ISM Facilitator Training Course
Introduction

The three-month ISM Facilitator certification program is designed for those who wish to deepen their own practice and guide individuals or small groups through the 7-step process of InterSpiritual Meditation. Trainees will join a mutually supportive cohort via the ISM course website to work with certified InterSpiritual Mentors and Facilitators, Matthew Whitney, and Ed Bastian. 

Applicants are required to complete an ISM course and submit a formal application.

These are the course learning objectives:

1. Select spiritual and secular resources and readings that help the psychological and spiritual needs of fellow meditators.
2. Help fellow meditators Utilize their own Spiritual Styles to create their personal InterSpiritual Meditation
3. Cultivate a calm and compassionate tone of voice to deepen the experience of ISM meditation.
4. Manage timings for the meditation steps.
5. Use a gong to help peacefully transition between meditation steps.
6. Lead meditations over video conferencing tools.
7. Explain the overall benefits of using ISM in one’s spiritual practices to prospective meditators.

Qualifications

To qualify for this program, applicants will fulfil the following requirements:

• Current membership in the spiritualpaths.net website. 
• Completed and actively participated in an online course on InterSpiritual Meditation.
• Upon formal acceptance, you will receive a personal code required to enroll.
• Written a minimum of a 1,000 word summary or equivalent expression covering all of the seven steps and if/how you harnessed your style(s) for each.
  (This should be drawn from the online or written journal.  It will provide an initial waypoint for the upcoming meditative journey. If already have completed a capstone paper for the Antioch CE credits, you will not need to write another.)
• Completed your Spiritual Styles Profile Instrument.
• Engaged in journaling about their seven-steps and spiritual styles.
• Click here to make your payment (You must already be signed in as a monthly site member before you pay. The cost for this program is $150, paytable in 3 monthly installments of $50 each.).

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Requirements for Certification

To gain ISM Facilitator certification, trainees will complete the following:

• Trainees will attend 7 alternating-week (Tuesday) group facilitation sessions with the entire cohort.
• Trainees will  attend 6 alternating-week (Tuesday) dyad sessions to develop, expand, and  practice what was learned in the cohort sessions.
• Trainees will use the journals provided to write about each of their 7 Steps of ISM and their Spiritual Styles.
• Trainees will actively engage in the Practice Circles for each of the seven ISM Steps.
• Continued certification will require adherence with the Guidelines for ethical conduct, facilitating ISM meditations and facilitating InterSpiritual discussions.  

Capstone Paper or Project

Each member of the training cohort will complete a 2,500 word capstone paper and/or other significant form of expression that includes the following:

• A summary the wisdom gained from at least three spiritual/secular sources/traditions for each of the steps.
• A summary of how you are harnessing and harmonizing at least three spiritual styles.
• A summary of the contemplative practice you have developed for each of the seven steps.
• A summary of your work helping others to learn and practice ISM.
• If a creative project is presented, it should be accompanied by a written overview and rationale.  If the above points are not included in the creative project itself, they can be summarized in this written statement.