The Professional Diploma in Reflective Practice and Pastoral Supervision

The Professional Diploma in Reflective Practice and Pastoral Supervision (Formerly known as the Certificate in Reflective Practice and Pastoral Supervision) is taught in association with the Institute of Pastoral Counselling and Supervision.

A course for Pastors, Pastoral Care Team Leaders, Lay Leaders/ Ministers, Counsellors, Psychotherapists, Chaplains and Spiritual Directors to develop understanding and skills in reflective practice in pastoral and ministerial settings running from November 2024 – June 2025.

The Church in our current climate faces both crisis and opportunity. Reduced numbers in full-time Ministry mean that the tasks of ministry need to be reviewed, prioritized and structured as never before and good support for both ordained ministers and active lay people is more vital than ever. The changing nature of ministry at local levels means that pastoral ministers are increasingly overseeing teams and need to develop skills in line management, supervision and reflective practice that will sustain them and enable them to thrive.

 

What are the aims of the course?

The current emphasis upon Ministerial Development means that the church needs practitioners with supervisory skills to facilitate creative reflection on the work of ministry. Within a widening variety of settings, chaplains have an important role to play in fostering skills of reflective practice – particularly in relation to spiritual care – within multi- disciplinary teams. In addition, Spiritual Direction is increasingly seen as a life-giving ministry to the whole church and spiritual directors also need opportunities to reflect on their practice and receive supervision for their work. The Professional Diploma in Reflective Practice and Pastoral Supervision has been developed to address this cluster of training needs. It is a substantial course, which draws on both theological and psychological understandings of the mission and ministry of lay and ordained Christians in a variety of settings.

 

How will I learn?

The course operates as an ecumenical learning community where your working experience is valued as the raw material for learning. This is built upon through a variety of activities, including facilitator and student-led seminars, small group experiential tasks and reflective practice demonstrations. Your development as a supervisor will be monitored through essay writing, seminar presentation, peer supervision activities and audio-taped sessions and assessed by yourself, your peers and the group facilitators. Assignments are designed to contribute to your practice and will form part of a portfolio of evidence of professional competence in Pastoral Supervision.

 

Who is the course for?

This course may be of interest to you if:

• you would like an in-depth understanding of pastoral supervision and effectively use it to support your ministry.
• you would like to foster and develop skills in spiritual care within multi-disciplinary teams.
• you would like to extend your existing line management capacity, by offering supervisory input and reflective practice to team members.
• you would like to draw on both theological and psychological understandings of Christian mission and ministry in a variety of settings.
• you would like to offer non-threatening supervision and reflective practice to a range of pastoral practitioners.

 

How do I qualify?

This course is suitable for you if:

• you are currently engaged in pastoral and ministerial work in your context.
• you have supervisory responsibilities within your setting.
• you offer pastoral supervision or wish to do so.
• you have good listening skills.
• you comply with your professional Code of Ethics.

 

What will I gain on completion?

On successful completion:

• you will be able to give and receive pastoral supervision, working as a reflective practitioner with individuals and within groups
• you will have met the training requirements for accreditation with The Association for Pastoral Supervision and Education (APSE).
• The Professional Diploma in Reflective Practice and Pastoral Supervision is awarded by the Institute of Pastoral Counselling and Supervision. The course was originally developed in conjunction with the Diocese of Southwell & Nottingham and is recognised by the APSE.

 

When and where does the course take place?

The Professional Diploma in Reflective Practice and Pastoral Supervision is taught entirely online. It will be delivered in a series of six two-day workshops, on Wednesdays and Thursdays from 9.30am to 4.30pm. As each workshop builds on the learning of the previous one, a commitment to all 12 days is essential.

 

The workshops will take place on:

5 – 6 Nov 2025

3-4 Dec 2025

14-15 Jan 2026

11-12 Feb 2026

25-26 Mar 2026

29-30 Apr 2026

 

What is the course fee?

This course costs £1500.

A deposit of £350 is payable when accepting an offer.

 

Testimonial

More information about the Institute of Pastoral Counselling & Supervision can be found here: pastoralcs.org.uk

 

Taster Days

Want to know more? Sign up for one of our remote taster days in May, June or September 2025.