Spiritual Direction Course

Lesson 1 • The Spiritual Director's Vocation

Examines the call, character, and qualifications of a spiritual director. Helps students discern their own readiness and sense of vocation.

Lesson 2 • Theological Foundations

Grounds the practice in core theological convictions about God, the human person, and divine-human relationship. Ensures directors operate from a coherent doctrinal base.

Lesson 3 • Historical Roots of the Practice

Traces spiritual direction from desert fathers and mothers through medieval mystics to contemporary forms. Provides historical legitimacy and contextual depth.

Lesson 4 • Overview of the Direction Relationship

Introduces the structure, rhythm, and relational dynamics of a direction relationship. Prepares students to understand what they will practice throughout the course.

Lesson 1 • Levels of Listening

Distinguishes surface listening from deep, interior listening that attends to God's movement. Anchors the chapter's skill development in a clear conceptual model.

Lesson 2 • Reflective Listening Skills

Introduces verbal techniques that communicate attentiveness and invite deeper sharing. Provides practical tools students can apply immediately in practice sessions.

Lesson 3 • Barriers to Effective Listening

Identifies internal and external obstacles that block genuine attentiveness. Students learn to recognize and reduce these barriers in themselves.

Lesson 4 • Listening for God's Movement

Trains students to detect where God may be active in a directee's story. Builds the discernment capacity that underlies all effective direction.

Lesson 1 • Discernment in Major Life Decisions

Applies discernment skills to vocational, relational, and missional crossroads. Prepares students for the high-stakes situations directees frequently bring.

Lesson 2 • Classical Discernment Frameworks

Surveys major historical frameworks including Ignatian rules and other tested traditions. Equips students with proven methodologies they can adapt for directees.

Lesson 3 • Facilitating a Directee's Discernment

Translates discernment theory into practical facilitation skills for the direction session. Students practice guiding without controlling the discernment process.

Lesson 4 • Theology of Discernment

Establishes the biblical and theological basis for discernment as a Spirit-led process. Provides the doctrinal foundation before introducing practical methods.

Lesson 1 • Praying for Directees Between Sessions

Establishes the director's intercessory role outside formal sessions. Develops sustainable practices that support directees without creating unhealthy dependency.

Lesson 2 • Praying with Scripture

Introduces lectio divina and other Scripture-based prayer forms for use in sessions. Expands the director's repertoire of prayer tools.

Lesson 3 • Contemplative Prayer Forms

Surveys centering prayer, breath prayer, and other contemplative methods relevant to direction. Equips directors to introduce these forms when appropriate.

Lesson 4 • Theology of Prayer in Direction

Articulates why prayer is central rather than supplementary to spiritual direction. Grounds all subsequent prayer practices in a coherent theological rationale.

Lesson 1 • Stages of Spiritual Development

Introduces developmental stage models relevant to spiritual direction. Enables directors to calibrate their approach to each directee's current stage.

Lesson 2 • Models of the Human Person

Surveys anthropological models from spiritual and psychological traditions. Gives directors a multi-lens framework for understanding directees holistically.

Lesson 3 • Wounds, Defenses, and Spiritual Growth

Examines how unhealed wounds and psychological defenses affect spiritual development. Helps directors recognize when deeper healing work is needed.

Lesson 4 • Emotions as Spiritual Data

Reframes emotions as meaningful information about a person's spiritual state. Trains directors to work with feelings rather than bypass them.

Lesson 1 • Ethics in Spiritual Direction

Introduces the core ethical principles governing spiritual direction relationships. Provides the moral framework within which all practice must operate.

Lesson 2 • Transference and Countertransference

Explains how unconscious relational dynamics affect the direction relationship. Equips directors to recognize and manage these dynamics responsibly.

Lesson 3 • Recognizing and Maintaining Boundaries

Teaches directors to identify boundary crossings before they become violations. Develops proactive boundary awareness as a professional discipline.

Lesson 4 • Mandatory Reporting and Duty of Care

Covers the director's legal and ethical obligations when a directee discloses harm. Prepares students to respond appropriately to crisis disclosures.

Lesson 1 • Offering Observations and Reflections

Teaches directors to share observations tentatively and invitingly rather than declaratively. Develops the skill of offering insight without imposing interpretation.

Lesson 2 • Session Structure and Flow

Outlines a flexible yet intentional session structure from opening to closing. Gives students a reliable framework they can adapt to each directee's needs.

Lesson 3 • Asking Powerful Questions

Teaches the craft of formulating questions that open rather than direct. Develops the director's most essential verbal intervention skill.

Lesson 4 • Closing Well and Assigning Practices

Covers how to bring a session to a meaningful close and suggest between-session practices. Ensures continuity of growth between formal meetings.

Lesson 1 • Peer Supervision and Learning Communities

Introduces peer supervision groups as a complement to individual supervision. Builds collaborative learning habits that sustain directors long-term.

Lesson 2 • Receiving Feedback and Growing

Develops the capacity to receive critical feedback without defensiveness. Transforms supervision into a genuine formation experience.

Lesson 3 • Preparing for Supervision Sessions

Teaches directors how to bring material to supervision productively. Maximizes the value of each supervision encounter.

Lesson 4 • The Purpose and Value of Supervision

Defines supervision in spiritual direction and distinguishes it from evaluation or therapy. Motivates students to embrace supervision as a lifelong professional commitment.