Interspiritual Companioning & Counseling
Interspiritual Companioning & Counseling
One Spirit’s Interspiritual Companioning & Counseling program is a 9-month program designed for those who feel called to support others with presence, wisdom, and care. Here, we don’t train fixers—we cultivate sacred listeners, spiritual allies, and companions on the journey of the soul.
Rooted in the belief that all authentic spiritual paths uplift universal values like compassion, love, and service, this program invites you to deepen your own spiritual grounding while learning how to hold space for others with profound presence and grace.
As a student, you’ll engage in transformational learning experiences that are both heart-centered and intellectually rigorous. You'll develop practical tools for interspiritual counseling and spiritual companioning, and become part of a community that honors diversity of belief while revealing the shared essence at the core of all traditions.
This is more than a program. It’s a movement—one that prepares you to be a trusted presence in a world hungry for connection, meaning, and healing.
The ISCC Program
One Spirit is widely recognized as a respected leader in the field of Interfaith Interspiritual Companioning & Counseling, with over 20 years of demonstrated excellence in spiritual and transformative education. Your certificate with us demonstrates the professional skills and ethical standards of the highest quality and places you at the forefront of the field.
Our program is at the forefront of the interspiritual and interfaith movement. It provides the best spiritual education for agents of change in our world. It’s grounded in the understanding that there is a core spirituality that transcends differences in our beliefs, backgrounds, and life experiences.
As you study to develop your skills as a Spiritual Counselor in our professional development program, you will participate in heart-centered, intellectually stimulating learning experiences that enhance your skills in Interspiritual Companioning and Counseling.
An interspiritual focus gives you the opportunity to support clients of any background, making it the most open, inclusive, and loving approach.
Who Is The ISCC Program For?
Those seeking to build a private practice in interspiritual companioning & counseling,
Work in complementary fields, such as:
social work
mental health
holistic wellness
education
health care
human resources
Students in a variety of careers have found great value in professional development that enhances their ability to support others in ways that honor their full humanity and spiritual journey, including:
counselors
nonprofit professionals
community advocates
psychologists
teachers
art therapists
public servants
yoga and movement instructors
human resource specialists
energy workers
clergy
medical practitioners
and those who may be transitioning from other fields.
“The ISCC program gave me the confidence and skills to enter a whole new and amazing phase of my work with others. My time in the program helped bring a sense of grounding and clarity in my own gifts that I’d never thought possible.”
- Jay Waxenerg
Training Program Director,
Center for Medicinal Mindfulness
The ISCC Curriculum
Through One Spirit’s Interspiritual Companioning and Counseling program, you will develop five foundational competencies:
Commitment to Personal Interspirituality
Embodiment of Sacred Presence and Service
Active Respect and Inclusion of Others
Cultivation of Personal Ethical Behavior
Facilitation of Spiritual Growth
In support of these 5 spiritual companioning & counseling competencies, you will engage in several other specific areas of study below.
Interspiritual Companioning & Counseling Certificate Requirements
Students are awarded a Certificate as an Interspiritual Companion and Counselor after the successful completion of the curriculum, concentration track, and final certificate review. Together, these components take one year to complete.
All Interspiritual Companioning & Counseling students will complete the curriculum, which consists of
23 live classes that are held every other Saturday.
eLearning modules featuring video and audio presentations, reflective exercises, and homework assignments that prepare students for each live class.
3 or more credits of electives to deepen areas of concentration and interest.
Monthly peer study group meetings.
Monthly supervision with a program supervisor.
Participation in individual interspiritual companioning sessions facilitated by a One Spirit-approved practitioner.
Developing, maintaining, and following a self-care plan.
Conducting interspiritual companioning or interspiritual counseling sessions with assigned pro-bono clients.
Essential Interspiritual Companioning and Spiritual Counseling Skills
Learn key concepts and practices that are fundamental to serving as a skilled Interspiritual Companion/Counselor. These practices will be integrated throughout ISCC, with the aim of promoting continual learning and skill development:
understanding interspirituality
maintaining a personal practice
sacred inquiry
listening
shadow work
cultural competency
self care
Supporting Your Practice
In addition, our program will help you apply your skills in various professional roles and provide guidance on establishing a private practice and in doing group work.
Awareness and Engagement
Explore how to authentically engage your clients with a perspective of wholeness, self-awareness, and connection.
Engagement only works with keen awareness of appropriate ethical boundaries and power dynamics in companioning and counseling relationships. You’ll learn to identify these boundaries and dynamics so that you can effectively manage them in your work.
Practical Client Tools
Students will be introduced to a variety of tools and methods designed to assist those they companion. You will learn tools that will support your spiritual counseling clients to:
connect with their inner wisdom, intuition, and authentic selves
inviting Divine guidance and assistance
deepening their experience of the Sacred
embracing their wholeness
Handling Common Issues in Interspiritual Companioning and Counseling
We want to ensure that you are able to handle the most common client scenarios with confidence. This will give you the skills you need to engage fully in these circumstances. These include:
life transitions
relationships as healing
grief and loss
forgiveness
work-related stress
seeking clarity about one’s purpose.
Students will also engage in practices that can be used to companion others in supportive, culturally responsive ways when these issues emerge.
“The ISC Interspiritual Counseling Program at One Spirit Learning Alliance has added a whole new dimension to my life. It has literally transformed who I am and how I show up in the world. “
- Nancy Dominique Dessables
City University of New York Interfaith Council
Social Worker, Spiritual Counselor
The ISCC Experience
Real World Experience
What good is your knowledge if you can’t apply it? First, you’ll hone your interspiritual companioning and counseling skills through our informative classes, engaging interactive exercises, reflective group discussions, and class practicums. Then you’ll apply your new skills with pro bono clients under the skilled supervision of our faculty. You’ll graduate from our program with experience.
Skill Development
You’ll learn how to listen deeply, how to facilitate spiritual growth, and how to embody sacred presence and service for your clients.
Spiritual Growth
In order to help others grow, you’ll need to develop your own spirituality. Our program helps your spirit flourish with reflective exercises and discussions, peer group meetings, private companioning sessions, and one-on-one mentoring..
Self Care
We understand the risks of serving others, and our program will help prevent burnout. You’ll learn how to serve sustainably and effectively. Focus on taking care of yourself and prioritizing self-care. This essential practice keeps you energized and enables you to serve more people over time with greater compassion and effectiveness.
Community
One Spirit’s program developed an intercultural spiritual community where people of different cultures develop authentic relationships through shared experience and open communication. Our community exhibits openness, mutual respect, empathy, and a willingness to challenge assumptions. These traits will enable you to hold space for your clients better.
Currently, enrollment for the ISCC program is temporarily paused. Email us to find out more.