Reflections from a SIP Training

I am a senior pastoral counselor and Coordinator of the Turner Ministry Resource Center at the Pastoral Institute in Columbus, Georgia. I have been a therapist for 36 years and was a Diplomate in AAPC.

In 2018 the Pastoral Institute Board of Directors initiated an effort to strengthen training in spiritually integrated psychotherapy for our clinical staff. The Pastoral Institute Board realized that while our clinicians were (and are) persons of deep faith, many of them had little to no training in how to use their faith or their client’s faith as part of the healing process. The Board recognized the incongruity of a faith-based practice with those who were unable to use their own nor the client’s faith as a resource.

In response to that initiative, I was trained to lead (and began leading) a SERT group for therapists at the Pastoral Institute. SERT stands for Spiritual-Experiential-Religious-Theological, and our SERT group is both a training and a reflection group. I have been meeting with this group now for three years.

Meanwhile, I was aware of efforts being made by colleagues in AAPC, and now ACPE, to develop a Spiritually Integrated Psychotherapy (SIP) program. I am a firm believer in docetic learning, i.e. you best learn that which you must teach. I wanted to improve my own skills in spiritually integrated psychotherapy, so in 2020, I applied to become an ACPE SIP Trainer.

In late 2020, through early 2021, I led my first SIP training here at the Pastoral Institute, via Zoom. I “recruited” eight experienced counselors. Five of them are present PI clinicians. Two were previous PI clinicians whom I had supervised. One was a long- term friend and colleague. It was a joy to connect or re-connect with each of them through the SIP training curriculum. It was rewarding to see the developing sense of community around the issues. It was a growth process for each of us.

My experience? I am a strong IT guy. By IT I mean Ignorant Technologically. I needed the tech support from ACPE. I needed tech support from our Graphics and Media Specialist. There were the usual log in problems, audio problems, and video problems.  Sometimes the slides just didn’t “slide.” But it was a cooperative learning experience and a joy throughout.

This past Monday, the five PI therapists who completed the SIP training were in the SERT group, along with some other clinicians. We focused on a case I presented, a case raising issues of healthy and harmful faith and spirituality. Working with harmful spirituality is one of the ten core competencies of the SIP Training. Because of the participation of the five previously SIP trained, the conversation was deeper, more focused, more thoughtful, and more productive. There was a noticeable increase in the “faith competency” of those with the SIP Training. They also lifted the conversation for those who had not been trained in SIP. Indeed, a rising tide did lift all boats!

If you are considering either becoming a trainer or becoming a participant I would encourage you to do so. Consider it a gift to yourself and to others.