Spiritual Direction

Spiritual direction is similar to therapy or counseling, but there are some key distinctions:

• Spiritual directors do not have clinical training and are not licensed, so if someone is seeking help with issues such as depression, anxiety, addictions, suicidal thoughts, etc., a spiritual director will refer them to a clinical psychologist or doctor. For Biola students, a referral would typically be made to the Biola Counseling Center.
• In therapy the focus is often on the relationship between the therapist and the client. While the director/directee relationship is obviously important, the focus in spiritual direction is primarily on the directee’s relationship with God.
  
• Thus the frequency of spiritual direction is typically about once a month rather than weekly. This rhythm emphasizes the value of spiritual direction as a place where a spiritual companion (the director) helps provide a space for the directee to pause and pay deeper and closer attention to their life and relationship with God.
  
• Counseling is often focused on a particular issue, struggle, or problem with the hope of gaining specific guidance, help or relief. Spiritual direction may incorporate some concrete guidance or suggestions, but this is not the focus. Rather, the focus is on helping the directee attend more deeply to their relationship with God.
  

At this time spiritual direction at ISF is only available to current students, staff, and faculty at Biola. Alumni or members of the community are welcome to contact ISF to find help locating a spiritual director. A very helpful referral resource is the Evangelical Spiritual Directors Association. All spiritual direction takes place in spiritual direction rooms at ISF.

Spiritual Direction & COVID-19

• Spiritual direction is available online until in-person classes and services are able to resume. Current students can apply for spiritual direction using our online application. The ISF staff will review your application and will match you with someone who is able to meet with you remotely. Contact our office if you have further questions about online spiritual direction or your eligibility to apply.
  

Undergraduate Students

• Biola undergraduate students can receive spiritual direction for free at ISF. You will need to come to the ISF office in Grove 1 (near the tennis courts) to fill out an application. You will then be matched with a spiritual director. That spiritual director will contact you to set up an initial appointment.

Graduate Students

• Talbot students are required to complete two semesters of spiritual direction as part of the Spiritual Formation Core sequence (SF505 and SF506). Students registered for those courses will be sent a digital application form and be matched by the ISF department. When they have been matched their spiritual director will contact them.
• Talbot or other graduate school students who want to receive spiritual direction apart from a required course can come to ISF to fill out an application or contact our office for more information.
• ISF students are required to be in spiritual direction every semester (registering for SF585) and will meet with an ISF faculty or staff member to get a referral to a spiritual director.

Biola Staff or Faculty

• When available, ISF will offer scholarships or grants to Biola staff and faculty at the start of the fall semester. These will typically be announced via email and the Inside Story. These scholarships/grants allow eligible staff and faculty to meet with a staff spiritual director at no cost.
• If a staff or faculty member does not receive a scholarship or grant but still desires to meet with a spiritual director, they should contact the ISF office for help receiving a referral.
  

A typical spiritual direction meeting is 45–50 minutes long. You will wait for your spiritual director to meet you at the ISF Office in Grove 1. The first time you meet you will have to fill out some paperwork that goes over the confidentiality/spiritual direction relationship. During your very first meeting, the spiritual director will often take time to help you get to know each other a bit, explain the nature of spiritual direction and go over any administrative things that need to be covered. In this first meeting and in subsequent meetings, the focus of the time can be whatever you want it to be.

The purpose of spiritual direction is to grow in your capacity to relate to God. Because of this, the attention of the spiritual director and the dialogue you carry together will be on that relationship. It is a time to grow in your capacity to discern the movement and direction of the Holy Spirit in your life. The spiritual director will often ask you questions to gain greater understanding of your relationship with God, perhaps even beginning with the question, “what brings you to spiritual direction?” The spiritual director will often incorporate the reading of and reflection on Scripture as part of the time as well. If you have questions about the nature and process of spiritual direction, you are encouraged to talk openly with your spiritual director about it — or to contact ISF if you have other specific questions or concerns.

Yes. Undergraduate students who come to spiritual direction are eligible to get one chapel credit per meeting (unless you are coming for a class requirement). Chapel credit forms are available at the ISF Front Desk, at the Chapel Accountability office, or can be found online.

Form for Spiritual Development Credit for Spiritual Direction