Skip to main content

Skill Series for Spiritual Directors

Skill Series for Spiritual Directors

Learn how to deal effectively with Anger, Depression & the Dark Night, and Boredom

On Zoom 6:30 – 8:30pm EST

Mon. Mar. 3, 2025 – Anger

Mon. Mar. 17, 2025 – Depression & the Dark Night

Mon. Mar. 31, 2025 – Boredom & No Movement

Cost: $35 each or $105 for all three.

The more sessions attended, the greater the discount on our Spiritual Directors Annual Retreat on Sat. April 12, 2025 with Sr. Janice Bachmann.

Attend 1 session, get 5% off.

Attend 2 sessions, get 10% off.

Attend 3 sessions, get 15% off.

Register Here

Save the Date for our Annual Spiritual Directors Retreat on Saturday, April 12, 2025 with Sr. Janice Bachmann.

“Prayer, Intimacy and True Christian Growth”

Spiritual Directors are invited to learn in community about three common areas of challenge in the spiritual direction relationship: anger, depression and the dark night of the soul, and boredom. In each, we will consider how these states and emotions manifest in directees and in ourselves, growing our awareness and ability to navigate them with the Spirit.

 

March 3: How to Deal Effectively with Anger

Sr. Janice Bachman

Sr. Janice Bachmann will lead us in exploring what our relationship with anger is and how we might be carrying it, how anger shows up in ourselves and our directees, and how to be hospitable to it. Anger is not seen as something negative in a spiritual direction session; it’s viewed as an emotion to be understood, expressed healthily, and transformed. The role of the spiritual director is to provide the space for that transformation through prayer, reflection, and spiritual practices. For directors to ensure that our directees feel safe and accepted, we work with our own anger and learn to become centered with this natural emotion so that we can assist the directee to feel comfortable expressing it.

March 17: How to Deal Effectively with Depression and the Dark Night

Lisa Tamblyn and Sue Gage

Spiritual directors and therapists, Lisa and Sue, will help us navigate the similarities and differences between depression and the dark night of the soul. We will learn how to hold space for both, discern when mental health providers need to be contacted, and how to care for ourselves as we companion those suffering depression and/or the dark night. We will learn how to recognize spiritual and emotional needs, walk with them with compassion and care, and endure with them.

March 31: How to Deal Effectively with Boredom or No Movement

Lacy Borgo

Experiencing boredom in a spiritual direction session can happen from time to time.  Lacy will explore with us how boredom or lack of movement shows up in ourselves and in our directees, how it might be interfering with their (or our) relationship with God, and what might be prompting it. We’ll consider our expectations and internal states, the directee’s capacity, and the Spirit’s presence so that we can hold a space for them to know God and know themselves.

Facilitators

Janice Bachman, OP

Janice Bachman, O.P., a Dominican Sister of Peace from Columbus, OH, is a spiritual director and Jungian Analyst. A key area of interest for her is the convergence of analytical psychology and spirituality, and how the two disciplines and their symbols inform the process of analysis, spiritual development and becoming more whole persons. For the past 30+ years Janice has been involved in the training of spiritual directors and has offered a variety of workshops and retreats. Janice has been on the summer faculty of Creighton University’s Graduate Program in Christian Spirituality since 1997. She holds a master’s degree from Creighton University and a diploma in Analytical Psychology from the Ontario Association of Jungian Analysts, Toronto, and an MBA from Xavier University, Cincinnati.

Lisa Tamblyn-Bergman, MA, LPC

As a Spiritual Director and Mental Health Therapist, I have the sacred privilege of walking alongside people as they allow their deepest places of pain to become passageways into hope-filled abundant life. My greatest desire is for every person to live in the fullness of their unique identity, and to flourish in healthy, mutual, thriving relationships.

I have worked with many mental health and addiction organizations. It is my joy to be with people as they exercise their curiosity, explore, navigate, heal, and move into ever deepening wholeness of life. Whatever we call it, we are all on this path together somehow, and we are all deeply loved wherever we are.

FYI, when I’m not in my cozy little sanctuary, you’ll find me riding a bike, hiking, reading, golfing, wandering, or just being in nature with others.

Sue Gage, MA, LPC, Spiritual Director

Bio forthcoming!

Lacy Borgo, DMin

Lacy Finn Borgo deeply enjoys being present to others and listening to what is stirring. She teaches, provides spiritual direction and is the Student Care Coordinator for the Renovaré Institute for Spiritual Formation. Lacy also lectures on Spiritual Accompaniment with Children through the CompanioningCenter.org. She has a spiritual direction ministry for adults, and provides spiritual direction for children at Haven House, a transitional facility for families without housing. She is a member of the Renovaré Ministry Team. Lacy holds a DMin. from George Fox Evangelical Seminary and is a graduate of the Renovaré Institute for Christian Spiritual Formation. She has a Certificate in Spiritual Direction from Portland Seminary. Her supervision training is from the Mercy Center in Burlingame, CA. Her recent books are Faith Like a Child: Embracing Our Lives as Children of God, Spiritual Conversations with Children: Listening to God Together and the children’s picture book All Will Be Well. See her website for a list of other publications. Lacy lives on the Western Slope of the Rocky Mountains with her people family, plus a few delightful creatures, and one snobbish porch chicken. She worships with a local Quaker Meeting. You can find her at www.GoodDirtMinistries.org.

Register