Can anyone direct me to resources regarding the training of spiritual directors for mentally retarded adults? Anyone know about Gerald May's work in this regard? Others?

My thanks.
johnboy

Ahh, still no answers to this one, and I saw you refer to it in another thread.

This is an issue I've not had to address in my own ministry, except insofar as some of the people I work with are on anti-depressants, but otherwise seem of sound mind and reason.

My initial sense was that doing spiritual direction with the mentally ill would be just like doing it with the less-mentally-ill: i.e., listening, validating, and inquiring where they find God in their experiences, then perhaps holding up the mirror of Scripture or some other spirituality resource to help them better name and claim their experience. Of course, one would have to take into account the nature of the mental illness of the person one is working with--no small matter, especially given the varieties of mental illnesses.

As you noted, JB, Gerald May is a good first place to look. I'm wonder if the L'arche community Henri Nouwen was part of might be another.

I've moved this thread to Christian Spirituality Issues, where it might receive more attention.

Johnboy,

If you send me a private message, I can share Gerald May's e-mail address with you. He probably would be a good source for your questions.

Personally, I am unaware of any structured training program.

You might also want to check back issues of Presence magazine for any articles on the subject. It is published by SDI (Spiritual Directors International) whose web site is http://www.sdiworld.org/ .

John