Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Department

Theology

Program Name/Specialization

Spiritual Care and Counselling

Faculty/School

Martin Luther University College

First Advisor

Kristine Lund

Advisor Role

Principal-Dean/Chair of Committee

Second Advisor

Thomas St. James O'Connor

Advisor Role

Faculty Emeritus

Third Advisor

Carol Penner

Advisor Role

Director Theological Studies (Conrad Grebel)

Abstract

This research used a philosophical phenomenological (primarily Gadamer) methodology and asked the question, “What is the lived experience of Ontario Clinical Psychospiritual Education (CPE) Supervisors in the Interpersonal Relationships (IPR) group process portion of CPE?” It used a 90-minute, semi-structured interview format as it sought to understand the supervisor experience of safety in the group. 11 Ontario Certified Supervisors were interviewed and explored this question in relationship to participant supervisors’ experience as students and/or as educators. In the history of CPE, there has been significant harm done to students by some supervisors who were well-meaning, but unaware of their impact on students. This impact has been described as bullying, traumatic, and “surgery without anesthesia” at its worst (Ragsdale, 2009). At its best, it is transformative and enriching. While there has been movement toward trauma-informed approaches, there is much more that can be done to ensure student safety in these educational programs. There is little current research about this component of CPE, and this study adds to the understanding of the supervisor experience. From the data, three key things were learned. The first is that supervisors learned theory of IPR from their own experiences as a student, from what was handed to them in their supervisory training, and from intentional pursuit of new ways of thinking that were more resonant with trauma-informed practice. Secondly, it was found that participants described their experiences of IPR as either unsafe or safe enough, with no middle ground. They believed it was the responsibility of the supervisor to create a “brave space” in which student learning was optimized. Finally, participants shared their experience of vulnerability in teaching CPE/facilitating IPR as students circumvented laid out processes of conflict resolution and moved quickly to grievances. They also reported the lack of felt support from their managers, colleagues, and the institutions they worked for. The author recommends considering restructuring IPR to incorporate elements within verbatim and theological reflection work, and/or to require 10 hours of personal psychotherapy per unit of CPE in order to contribute to the goal of SEUS.

Convocation Year

2025

Convocation Season

Spring

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