School of Spiritual Direction
The School of Spiritual Direction follows the model developed and offered by Soul Formation in Portland, Oregon, and is exclusively intended for international graduates of the Soul Journey. This program is designed around advanced teaching, coupled with direct engagement in spiritual direction, regular peer interaction in triads, and group supervision. The School of Spiritual Direction is shaped by an evangelical perspective of Ignatian Spirituality and builds on the Soul Journey Academy of Spiritual Formation.
Discernment
To become a spiritual director is to become a discerning person. In the first retreat, we will explore the foundations of spiritual direction, three-fold-listening, and the discernment of spirits from an Ignatian perspective.
School themes
Matters of the Heart
Often, it’s our experience of pain or disillusionment that brings us to a spiritual director. In the second retreat, we will consider how to accompany our directees as they encounter times of darkness or struggle.
Tending the Holy
Our final retreat will help you determine what it can look like to nurture the charism and practice of spiritual direction going forward. We will unpack the practical nuts and bolts of setting up a spiritual direction practice in your unique context.
Course description
The School of Spiritual Direction is the second of two components in the Soul Journey’s training process for spiritual directors. The first component is the Soul Journey Academy of Spiritual Formation (hyperlink to Soul Journey Academy), an 18-month long, cohort-based program, which focuses on the care of the participant’s soul and includes an introduction to group spiritual direction through participation in triads.
Completion of Soul Journey Academy of Spiritual Formation (including all assigned reading) is a prerequisite for the School of Spiritual Direction. Upon completion of the Academy, participants are invited to discern whether they have the desire and the charism to pursue further training through the School of Spiritual Direction. Soul Journey’s School of Spiritual Direction is dedicated to providing solid academic depth as well as practical experience.
The program trains students in the art of spiritual direction through advanced teaching, coupled with direct engagement in spiritual direction, regular peer interaction in triads, and group supervision. Students journey together in a cohort, engaging in a rich process of exploration, reflection, and applied spiritual direction. At the conclusion of this course, and upon completion of all course requirements,
participants receive a Certificate of Completion from the Soul Journey School of Spiritual Direction. Graduates of the School are then eligible and invited to join Soul Journey’s Community of Spiritual Directors for ongoing encouragement and support, continuing education, and the building of community. Choosing to join the community of Spiritual Directors is the participants discerned decision.
If you are interested to learn more or would like to see the course syllabus, email us.
May 19-21, 2026, in Chiang Mai Thailand at the Suan Bua Retreat Center. To register your interest in our next School of Spiritual Direction, click the button below.