Now accepting applications for the Cherry Hill Seminary Spiritual Direction Certificate
Cohort 5 begins March 2026.
You feel the call to tend souls in difficult times. Maybe you're watching friends struggle with spiritual hunger while their traditions no longer fit. Maybe you're a helping professional who senses something is missing from your toolkit—a way to honor the sacred dimensions of healing. Maybe you're navigating your own midlife transition and feeling called to a second career of deep meaning. You know people need spiritual companions now more than ever. Companions who can hold space for earth-honoring practices, for justice work, for the complex realities of contemporary spiritual seeking. But you wonder: Am I qualified for this? Do I have what it takes? Where do I even begin?
Schedule a Discernment Call
Class of '28 (cohort 5) begins March 4, 2026. The following cohort of learners will likely start March 2027. Get your application in by February 15. Spiritual Direction Certificate Program page. Schedule a no-pressure discovery call to explore whether this program aligns with your calling.
Cherry Hill Seminary Spiritual Direction Certificate
A 24-Month Formation for Multi-religious Spiritual Companioning
What is Spiritual Direction Work?
Spiritual direction work is the practice of sacred listening and accompaniment. It’s a relational, contemplative process in which one person companions another—or a group—as they explore their lived relationship with the sacred. The goal is not to diagnose, fix, or convert, but to witness, wonder, and support meaning-making.
At its heart, spiritual direction honors the whole person—body, story, culture, and spirit—and invites spaciousness for discernment, transformation, and healing. It is a practice rooted in humility, consent, curiosity, and love.
Spiritual direction work asks the companion to show up not as an expert, but as a presence: someone attuned to the sacred in and around the seeker, and skilled in holding space where silence, mystery, laughter, doubt, longing, and revelation are all welcome.
Who This Program Is Really For
- Feel genuinely called to spiritual companioning (not just curious about it)
- Have an established personal spiritual practice
- Are emotionally regulated enough to hold space for others
- Value consent-based, non-coercive approaches to spiritual work
- Want to serve Pagan, earth-based, multi-faith, UU, or justice-oriented communities
- Are ready to commit to 24 months of deep formation work
- Pagan and UU leaders
- Unaffiliated seekers
- Helping professionals (chaplains, therapists, tattoo artists, etc.)
- Disabled or neurodiverse practitioners
Who This Program Is Not For
- Are looking for quick credentials without personal formation
- Expect to fix or convert people rather than witness them
- Are in the midst of acute personal crisis that would prevent you from showing up for others
- Want a purely academic study of religion without relational practice
- Aren't comfortable with earth-based or multi-religious approaches
"This program has invited me, over and over again, to ask Why Am I Talking, and to be more aware of the Witness that I am and practice intentional witnessing with seekers."
Why This Approach Works
Unlike programs that focus solely on technique, we begin with the truth that you are already whole, holy, and worthy. Your formation as a spiritual companion isn't about fixing yourself first: it's about deepening your capacity to witness that wholeness in others.
We ground this work in three sources of wisdom:
Moon: The wisdom you receive from teachers, traditions, and practicesForest: The wisdom that emerges from relationships and communityBone: Your own inner wisdom and self-trust, consent guides everything we do
This isn't a one-size-fits-all program. You'll be working with seekers from earth-based traditions, from no tradition at all, from mixed backgrounds, from experiences of trauma and marginalization. We prepare you for the actual complexity of contemporary spiritual companioning—not an idealized version of it.
And we do this in community. Because relationships build empathy and transform people. You'll be learning alongside others who share your commitment to justice, consent, and authentic presence.What You'll Experience
This 24-month online certificate is rooted in the belief that all people are whole, holy, and worthy—and that spiritual companionship is a sacred, ethical practice of deep listening and presence. Designed for those called to accompany others on their spiritual journeys, the curriculum unfolds over four semesters, each building on the last to foster both personal formation and practical skill.
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Semester 1 nurtures your inner grounding through contemplative practice, theological reflection, and the cultivation of spiritual presence.
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Semester 2 explores diverse spiritual traditions, decolonizing frameworks, and justice-rooted approaches to spiritual direction.
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Semester 3 weaves in wisdom from psychology, trauma awareness, and somatic and expressive tools for working with seekers in many life situations.
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Semester 4 focuses on integrating your skills through supervised practice, case studies, group direction, and tools for sustainable, ethical vocation.
What's Included
This 24-month journey includes:Four Semesters of Learning
- Live virtual classes meeting twice monthly
- Recorded content to fit into your schedule
- Reading and reflection assignments
- Integration practices between sessions
- See the full curriculum DETAILS HERE.
Supervised Practice
- Beginning in Year 2, you'll companion actual seekers
- Individual supervision with credentialled supervisors
- Group praxis and supervision for peer learning
- Case study presentations
Cohort Community
- A virtual learning community of up to 14 international students
- Peer practice partnerships
- Shared accountability and support throughout the program
Diverse Faculty
- Teachers from Pagan, Indigenous, Catholic, Sufi, Animist, and other traditions
- Guest presenters on specialized topics
- Access to a rich network of spiritual direction practitioners
Program Materials
- Curated readings from multiple traditions
- Audio and video resources
- Templates and frameworks for your emerging practice
If You Feel Drawn to Sacred Tending
Maybe you're exploring a second career that actually aligns with your values. Maybe you're a helping professional who senses something is missing, a way to honor the sacred without imposing your own beliefs. Maybe you're experiencing your own spiritual transition and feeling called to help others navigate theirs.
Your experience in counseling, healthcare, education, or community organizing has already honed your capacity for deep listening. The world needs more spiritual companions who understand that wholeness isn't something to achieve, it's something to witness. Companions who can tend souls in difficult times without trying to fix or convert them. Companions who understand that relationships build empathy and transform people."I came into this program very unsure of my academic abilities...but last week I spent a week with 21 other spiritual directors and at no point did my 'not enoughness' show up.I spoke with a new graduate of SD from another program and they were not taught anything about marketing and she feels like a fish without water...I have been able to work through all the guilt and negative feelings around selling myself." -Kym (Class of '25)
About Rev. Amy Beltaine
 | I'm a UU minister with an MDiv from Meadville Lombard School for the Ministry and 15 years of experience as a spiritual director. I've accompanied seekers through earth-based practices, major life transitions, discernment processes, and the complex intersections of spirituality and justice work. Beyond my work as a spiritual companion, I serve on the coordinating team for UU Spiritual Direction Network (uusdn.org). I completed my own spiritual direction training through Namaste and supervision training with the Lucy Abbot Tucker method. I have been supervising spiritual companions since 2020. |
You are whole, holy, and worthy. Begin your journey to bloom.
Rev. Amy Beltaine
Investment
Not included in tuition:- One additional workshop or training of your choosing (typically $0-500)- Your personal spiritual director/supervisor sessions outside the program (typically $50-135/session)
Outcomes
During the program you will grow your clarity, develop your confidence, and learn to hold sacred space. Upon completion, you will become a credentialed Spiritual Companion, recognized by Cherry Hill Seminary and grounded in the professional standards of spiritual direction ethics and practice. You will be equipped to offer professional spiritual tending. This certification opens pathways to serve in various settings. You’ll be prepared to offer spiritual direction in one-on-one or group settings, support seekers through transitions and discernment, and bring contemplative presence into your existing work, spiritual community, or new vocation.
"I came in all stuck in my head and thinking I would add to my credentials...Now it seems much more of a flow with life and what comes my way. I am much less attached to outcomes, and this goes for time with Seekers as well. My spirit has been quieted by this experience and is ready to sit and be present to that of another person." -Tracy(class of '24)
At a Glance:
✓ 24-month online certificate program
✓ Rolling admissions, 8 to 14 students per cohort
✓ Cohort 5 begins March 4, 2026
✓ Four semesters of formation + supervised practice
✓ Diverse teachers from multiple wisdom traditions
✓ Trauma-aware, consent-based, justice-rooted approach
✓ Credentialed by Cherry Hill Seminary
✓ Applications close February 15, 2026 (or when cohort fills)
✓ Investment: $125/month
How to Apply
- Schedule a Discovery Call
Begin with a no-pressure conversation to explore whether this program aligns with your calling and life situation. https://SpiritualTendingWithAmy.as.me/SpiDirInquiry - Submit Your Application
If we're both sensing a good fit, you'll submit:
- A completed application form
- Two short essays exploring your spiritual journey and what draws you to this work
- Two letters of reference from people who know your spiritual practice and relational capacity
Go here: https://cherryhillseminary.org/academics/admissions-overview/apply-to-spiritual-direction-certificate/ to apply - Admissions Interview
We'll meet for a deeper conversation about your readiness, your hopes, and how this program can serve your unfolding path.
Applications close February 15, 2026, or when the cohort fills (6 spots remaining).
Ready to Begin?
Not sure if this is right for you?
Schedule a Discernment Call
We'll explore your calling, your questions, and whether this program aligns with where you are.
Ready to apply?
Begin Your Application
Submit your application, essays, and references. Early applications are encouraged.
Know someone else who may be called to this work? Please share this invitation.
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