the perfect, contemplative meeting space for our cohort gatherings. Amenities include an outdoor labyrinth, bookstore, access to Lake Michigan, and abundant nature for walking and reflection
Scholarship Availability
We have a limited number of partial scholarships available to qualified applicants.
Please contact us to learn if you might be eligible.
Payment Schedule (2024-2026 cohort)
Upon acceptance: Tuition downpayment of $500 ($518 if using Paypal)
10/01/2024: Tuition of $1,816 ($1880 if using Paypal)
3/01/2025: Tuition of $1,816 ($1880 if using Paypal)
8/01/2025: Tuition of $1,816 ($1880 if using Paypal)
Payment Options:
Venmo, Pay Pal (extra 3.5% charge,) or personal check. For those in need of a payment plan, contact us.
Other Policies and Fees
Faculty will work individually with participants should they fall behind in payments, miss class, cancel their participation, postpone participation, are asked to leave the program, or if any extenuating circumstance arise that requires a change in payment.
If a participant withdraws from the program, and a scheduled payment has been made, no refunds will be given for that payment.
Please contact us with questions or concerns regarding these policies.