Dublin Spiritual Direction Training 2022/2023

This spiritual direction modality of ministry is the art and craft of skilled sojourning.  Spiritual direction finds itself in a unique place among helping professions.  It is richly rooted in the history of the church, steeped in contemplative tradition, and was in its pre-modern time, the quintessential discipline for attending to matters of the interior life.  Modernity replaced this practice with the field of psychology.  While in some ways, psychological research, Freud and beyond, served the modality of spiritual direction well, the contemporary discipline of psychology has provided an ill equipped substitute for the spiritually discerning, attuned accompaniment of spiritual direction.  This course seeks to harness both, the richness of the tradition of spiritual direction as well as the contributions of object relations psychology and even more recently, interpersonal neurobiology.  For this reason, the content spans the spectrum of graduate level and popular level reading, personal prayer and reflection assignments, as well as rigorous clinical practicum (second year).  

What makes this program distinct from other offerings is its over indexing in cross-disciplinary study and an overview approach to other relevant (but less relevant) topics.  Our points of focus are curated to ministry with Christian professionals living and working in a post Christian context.  

Overview

• 2 year training program resulting in all requirements met for membership into Spiritual Directors International and Evangelical Spiritual Directors Association.  You do not have to join these organizations, but you will need to join at least one if you want to secure insurance for your spiritual direction practice.  

• In the 1st year:

   - Nine monthly 3 hour online meetings for Group Supervision (1.5 hours) followed by Book Discussion & Instruction (1.5 hours) with a brief break in between (dates and times listed below).

   - Nine monthly 1.5 hour in-person Prayer Project Reivew meetings (dates and times TBD).

   - One day cohort retreat (date and time listed below).

   - Approximately one book per month of reading due.

• In the 2nd year:

   - Nine monthly 1.5 hour online meetings for Group Supervision

   - Nine monthly 1.5 hour online prayer and reflection assignment presentations

   - At least two meetings with directees per month for 10 months.

   - You must be in personal spiritual direction

   - Discernment period between first and second year where instructors will help you determine your calling into the next year.

Meeting Dates for 2022/2023 Cohort

In-Person Cohort Retreat

Saturday, January 14, 2023 from 9:30am-5:30pm GMT

Location: Dublin, Ireland (address will be provided)

Saturdays (Group Supervision, Book Discussion & Instruction Zoom call from 5:30pm-8:30pm GMT)

2022

September 10

October 1

November 5

December 3

2023

January 14 (In Person Retreat from 9:30am-5:30pm GMT)

February 4

March 4

April 1

May 6

Mondays (Prayer Project Review In Person from 6:30-8pm GMT)

2022

September 19

October 17

November 14

December 12

2023

January (no meeting)

February 13

March 20

April 17

May 15

Individual Discernment Meetings regarding second year will take place in May and June 2023

Dates for 2023/2024 TBD by May 2023

Application

If you have questions please email julie@nuosformation.com or are ready to apply, send the following application materials by August 10 to julie@nuosformation.com

From there we will schedule an interview.  I would like to keep the cohort to 8 participants.  

Application Materials

Spiritual Autobiography (no more than 5 pages double spaced)

Answers to the following questions (approximately 100 word answers)

• What makes you interested in spiritual direction training?

• What is your understanding of what spiritual direction is?

• What is your relationship to Scripture?

• What are some books that have influenced your spiritual growth?

• What have you been saying to God lately?

Letters of Reference 

• One from a pastor or mentor

• One from someone who has benefited from your spiritual care

Cost

$2600 for each year 

Total of $5200 for entire Spiritual Direction Certificate Program

This can be paid each year or split into semester payments.  

Additional Costs:

Books: Approximately $200/year

Make up sessions for missed days $150/session

Personal spiritual direction $50-$160/month

About the Instructors

Julie Barrios

Julie Barrios has over 15 years experience as a spiritual director, supervisor and trainer of spiritual directors. She holds an MA in Spiritual Formation and Soul Care from the Institute for Spiritual Formation at Talbot School of Theology and an additional certificate in Ignation Spiritual Formation from Loyola Institute. Julie has found great joy in helping people grow in the craft of spiritual direction. With interests in art, technology, embodied spiritual practice and thoughtful ideas of all kinds, Julie weaves her interests to serve her passion of forming directors for a rapidly changing and dynamic world.

Courtney Towery

Courtney was focused on missions, serving in Mexico, when God called her to be a spiritual director before she even knew what spiritual direction was. She is so grateful He did. This call brought her to the Institute for Spiritual Formation at Talbot School of Theology for her MA in Spiritual Formation and Soul Care. ln 2006, while in school she started giving spiritual direction, became a teacher's assistant for Advanced Listening Skills, taught as an adjunct professor for Talbot's Spiritual Formation Focus, and served as a supervisor to spiritual directors. In 2009, she married her husband, Nathan, and eventually landed in the California bay area for his job in 2011. Since then, she has continued to give some spiritual direction, but mostly has been at home with her 3 young kids learning a new kind of spiritual direction through parenting.