Low-Residency Spiritual Guidance M.A.
The Spiritual Guidance M.A. at ITP is designed for students who have a passionate interest in spirituality and a deep desire to serve as professional spiritual guides or spiritual directors. This program is also meant for professionals and practitioners in counseling, psychotherapy and other related fields who desire additional training in working with clients' spiritual issues.
The innovative curriculum focuses on specialized training that develops spiritual discernment and awareness of psychological issues, cross-cultural sensitivities, and knowledge about transpersonal and spiritual development. ITP’s program is unique in that it focuses on the professional practice of spiritual guidance drawing from a variety of spiritual traditions, while similar programs focus on a specific religious or philosophical perspective. Another advantage of this program is the fact that it has been designed by a school of psychology with over 35 years experience training counselors and clinicians. The result is a well-rounded and stimulating curriculum with a strong grounding in Transpersonal Psychology and Transpersonal Counseling.
This two-year, low-residency master’s program allows students to pursue an advanced degree within small, subject-based learning communities taught by leading practitioners in Spiritual Guidance. The Institute’s academic community includes authors, scholars, artists and ritualists dedicated to intellectual and creative expression within a challenging academic framework. Many of the ITP Spiritual Guidance faculty are both licensed clinicians as well as spiritual guides.
Program Highlights
- Two-year program
- Low-residency, part-time
- Week-long opening session
- Six weekend intensives per year
- Dynamic online learning
Career Opportunities
- Professional private practice in Spiritual Guidance
- Spirituality workshops & seminars
- Spiritual retreat leadership
- Group Facilitation: support groups, end of life, life transitions, men and women’s spiritual work
- Hospital care for patients & families
- School/summer camp youth ministry
- Pastoral care for spiritual communities, religious institutions and schools
- Spiritual Guidance within therapeutic practice; for psychotherapists, clergy, healing arts, or other practitioners of the healing arts
- Spiritually-oriented research
- Education and training
- Peace work
Applications for Professionals
- Therapeutic practice
- Hospice care
- Grief work
The curriculum for this part-time program includes two weekend intensives each quarter in the first year (six weekends a year), and a week-long opening seminar at the beginning of each academic year. In the second year, there is only one residential weekend in winter and spring quarters, in addition to the fall opening seminar.
The weekend seminars are supplemented with on-line learning to deepen knowledge of the subject matter and develop core competencies in the field of spiritual guidance. The schedule is designed to allow students time to reflect and apply what they learn in their own lives.
