Training & Ethics

Spiritual Directors of Manitoba offers a framework of support and accountability to our practitioners. As such, all Spiritual Directors listed in the directory are required to pay a small user fee to be listed, and attest to standards of Training and Ethics as recognized by Spiritual Directors Manitoba. Attestations are required annually at the time of directory listing renewals, before fees are collected.

Information collected for the directory is intended for public access for use in finding a Spiritual Director in Manitoba. Information is not used for marketing and is not sold or transferred to external organizations.

Training
The Spiritual Directors in the directory must attest to having completed supervised training at a recognized training centre and list it in their profile. Recognized Spiritual Direction training centres provide opportunities for learning from within a variety of faith or interfaith traditions, to cultivate practices of deep listening and spiritual presence. Recognized training centres include provisions for supervised practice within the training that was provided; upon program completion, Directors must engage in individual or peer supervision on a regular basis. Spiritual Directors of Manitoba also encourages ongoing networking or training to maintain professional skills development.

While psychology and trauma-informed wellness practices may be part of some types of Spiritual Direction training, Spiritual Directors do not provide psycho-therapy unless licensed to do so through other accrediting bodies and they are providing services under that recognized profession. Otherwise, Spiritual Direction training is not psycho-therapy nor do Spiritual Directors provide psycho-therapy.

Ethics
The practice of Spiritual Direction is an unregulated profession. While neither is a licensing body, Spiritual Directors of Manitoba follows guidelines as set forth by Spiritual Directors International.

Spiritual Directors must commit to following the Guidelines for Ethical Conduct created by Spiritual Directors International. These ethical practices embrace a wide range of denominational affiliations, faith traditions, and theologies. Spiritual Directors of Manitoba, along with SDI, recognizes that cultural and environmental factors may require these guidelines to be contextualized for different types of spiritual direction experiences. Find the Guidelines for Ethical Conduct here:

Guidelines for Ethical Conduct – Spiritual Directors International

Spiritual Directors of Manitoba encourages Directors to review ethical guidelines as well as a privacy policies and other conduct or engagement agreements with Directees to clarify roles and responsibilities. Find a sample service agreement here:

Sample: Spiritual Direction Services Agreement

A Message For Directees
It is the responsibility of the person seeking a spiritual director to assess carefully the qualifications of the directors they are considering. This list is not accreditation or credentialing. The information supplied in the directory is provided by individuals themselves. It is checked annually by Spiritual Directors of Manitoba. Spiritual Directors of Manitoba does not provide training, certification, or credentials for spiritual directors, chaplains or life coaches. Spiritual Directors of Manitoba does not recommend or endorse any listed members. By accessing and using this list, Directees accept responsibility for interviewing and selecting a suitable Spiritual Director and agree that Spiritual Directors of Manitoba is not responsible for actions which occur between Director and Directee.