Interfaith/Interspiritual Wisdom Training
January 16 - May 15, 2024
A 5-month distance learning (online) program
Taught by Rev. John Chang-Yee Lee, DMin
If you are interested in learning how to engage, support and offer spiritual encouragement to people of other traditions, this program is for you.
This one-of-a-kind training program is for people in the caring professions: spiritual directors, educators, social workers, therapists, life coaches, chaplains, spiritual and secular community leaders, and more. Completion of the 5-month, online program results in a certificate in Interfaith/Interspiritual Competence. This will prepare you to engage, support and offer spiritual encouragement to seekers of various religious, spiritual and ethical traditions.
Our pedagogy focuses on the exploration of the world's religions and prominent spiritual movements through an interfaith/interspiritual lens, and the many ways spirituality is being experienced today, including the growing tide of Spiritual Independents. This approach helps us deepen our knowledge of how individuals experience the Sacred in their own unique ways. Over time, this leads to an unfolding awareness that beneath each tradition runs a river of ultimate truth shared by many.
Program Structure:
As a cohort, we will grow and learn together in an online format (one learning module every two weeks) and engage with companions from numerous traditions in a variety of ways. Our instruction includes written, audio, video and "real time" interaction with one another via Zoom and a private weblog. Students create a final project based on their own needs with faculty input and approval to complete their training.
In this 5-month intensive, we go deep into our inner lives and learn with and from the voices in our texts, guest speakers, peer group, and seekers of the major traditions (and none). We learn how to root out any vestiges of religious privilege we might hold so we can be compassionately present to others, while remaining faithful to our own traditions.
Upon completing the program requirements, a student will receive a certificate in "Interfaith/Interspiritual Competence" from the Spiritual Guidance Training Institute.
"I am not the same person I was when I began the journey with SGTI and it continues to unfold daily. All the elements of the program wove together and opened me to new inner landscapes as I explored new faiths/traditions and cultures. Truly a life changing experience for me."
~ E. R. Psychotherapist & Spiritual Director, Texas, USA
Program requirements:
To receive the "Certificate in Interfaith/Interspiritual Competence" students must demonstrate completion and mastery of:
10 learning modules (2 per month)
7 group sessions (online, using Zoom)
Maintain a regular contemplative practice
Reading, papers and projects as assigned (8-10 hrs. of study per week)
Creatively complete a final project
2023 Program Fee:
5-month training program is $1350
This includes:
• 5-mos. of online training (10 modules)
• 7 group learning sessions via Zoom
• Small group study pods via Zoom
**Does not include $50 (non-fundable application fee).
Additional fees not included in program fee: books, occasional online downloads of streaming videos per our curriculum.
Payment Schedule:
Upon acceptance: Tuition downpayment of $250
1/1/2024: Balance of tuition due $1100
Payment Options
Venmo or PayPal (extra 3% charge) accepted. For those in need of a payment plan, please inquire.
Other Policies and Fees
The directors will work individually with participants should they fall behind in payments, miss class, cancel their participation, postpone participation, are asked to leave the program, or if any extenuating circumstance arises that requires a change in payment. However, if a participant withdraws from the program, and a scheduled payment has been made, no refunds will be given for that payment.
Should you have any questions or concerns regarding these policies, please contact us.
"The camaraderie, vulnerability and depth of insight of my fellow course participants and our leaders over 5 months were a gift to me. Overall a precious shared experience."
~ Kathy Cave, Spiritual Director, Sydney, Australia
"SGTI’s Interfaith/Interspiritual WisdomTraining was a major event in my life. The instructors have an uncanny ability to bring out the best in people and create a group process where we all brought out the best in each other. The structure of the program allows for deepening questions to arise through the readings, reflections and the relationships that are built with fellow cohort members."
~ L.G. Spiritual Director, Maryland, USA
I thoroughly enjoyed diving in some depth into various religions with a diverse and collegial group of scholars from around the world. I learned a great deal from our sensitive and knowledgeable leaders, and from the materials we reviewed and discussed. I deeply appreciated the various perspectives brought to bear by each participant, and the compassion and sensitivity that everyone, staff and student alike, maintained as we explored our differences and similarities. I went through this course while also in training to teach Intentional Creativity® -a form of deep self exploration through painting. The processes complimented each other and I found much of our spiritual study informing my painting. I highly recommend "Interfaith and Interspiritual Wisdom Training.”
~ Sharon Handy, retired family physician, spiritual seeker, and artist.