How to choose an Enrichment, Formation, or Training Program
Finding an enrichment, formation, or training program to discern your call to the ministry and service of spiritual direction is an important part of your spiritual journey. If possible, you might want to contact several programs to determine which one is right for you.Spiritual Directors International offers a program locator to assist you in finding programs to interview. The locator exists in a Google map format to allow you to find an enrichment, formation, or training program in a specific location. Search an area by “clicking, zooming, and dragging” the map, or by using drop down menus and search boxes located at the top of the map. Here is a link to the locator.
Here are the kinds of questions that you might consider asking yourself when finding a program:
- What is the spiritual affiliation of the program?
- Describe the length and style of the program.
- What are the costs of the program?
- What are some names and contact information of former students I can talk to about the program?
The desire and search for the “right fit” is an important part of the process
Each person seeking an enrichment, formation, or training program needs to take reasonable steps to verify the competency of any potential program. Programs vary a great deal, and there is no centralized accreditation body that verifies qualifications.Spiritual Directors International does not endorse or recommend particular enrichment, formation, or training programs. We are not a credentialing body, but rather a global learning community that supports the ministry and contemplative practice of spiritual direction around the world and across traditions.
Using the Enrichment, Formation, and Training Program Locator
The locator exists in a Google map format to allow you to find an enrichment, formation, or training program in a specific location. Search an area by “clicking, zooming, and dragging” the map, or by using drop down menus and search boxes located at the top of the map.Using the “click and drag” function on the locator is easy. Simply click on the map with your mouse and drag the map so that the location you are seeking is in the middle of the screen. A green circle with a plus sign will indicate that you will need to zoom in to display results of programs in that location. To zoom in, click on the green circle. Alternatively, you can use the compass located in the upper left-hand corner of the screen to move the map up, down, left, or right, as well as the convenient “zoom in/zoom out” bar located to the left of the map screen.
Individual starburst symbols will appear on the map when you zoom in on locations where programs exist. Programs located in that map location will be listed below the map. To access information about programs, drag your cursor over a particular starbust to activate the information.
Another easy way to locate programs in the new locator is by using the drop down menus and search function boxes located at the top of the map. There are two drop down menus and two search function boxes located at the top of the locator that perform specific functions. From left to right, the menus are “Select country” and “Select State, Province, County, Territory,” and the search boxes are “Enter your location here” and “Filter results.”
To quickly find a specific location you can use the “Enter your location here” search function box. Words that are entered into this input field will be used to quickly navigate to your location. You can type in postal codes, countries, provinces, states, cities, etc. Anything that Google understands as a location will work to navigate quickly and easily. Enter your location and click “Search.” Caution: since many places use duplicate names, you may need to search with more information.
The “Filter results” search function box can be used to narrow search results based on specific terms, such as name, spiritual affiliation, institution, city, etc. Enter a term into the input field, click “Search,” and the filter will return results in the location based on your specific criteria.
If you have suggestions or issues, please send your comments to office (at) sdiworld.org