Spring 2026 (April - June)
"How to Create, Launch and Lead a Grief Sharing Circle"
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A 7-week, online training on the practical aspects of starting and leading a Grief Sharing Circle (grief support group) in your community or online.Held 7 consecutive Thursdays for 1.5 hrs. each week.
April 30, May 7, 14, 21, 28, June 4 & 11 11:30 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. ET Cohort limited to 12 individuals. |
March 2026: Grief Companion Training (Cohort 6) (registration closed)
4 Month Practicum: March - June, 2026
Every other Wednesday for 2 hrs. beginning March 11 3:00-5:00 pm ET Online via Zoom Cohort limited to 15 individuals. |
As a Certified Grief Companion you will be able to offer grief support to clients one-on-one (akin to Grief Counseling) and you will know how to organically integrate grief and loss companionship into any spiritual guidance session. This course offers a whole person approach (pastoral rather than clinical) to grief companioning.
Next Practicum: September - December 2026 |
New! March 2026
Ongoing - Begin Anytime
Apprentice Training in Spiritual Accompaniment/Companionship
A personalized and innovative approach to the art and practice of spiritual direction/companionship utilizing a hybrid approach featuring group and personalized instruction (online). Candidates are individuals who have a mature spirituality and a desire to serve others as a spiritual director/companion. This program is 10 months in duration.
Students are required to complete a 10-month program which includes:
• 4 months of Pure Presence Training with Dr. Jan Lundy
• 5 months of private academic study and practice with Jan, meeting for one-hour twice a month.
• 1 month of final integration and completion of a mini-project.
• 6 mentoring sessions with a TMC faculty and supervisor Christine Hiester to oversee practice sessions with potential clients.
Students are required to complete a 10-month program which includes:
• 4 months of Pure Presence Training with Dr. Jan Lundy
• 5 months of private academic study and practice with Jan, meeting for one-hour twice a month.
• 1 month of final integration and completion of a mini-project.
• 6 mentoring sessions with a TMC faculty and supervisor Christine Hiester to oversee practice sessions with potential clients.
More information coming soon.
Begins Winter 2027 - "Translating Our Grief" with Christine Hiester
Sometimes tending our losses with words alone isn’t enough. Words have limits that other creative languages move beyond– languages of color, shape, form, movement, sound, and imagery, each employing a unique vocabulary of expression for our grief and pain. In Translating Our Grief, established care professionals (spiritual companions, chaplains, social workers, etc) will learn to use varied creative languages for personal expression and how to offer practices to support their clients. Guided by spiritual companion and retreat facilitator, Christine Hiester, learners will be immersed in an experiential 4-month course, with a curriculum designed to invite fluency in varied materials of expression.
Course includes:
Limited to 10 participants.
- Eight 2-hour live meetings on Zoom, with contemplative practices, group discussion, and hands-on creative learning
- A one-on-one Zoom hour with facilitator within course timeline
- Varied resources such as videos, creative prompts, books, and case studies
- Certificate of completion from The Metta Center
Limited to 10 participants.
Christine Hiester is an interspiritual Spiritual Companion, lifelong teacher and musician, and self-taught artist who has guided creative and contemplative workshops and retreats for 15 years. She trained through the Wellstreams Program on the Art of Spiritual Direction, the Spiritual Guidance Training Institute, and as a Grief Companion through The Metta Center. Visit her on Instagram @shapingtheriver, and online at www.shapingtheriver.com."