Interspiritual Companioning & Counseling
We believe that the many faith traditions and spiritual paths share a common commitment to uplifting universal values of love, compassion, and service.
Our goal is to support you in developing your own spiritual beliefs and practices, while giving you the tools to support others along their spiritual journey.
Make positive change in the world through One Spirit’s Interspiritual Companioning & Counseling program.
THE NEXT COHORT BEGINS SEPTEMBER 2024.
THERE’S STILL TIME TO JOIN US > APPLICATIONS CLOSE 10/19/24!
Program Snapshot
Program Length: 9.5 months, September - June
Format: Online, every other Saturday
Classes: 11:00AM ET - 5 PM ET, 130 live class hours
Start of Classes: September 7 & 8 2024
Additional Engagement: Concentrations on 3 topics for deeper engagement of applied interspirituality
Tuition Levels: Fair Share Tuition
Electives: minimum 3 credits per year
Why Study with One Spirit
One Spirit is widely recognized as a respected leader in the field of Interfaith Interspiritual Companioning & Counseling, with over 20 years of demonstrated excellence in spiritual and transformative education. Your certificate with us demonstrates the professional skills and ethical standards of the highest quality and places you at the forefront of the field.
Interspiritual Companioning & Counseling Program Overview
Our program is at the forefront of the interspiritual and interfaith movement. It provides the best spiritual education for agents of change in our world. It’s grounded in the understanding that there is a core spirituality that transcends differences in our beliefs, backgrounds, and life experiences.
Thus, as you study to develop your skills as a Spiritual Counselor in our professional development program, you will participate in heart-centered, intellectually stimulating learning experiences that enhance your skills in Interspiritual Companioning and Counseling.
An interspiritual focus gives you the opportunity to support clients of any background, making it the most open, inclusive, and loving approach.
Our program is not only for those who may be seeking to build a private practice in interspiritual companioning & counseling, but also for individuals working in complementary fields such as social work, mental health, holistic wellness, education, and health care.
Students in a variety of careers have found great value in professional development that enhances their ability to support others in ways that honor their full humanity and spiritual journey, including counselors, nonprofit professionals, community advocates, psychologists, teachers, art therapists, public servants, yoga and movement instructors, human resource specialists, energy workers, clergy, medical practitioners, and those who may be transitioning from other fields.
“We have discovered that spiritual companioning is a humbling path. We are humbled by your journey and the privilege of traveling alongside you. As you descend and climb, we are honored to hold the lantern. In the doing and the being, spiritual counseling is itself a spiritual practice, connecting us to the All That Is as we walk with you.”
- Excerpt from Lyena Strelkoff’s 2023 Commencement address.
Lyena is a One Spirit Interspiritual Companioning and Counseling Program graduate, class of 2022. With a passion for guiding others on their spiritual journeys, Lyena's commencement speech is an inspiring testament to the transformative power of compassion and connection. Listen to Lyena’s full reflection on Interspiritual Companioning & Counseling on the One Spirit Blog and be inspired!
The Interspiritual Companioning and Counseling Program (ISCC)
Real World Experience
What good is your knowledge if you can’t apply it? First you’ll hone your interspiritual companioning and counseling skills through our informative classes, engaging interactive exercises, reflective group discussions, and class practicums. Then you’ll apply your new skills with pro-bono clients under the skilled supervision of our faculty. You’ll graduate our program with experience.
Spiritual Growth
In order to help others grow, you’ll need to develop your own spirituality. Our program helps your spirit flourish with reflective exercises and discussions, peer group meetings, private companioning sessions, and one-on-one mentoring.
Self Care
We know the risks of working to serve others and our program will ensure that you don’t burn out. You’ll learn to serve others in a sustainable, effective way. Learn to take care of yourself and prioritize self care. This necessary practice keeps you energized and able to serve more people over time with greater effectiveness and compassion.
Community
One Spirit’s program developed an intercultural spiritual community where people of different cultures develop authentic relationships through shared experience and open communication. Our community exhibits openness, mutual respect, empathy, and a willingness to challenge assumptions. These traits will enable you to hold space for your clients better.
Skill Development
You’ll learn how to listen deeply, how to facilitate spiritual growth, and how to embody sacred presence and service for your clients.
“The ISCC program gave me the confidence and skills to enter a whole new and amazing phase of my work with others. My time in the program helped bring a sense of grounding and clarity in my own gifts that I’d never thought possible.”
- Jay Waxenerg
Training Program Director,
Center for Medicinal Mindfulness
Here is what you’ll gain in our program:
Develop your confidence as an Interspiritual Counselor or Companion
Learn to be truly present and authentic with yourself and with your clients
Listen deeply and improve your listening skills
Become an effective spiritual change agent for the world
Grow your own spirituality so that you can help others do the same
Spiritual Interspiritual Companioning & Counseling Curriculum
Essential Interspiritual Companioning and Spiritual Counseling Skills
Learn key concepts and practices that are fundamental to serving as a skilled Interspiritual Companion/Counselor. These practices will be integrated throughout ISCC, with the aim of promoting continual learning and skill development:
understanding interspirituality
maintaining a personal practice
sacred inquiry
listening
shadow work
cultural competency
self care
Through One Spirit’s Interspiritual Companioning and Counseling program, you will develop five foundational competencies:
Commitment to Personal Interspirituality
Embodiment of Sacred Presence and Service
Active Respect and Inclusion of Others
Cultivation of Personal Ethical Behavior
Facilitation of Spiritual Growth
In support of these 5 spiritual companioning & counseling competencies, you will engage in several other specific areas of study, including the following.
Awareness and Engagement
Explore how to authentically engage your clients with a perspective of wholeness, self-awareness, and connection.
Engagement only works with keen awareness of appropriate ethical boundaries and power dynamics in companioning and counseling relationships. You’ll learn to identify these boundaries and dynamics so that you can effectively manage them in your work.
Handling Common Issues in Interspiritual Companioning and Counseling
We want to ensure that you are able to handle the most common client scenarios with confidence. This will give you the skills you need to engage fully in these circumstances. These include:
life transitions
relationships as healing
grief and loss
forgiveness
work-related stress
seeking clarity about one’s purpose.
Students will also engage in practices that can be used to companion others in supportive, culturally responsive ways when these issues emerge.
Practical Client Tools
Students will be introduced to a variety of tools and methods designed to assist those they companion. You will learn tools that will support your spiritual counseling clients to:
connect with their inner wisdom, intuition, and authentic selves
inviting Divine guidance and assistance
deepening their experience of the Sacred
embracing their wholeness
Supporting Your Practice
In addition, our program will help you apply your skills in various professional roles and provide guidance on establishing a private practice and in doing group work.
“It is not our differences that divide us. It is our inability to recognize, accept, and celebrate those differences.”
— Audre Lorde
“The ISC Interspiritual Counseling Program at One Spirit Learning Alliance has added a whole new dimension to my life. It has literally transformed who I am and how I show up in the world. “
- Nancy Dominique Dessables
City University of New York Interfaith Counsel
Social Worker, Spiritual Counselor
Interspiritual Companioning & Counseling Certificate Requirements
Students are awarded a Certificate as an Interspiritual Companion and Counselor after the successful completion of the curriculum, concentration track, and final certificate review. Together these components take one year to complete.
Curriculum
All Interspiritual Companioning & Counseling students will complete the curriculum, which consists of
23 live classes that are held every other Saturday.
eLearning modules featuring video and audio presentations, reflective exercises, and homework assignments that prepare students for each live class.
3 or more credits of electives to deepen areas of concentration and interest.
Monthly peer study group meetings.
Monthly supervision with a program supervisor.
Participation in individual interspiritual companioning sessions facilitated by a One Spirit-approved practitioner.
Developing, maintaining, and following a self-care plan.
Conducting interspiritual companioning or interspiritual counseling sessions with assigned pro-bono clients.
Applied Interspiritual Companioning
We also include three Concentration focuses for deeper development of Interspiritual Companioning and Spiritual Counseling skills and how they can be applied not only in a spiritual companioning practice but also broader applications in serving others. The topics were selected based on the feedback of our community as how to best prepare students to meet the current, most pressing challenges in the world.
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We understand there is a spiritual dimension to our present ecological crisis. For too long we have neglected or viewed Nature as a resource to do with as we saw fit. A new worldview is dawning upon us, though: We are integral to the health and well-being of all life. How then, do we reconnect with what we feel we have lost, or never connected with in the first place? How can we recognize the interconnectedness of all life?
This concentration will provide an experiential journey into Nature as Spirit manifest in the world. Eco-Spirituality will guide us in seeing the cosmic journey we are all on, so that we may be spiritual guides companioning other seekers to realize this journey.
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In this concentration, participants will explore the history, diverse concepts, and practical application of Spiritual Activism. Through a multicultural lens, the exploration will examine its origins, the relationship with standard forms of faith and spirituality, and how it has evolved from the late 19th century to the present.
Participants will explore the art of Interspiritual companioning and spiritual counseling through the lens of spiritual activism. They will consider how spiritual activism contributes to societal transformation in a personal context, one on one companioning or counseling, or working in group settings.
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The workplace has, for many, become a profane space led by a singular, bottom-line focus. We have a sense that discussions of faith are not welcome (at best) or illegal (at worst). And yet, inherent within the gathering of humans is the creative potential of the sacred.
This concentration examines the variety of ways that are emerging within the workplace to engage with the fullness of the spiritual lives of workers.
During this concentration, we will discuss the various intersections between spiritual companioning and elements of the workplace. For example management theory, diversity, working in teams, leadership, influencing, sustainability, mentoring, and more.
We will also explore our own personal development as spiritually mature leaders working to navigate the ineffable.
Final Certificate Review
The final certificate review ensure each student meets the program competencies, has satisfactorily completed all coursework, and is fully prepared to serve as an effective interspiritual companion & counselor.
Qualifications for enrollment
We are committed to diversity and welcome all qualified adults to apply. All applicants are given full consideration regardless of age, gender identity, race, religion, ethnic background, national origin, socioeconomic status, disability, sexual orientation, or any other characteristic protected by law.
Each applicant will be assessed individually, and acceptance into the program is based on alignment with the program’s interspiritual perspective and program objectives, as well as personal engagement with a deepening spiritual maturity.
Additional Requirements
English fluency: All course materials are in the English language. As a result, written and spoken English fluency is required.
Technology: A computer or laptop with a webcam, microphone and stable internet connection are needed to participate in online classes and meetings via Zoom. You will also need them to access the online student portal (ClanEd) for course communications and learning content.
How much does the Interspiritual Companioning & Counseling program cost?
Choose Your Own Fair Share Tuition
Yes, choose your own! Once accepted into the Interspiritual Companioning & Counseling program, you’ll be asked to choose your tuition level from eight options based on your desire for positive change and your financial situation.
There’s no application for financial aid and no proof of income; just you in a discernment process with yourself about the value of your education in the context of your financial well-being.
We ask that you select the highest amount below that you can afford with well-being, as an investment in yourself and the positive change you will bring to our world. The pricing options in our Fair Share Tuition model ensure that people from all backgrounds can afford our world-class education while ensuring the most diverse class possible.
See the chart below for the levels to choose from.
ISCC Tuition
Generous payment plans available for all levels.
Sponsorship Levels:
Choosing a level above Full Tuition will ensure an economically diverse cohort and you’ll receive a tax-deductible contribution for the difference over the full tuition.
$10,500
$9,500
$8,500
Full Tuition:
This is what it costs One Spirit to educate one student for one year.
$7,900
Subsidized levels:
Every level below full tuition is offset by generous donations from graduates and sponsorship level students.
$6,900
$6,200
$5,200
Subsidized level:
This level is capped at 25% of total enrollment and is intended for students needing the most assistance with at least half of enrollments reserved for BIPOC students.
$3,900
Included in Tuition
Practicums
Private Pro-Bono Clients
in-class Practica
Not Included
Personal Monthly Spiritual Companioning
General Program
130+ Live Class hours
Individual & Group Work
Individual Supervision
One-on-One Support
Monthly Feedback
Elective Workshops
18 to 24 hours of special interest training
Get in touch and learn more about the Interspiritual Companioning & Counseling program.
Your journey with us as an Interspiritual Companion and Counselor starts here. We want to get to know you, your needs, your strengths, and your spiritual goals.
When we meet, we’ll answer your questions about our program as well as help in your discernment by asking thoughtful, reflective questions.
There is no obligation or commitment, and we look forward to personally connecting with you.
"The devastation and isolation of the COVID Pandemic inspired me to reconnect with One Spirit so that I could become an effective Spiritual presence for my personal community and others who may seek professional Spiritual Counseling. I have become a Spiritual Listener in all my relationships and experiences."
—Salima Ira Swain
Spiritual Counselor
Elderly Advocate, ACIM Facilitator