Peer Groups
Monthly two-hour peer groups are integral to the Shalem's Spiritual Guidance: Nurturing the Call. Groups consist of three to five other persons who also offer spiritual guidance. They need not be Program participants but must be willing to follow Shalem's format for the meetings. Peer group members rotate in presenting concrete situations of one-to-one spiritual guidance in which they are involved. The primary focus of reflection is the presenter's own evolving faith life in relation to work with a directee. Shalem will provide guidelines and support for the formation and structuring of these groups. (See peer group guidelines below.) Participants are expected to attend 30 at-home presentations (15 meetings with two presentations or 30 meetings with one presentation). They are expected to present themselves five of these times.
Peer Group Guidelines: You are responsible for discernment about what peer group will best serve your needs as a spiritual director. You are also responsible for ensuring that your peer group follows Shalem's guidelines. If you are joining an existing peer group, you should be clear that you are joining as a peer. You should also ask that the group review Shalem guidelines, revisiting the spirit undergirding these guidelines, and be willing to follow the guidelines. Shalem sees the peer group process as providing spiritual direction for the presenter around a direction relationship.
Peer groups should be made up of from three to five people (in addition to oneself) who are offering spiritual guidance to individuals. They need to be willing to meet for a two-hour session once a month except for summertime. The meetings can be scheduled differently, if necessary, as long as the group meets for 30 presentations. If a group is also meeting for extended faith sharing, support for ministry, etc., it will be necessary to plan a separate time for this or to extend the length of the meeting so the time needed for presentations can be honored. The other members do not need to be Program participants, but they should be involved in giving and receiving spiritual direction. As planned, each two-hour meeting begins with prayer led by the convenor. After this, one of the members presents a spiritual direction relationship (for about 15 minutes), followed by a few minutes of silent prayerful reflection, and then the group responds for about one-half hour. After a brief break, another member presents, again followed by silent reflection and discussion. The meeting closes with a brief processing time and ending prayer. Members of the group alternate as presenters and convenors; convenors keep track of the time during each meeting.
We encourage participants to form peer groups that are as heterogeneous as possible in terms of age, denomination, sex, clergy/laity, etc., because such a mix leads to a much richer process. We understand, however, that in certain geographic areas this type of mix may not be possible. If you are unaware of other people in your area who are giving and receiving spiritual direction or guidance, you may find it valuable to check with convents, monasteries, and retreat centers for suggestions. Since "spiritual direction" or even "spiritual guidance" are still somewhat foreign terms in certain denominations and areas, you also might want to check with pastors of local churches to see if they can identify people who seem called to be personal companions for others in their spiritual journeys, to whom people seem to come to talk about their experiences of God, practices of prayer and meditation, and discernment of how God's spirit seems to be working and inviting them in their lives. It has been our experience that such people can be found just about everywhere. Though some might feel it presumptuous to call themselves "spiritual directors," they usually are willing to admit that they do seem to have been called to at least be "spiritual friends," and that they do offer support and guidance to others. It has also been our experience that most people who offer spiritual direction, either formally or informally, are very grateful to have an opportunity to meet in a group such as this where they can share and reflect upon their experience and grow together in this ministry.
Once you are accepted into the program, Shalem will send you a detailed set of peer group guidelines and a CD of a sample peer group meeting. We try to be very specific in helping these groups get going, because we feel the group's atmosphere is very important to the overall process of the Program. For example, we encourage a prayerful, open attitude in the meetings in contrast to psychological "case presentation" analysis or "theological discussion." We hope that the meetings will assume the nature of spiritual direction for the presenter, so we encourage presenters to present themselves in relation to a directee rather than presenting a directee. We feel it is very important that the members of the group be able to pray quietly together, to share their faith experiences with each other, and grow in trust so they can com-fortably ask each other personal questions about prayer and experiences of grace and of God.
After the group has begun, and before the first residency, we request a tape of one group meeting in which the Program participant is presenting. We will then provide suggestions and feedback about the process of the group. Peer groups will also be formed among participants at each residency; this will provide additional help and understanding for the conduct of the at-home groups. We hope that the at-home peer group will provide a rich and ongoing source of support and supervision for its members long after the Program is over.
If you would like to apply for this program or need additional information, contact Christine Jeffrey This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it the Program Registrar at 301-897-7334 x209 or download the application form (PDF) now.