Spiritual Guidance Training Program
Spiritual Guidance Training Program
Siena Retreat Center’s Spiritual Guidance Training Program offers preparation for the ministry of spiritual guidance (also known as spiritual direction and spiritual companioning). The program is grounded in an evolutionary worldview and a contemplative Christian approach, while also enriched by wisdom from various faith traditions. Permeating the process and content of the program are beliefs in the sacredness of all of creation and in the human experience as a place of Divine revelation.
The program beginning in January 2027 will consist of 16 weekend intensives over the course of two years. Five of these weekends will run Friday-Sunday at the Siena Retreat Center on the shores of Lake Michigan in Racine, WI. These will be in January, June, and November of 2027 and June and November of 2028.
The other weekends will be held via Zoom and you can join from a contemplative environment of your choosing. These virtual weekends will run from 9:00am-5:30pm CT on Saturday and 9:00am-12:00pm CT on Sundays. We will also meet in small groups one time between each weekend gathering. There will be multiple options for these small group meetings that you will be able to choose from as you are accepted into the program.
Graduates find Siena Retreat Center’s Spiritual Guidance Training Program to be a transformational experience. Each weekend gathering includes spiritual enrichment content and opportunities for personal reflection and integration that will prepare participants to welcome and accompany others. The program also includes a significant practicum component that includes practice within the weekends, accompanying 2 seekers monthly, session reflection forms, and individual supervision sessions with program staff. Participants will also complete readings between weekend gatherings, write five short personal reflection papers, and engage in monthly meetings with their own spiritual director.
Graduates receive a certificate of completion.
Exploring your Call to Spiritual Guidance
All applicants are required to have participated in Cultivating Curiosity: Making Heart-Centered Decisions in Transformative Times. This virtual 5-session program is designed to support participants as they navigate a significant decision – such as discerning whether the Spiritual Guidance Training Program is the right fit for them. Led by members of the SGTP team, this pre-requisite offers practical tools for discernment as well as a sense of the worldview and culture of the SGTP.
In addition to the five group sessions, this program includes an hour-long individual discernment conversation with a team member, and two designated bonus sessions to discuss questions specifically about the Spiritual Guidance Training Program.
Upcoming opportunities to participate in Cultivating Curiosity include:
Applying to SGTP
SGTP application materials are made available upon completion of Cultivating Curiosity.
The Early-Bird Application Deadline for the 2027/2028 cohort is Tuesday, June 16th, 2026. The Final Application Deadline is Tuesday, December 1, 2026.
2027 – 2028
Program Dates
Jan. 8-10, 2027 (at SRC)
Feb. 19-20, 2027
Apr. 3-4, 2027
May 8-9, 2027
Jun. 3-6, 2027 (at SRC)
Sep. 11-12, 2027
Oct. 9-10, 2027
Nov. 12-14, 2027 (at SRC)
Jan. 8-9, 2028
Feb. 19-20, 2028
Mar. 25-26, 2028
May 6-7, 2028
Jun. 8-11, 2028 (at SRC)
Sep. 9-10, 2028
Oct. 7-8, 2028
Nov. 3-5, 2028 (at SRC)
Learn More!
We would love to connect to explore with you what is drawing you to this program, answer your questions, and accompany you through your discernment process. We recognize that the program requires a significant dedication of time, energy, and finances, and thus encourage you to reach out early in your consideration of this program. The next cohort will begin in January 2027 and run through November 2028.
To receive monthly emails about the 2027/2028 program, please subscribe below!
“This past year in the SGTP has been the most spiritually growthful and deepening period in my life. There have been many other spiritually growthful periods in my life, but this one exceeds all the other ones put together.”
“The Spiritual Guidance Training Program became an unanticipated journey of transformational healing and hope. It is this hope that I now live from, through, with, and into a future that is of possibility.”
Institute for Spiritual Guidance
The Institute for Spiritual Guidance offers ongoing education and enrichment opportunities for both seasoned spiritual guides and those who have more recently completed training. Check out our upcoming workshops and retreats.
