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Healthy Boundaries for Clergy and Spiritual Leaders

Healthy Boundaries for Clergy, Spiritual Teachers, and Lay Leaders

For more than two decades, FaithTrust Institute has worked with congregations and faith organizations to create safe and healthy communities. Our Healthy Boundaries curriculum and trainings are essential tools that guide and sustain faith leaders through their ministry/teaching.

We understand the complex roles and relationships that ministry/teaching require; we also know the damage that can be done when trust is broken between a leader and a community. The Healthy Boundaries curriculum and trainings were created to ensure that all faith and spiritual communities have resources to actively engage in this essential prevention training.

CURRICULUM FOR CLERGY and SPIRITUAL LEADERS:

Healthy Boundaries 101 & 201: A Curriculum for Clergy and Spiritual Leaders

    An ongoing curriculum for issues that impact those in the role of leadership in faith communities. Founded on a theological and ethical discussion of power and vulnerability, it focuses on the particular roles that pastoral caregivers fulfill within a spiritual community. This curriculum was developed to strengthen the understanding of the needs for boundaries, as a method of self-care and community care.

    These curricula use videos to tease out key issues that clergy of all faiths and denominations raise up as challenging, and include leaders from Catholic, Protestant, Jewish, and Buddhist traditions. To facilitate your trainings, we offer bulk discounts on purchases of Healthy Boundary workbooks.

    Healthy Boundaries 101:
    Fundamentals    		 Healthy Boundaries 201:
    Beyond Basics

    This training is intended for leaders who are looking for an introduction to the nature of boundaries and the issues of power and vulnerability. The 101 curriculum uses the DVD A Sacred Trust.

     

    This curriculum is intended as advanced training for those already familiar with the basic principles of healthy boundaries.The 201 curriculum uses excerpts from A Sacred Trust, as well as Once You Cross the Line.
    Session Topics Include: Session Topics Include:
    • Boundary Basics for Clergy and Teachers
    • Dating, Friendships, Gifts, and Dual Relationships
    • Transference and Touch Boundaries
    • Emerging Issues: Social Media and Technology
    • Personal Needs and Self-Care: Personal and Professional Health
    • Joy of Boundaries: Revisiting the Basics and Developing a Deeper Understanding
    • Theology and Boundaries
    • Power and Vulnerability
    • Boundaries and Internet Technology
    • Boundaries and Social Media
    • Boundaries and Finance
    • Boundaries and Attraction
    • Self-Care

      NEW! Healthy Boundaries 201 Supplemental Module: Taking It Back to Your Congregation: The Need for Boundaries

      Our Healthy Boundaries 101 and 201 workbooks are now available as e-books. For more information, visit our e-books page.

      TRAINING TO USE THE HEALTHY BOUNDARIES CURRICULUM:
      Teaching Healthy Boundaries 101 & 201: FaithTrust Institute In-Person Training Course

      At least twice a year, FaithTrust Institute offers this in-person training, led by experts in the field. Teaching Healthy Boundaries 101 & 201 is created specifically for those who are designated by their judicatory or organization to train clergy and spiritual leaders about healthy boundaries. This course "trains the trainers" in using the Healthy Boundaries curriculum within their denomination/faith setting. Participants will deepen their own understanding of boundaries through an immersion in the curriculum. with the opportunity to explore common teaching challenges with experienced trainers.

      ONLINE TRAINING FOR CLERGY & SPIRITUAL TEACHERS:
      Online Healthy Boundaries 101: A Fundamental Intensive for Clergy and Spiritual Teachers

      Taught several times a year, this 5-week online course allows clergy to deeply explore the complex roles and situations of ministry in a thoughtful, reflective way. Using online dialogue between the students and the instructor, the course provides an opportunity to share experience and respond to situations through interactive discussions, as well as providing resources and opportunity for individual reflection. The course provides an ethical and theological understanding of healthy boundaries, as well as practical acknowledgement of the arenas that are often challenging for clergy/teachers. This course was created for a multi-faith audience; it includes teachings for Christian, Jewish, and Buddhist leaders.