MASTER OF PSYCHOSPIRITUAL STUDIES
The Master of Psychospiritual Studies (MPS) is a twenty-credit, second-level entry (post-baccalaureate) degree that equips individuals for leadership in specialised areas of social justice service, spiritual Direction, and spiritual care. Graduates of the MPS program are prepared to lead in lay ministries within faith communities, pursue careers in the nonprofit sector, and work as institutional chaplains, spiritual care practitioners, and community workers in public institutions.
Students pursue the program by choosing one of three streams below as a pathway:
- Social Justice Ministries
Providing leadership in faith-based organisations or public social agencies oriented towards justice and the common good
- Spiritual Direction
Providing lay Spiritual Direction to faith-based organisations and offering leadership in faith-based organisations grounded in the spiritual traditions of Christianity
- Spiritual Care
Providing spiritual care in faith communities or public institutions.
All three streams of the MPS include required field education and theological reflection elements.
PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS
The MPS requires 20 semester courses (20 X 0.5 FCE). The program can be completed in two academic years of full-time study (five courses per term for four terms) or part-time over a period of up to eight years.
The 20 courses (20 X 0.5 FCE) are distributed as follows:
Faith Foundation Courses
Seven courses are required in all streams:
Introduction to the Hebrew Bible:
E.g., Old Testament (TRB1007H) |
| Living Tradition: Reading in the New Testament (TRB2110H) or equivalent |
One course in history:
E.g., Why Study Early Church History? (TRH1011H), Age of Schisms (TRH2412H), Anglican History and Theology (TRJ2631H) |
One course in theology:
E.g., Christian Theology I or II (TRT1101H or TRT1103H), Early Church Fathers and Mothers (TRT2504H), Medieval Orthodox Thought (TRH2401H), or Modern Orthodox Theology (TRH2452H) |
| God’s Mission and the Church’s Calling (TRP1622H) or Life and Death in the Wilderness: Skills for Congregational and Communal Life and Leadership (TRP2665H) |
One course in liturgy:
E.g., Foundations of Anglican Liturgy (TRP1111H), Orthodox Eucharistic Liturgies and Liturgical Theology (TRP3102H), Sanctification of Time – Orthodox Liturgy of the Hours and Church Year (TRP31xxH), Sanctification of Life – Orthodox Mysteries (TRP3115H) |
| Diversity and Intercultural Engagement (TRT3641H) |
Social Justice Ministry stream
Ministry Core (3 courses, required of all students in this stream to provide an introduction to Anglican and/or Orthodox ministry):
| Life and Death in the Wilderness: Skills for Congregational and Communal Life and Leadership (TRP2665H) or God’s Mission and the Church’s Calling (TRP1622H) |
One course in spirituality:
E.g., Living in the Spirit: Orthodox Spirituality for Modern Times (TRP2455H), Theology and Spirituality of Icons (TRP2841H) |
One course in ethics or professional ethics:
E.g., Ethics and Society (TRT2942H), Professional Ethics in Ministry (new RSM course) |
Stream Courses (7 courses):
| Models of Mission for a Post-Christian Context (TRJ3601H) or Church and Evangelism: Towards Building a New Relationship (TRP2631H) |
| Justice and Reconciliation (TRT3981H) or Theology at Ground Zero (TRT3281H) |
Two applied ministry courses:
E.g., The Church of the Margins (TRP2661H), Canadian Churches Respond to Immigration (TRP2613H), The Practice of Diaconal Ministry (TRP2732H) |
One course in organisational leadership:
E.g., Congregational Administration: Nuts and Bolts (TRP2721H) |
| One practicum unit (field education) |
| Capstone course: Theological Reflection Seminar (TRD3030H) |
| Free electives (3 courses) |
Spiritual Direction stream
Ministry Core (3 courses, required of all students in this stream to provide an introduction to Anglican and/or Orthodox ministry)
| Life and Death in the Wilderness: Skills for Congregational and Communal Life and Leadership (TRP2665H) or God’s Mission and the Church’s Calling (TRP1622H) |
One course in Spirituality:
E.g., Living in the Spirit: Orthodox Spirituality for Modern Times (TRP2455H), Theology and Spirituality of Icons (TRP2841H) |
One course in ethics or professional ethics:
E.g., Ethics and Society (TRT2942H), Professional Ethics in Ministry (new RSM course) |
Stream Courses (7 courses):
One course in faith development:
E.g., Renewing Catechesis and Discipleship (TRP3405H), Faith Development Across the Lifespan (SMP3421H) |
One course in pastoral care:
E.g., Introduction to Pastoral Care (SMP2502H) |
One course in leadership in contemporary ministry contexts:
E.g. Congregational Administration: Nuts and Bolts (TRP2721H), Religious Pluralism as a Theological Challenge (TRT5867H) |
One course in approaches to counselling:
E.g. Trauma, Healing and Transformation, Psychodynamic Theoretical and Clinical Perspectives (TRP3523H), Cognitive-Behavioural Therapy and Spiritually Integrated Psychotherapy (TRP3511) |
One elective in spirituality:
E.g. The Love of Learning and the Desire for God, Mystical Traditions and the Sacred Journey of Transformation (TRP3261H) |
| One practicum unit (field education) |
| Capstone project: Theological Reflection Seminar (TRD3030H) |
| Free electives (3 courses) |
Spiritual Care stream
Ministry Core (3 courses, required of all students in this stream to provide an introduction to spiritual care):
| One course introducing pastoral care: e.g., Life and Death in the Wilderness (TRP2665H), Introduction to Pastoral Care (SMP2502H) |
| One course in faith development: e.g., Renewing Catechesis and Discipleship (TRP3405H), Faith Development Across the Lifespan (SMP3421H) |
| One course in ethics or professional ethics: e.g., Ethics and Society (TRT2942H), Professional Ethics in Ministry (new RSM course), Professional Ethics in Psychotherapy and Spiritual Care (RGP3564H) |
Stream Courses (7 courses):
Two courses in spirituality:
E.g., Spiritual Formation in the Anglican Tradition (TRP2202H), Living in the Spirit: Orthodox Spirituality for Modern Times (TRP2455H), Theology and Spirituality of Icons (TRP2841H), Religious Pluralism as a Theological Challenge (TRT5867H) |
Three courses in pastoral care:
E.g., Postmodern Constructivist Psychotherapies and Spiritual Care (RGP3561H), Trauma Healing and Transformation (TRP3523H), Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (TRP3511H), Mystical Traditions and the Sacred Journey of Transformation (TRP3261H), Contemporary Family Therapy and Spiritual Care (RGP3565H) |
| 1 practicum unit (Field Education, Supervised Psychospiritual Education, Clinical Psychospiritual Education, or Contextual Ministry Placement) |
| Capstone course: Theological Reflection Seminar (TRD3030H) |
| Free electives (3 courses) |
All three streams of the MPS include required field education and theological reflection elements. The field education experience for the spiritual care stream includes an on-site experiential learning opportunity supervised by qualified practitioners in ministerial and clinical settings.
For the field education experience in the spiritual direction stream, students will complete one required field placement experience, followed by the theological reflection seminar. Students will have the opportunity to design a field placement experience in either a community setting or providing one-on-one spiritual accompaniment; they will be assisted in this placement by Trinity’s current Director of Field Education, Walter Deller. Following the field education or practicum experience, the theological reflection seminar provides an opportunity to integrate classroom learning and the field education experience.
Students who register in the Social Justice Ministry stream of the MPS will be required to complete one unit of field education. The field education experience will be chosen to support the student’s desired learning goals, ideally placing them in a field education experience that prepares them for their anticipated future career. Following the field education experience, the theological reflection seminar provides an opportunity to integrate classroom learning and the field education experience.