Ethics and Spiritual Direction

Trust must be established for a relationship to work properly. In a professional association between individuals such as psychotherapy, pastoral counseling, or spiritual direction, procedures and standards of conduct must be established to provide soul care that will be beneficial to the client.

In Spiritual Direction and Psychotherapy: Ethical Issues, a chapter from the book Spiritual Direction and the Care of Souls, Siang-Yan Tan presents his award winning address about the topic that was delivered to the American Psychological Association (187). As both a Professor of Psychology at Fuller Theological Seminary and Senior Pastor at First Evangelical Church Glendale, Tan is uniquely qualified in this subject area (249).

The need for ethical guidelines for spiritual direction is becoming increasingly important as interest in the discipline continues to grow among individuals. It is possible to conceive of a time in the future when spiritual direction will be as equally regarded as a profession as it is a ministry today. For this transition to occur, a standard for the ethical behavior of spiritual directors must exist and be followed. (Educational standards and perhaps a certification process of directors will become necessary as well, but that is another topic for another paper!)

Of course, a more pressing reason for ethical guidelines is the recognition of the rights of directees and a standard of behavior that directors must observe on their behalf. In common language, a person seeking spiritual direction must be informed and protected. Tan highlights a variety of issues that have arisen out of the integration of spirituality and psychotherapy. These are valid propositions for the practice of spiritual direction as well:

• "Therapist-religious leader associate dual relationships should be avoided" (192).
  
• Collaboration with a client's religious leaders may be beneficial. "[W]ritten informed consent to contact" (192) must be sought, and it is a client's right to decide if that permission shall be granted.


• Ecclesiastical boundaries must be maintained (192).


• Client values must be respected (192).

There are some other important ethical considerations that were not mentioned at all or only briefly inferred by Tan, but would be important to consider in regards to the ethical practice of spiritual direction:

• Case notes should be documented. (This actually protects both the client and the director.)


• A standard of confidentiality must be maintained, except in the case that a client is a danger to themselves or others, or a disclosure of child abuse. The client must be informed of this upfront before their first session.


• A formal intake or screening process is to be performed on a client to determine if spiritual direction is the most appropriate service for their needs. If not, to what service will a client be referred?

In a formal practice of spiritual formation, the needs and rights of the client must always be maintained for a beneficial soul care experience. It is the right thing to do.

WORK CITED
Moon, Gary W. and David G. Benner, eds. Spiritual Direction and the Care of Souls. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity, 2004.