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Certificate in Spiritual Care and Psychotherapy (SCP)

This conjoint certificate, offered by Emmanuel College and Knox College as part of the Master of Pastoral Studies, is designed to enable students to apply to professional bodies for membership, typically with a view to vocations as spiritual care therapists in hospitals, correctional institutions, churches, family therapy practices, private practices, counselling services, palliative care hospices, schools, developmental disability facilities, or the military. The MPS Certificate in Spiritual Care and Psychotherapy Handbook can be found here.

Courses for the current academic year which meet requirements for a specific degree or professional designation are indicated in the Program Requirements section of the course catalogue. Detailed information is given in the course syllabus. If the course syllabus is not attached to the listing, you should contact the instructor. 

In order to be eligible to apply for the SCP Certificate you must be registered in Master of Pastoral Studies - Spiritual Care Stream at Emmanuel College or the Master of Pastoral Studies (spiritual care focus) at Knox College AND have successfully completed a minimum of five courses (5 X 0.5 FCEs) in the program (excluding transfer and retained credits).  Students are strongly encouraged to apply to be admitted to the SCP Certificate in their first year of study.  Students who have completed the required 20 credits for the MPS are not eligible to be admitted to the certificate.

Seats in the certificate program are limited and meeting the minimum admission requirements does not guarantee your admission.

Application Deadline and Instructions for Certificate in Spiritual Care and Psychotherapy

Applications to Fall 2023 are now being received.

Deadline for complete applications for admission to Fall 2023:  Friday April 28, 2023 at 12 noon EDT.

Incomplete and late applications will not be considered. 

Offers of admission are subject to meeting all admission requirements, suitability to the program and the availability of space and placements. Meeting the minimum admission requirements does not guarantee an offer of admission to the certificate program.

All required application materials (see below) must be received by the application deadline in order for an application to be considered for admission.

Application to the Certificate in Spiritual Care program is made by completing the online form, paying the application fee, and submitting the required attachments to the SCP Admissions Committee. Applications are only considered if all the application material, including the application fee, have been received by the stated deadline.

No deferrals of admission will be granted. Applications for entrance into the certificate at the mid-point of the academic year (January) will not be considered.

All materials submitted to the Admissions Committee may be used in the assessment of an application. Application materials will be destroyed as per TST's document retention policy.

SCP Certificate Application Material

  • Online Application Form. Please ensure that you have all the following information prepared and available to you prior to starting the online application form. The online application form has to be completed in one sitting, i.e. it cannot be saved and returned to at a later time. You are required to upload documents to your application as part of the application process.  Please only complete one online application.
  • Personal Statement. You must submit a statement between 500-750 words outlining your academic interests and purposes. This is your autobiographical narrative, your statement of interest and why you are interested in taking the certificate. Your personal statement is entered online as part of the application form. 
  • Spiritual Care Identity Description. You must submit a brief 500-750 word description of your spiritual care identity and your spiritual maturation over time. The spiritual care identity description is entered online as part of the application form. 
  • Supervised Pastoral Education. You must submit proof of successful completion, current registration, or expected registration in SPE. You will be asked to upload a pdf document at the end of the online application form. Only one document should be uploaded for this category. This can be demonstrated by:
    • registration/completion of approved SPE course(s) shown on your academic history, OR
    • a copy of an acceptance letter from an SPE unit stating that you have been accepted to study at a TST approved centre. This should indicate the start and end dates, as well as the teaching location, OR
    • a statement in your Personal Statement that you have applied for SPE, but are awaiting confirmation of placement.
  • Transcripts/Academic History. You must send your unofficial transcript (e.g. scans, copies, or academic history which you have downloaded from ACORN) showing your registration, and if available, the cumulative GPA for the minimum of your first five courses (5 X 0.5 FCE). If admitted, the CGPA will be verified by TST. The CGPA taken is that which shows on ACORN, no other calculation will be used. Most students up load their Academic History from ACORN.  Please ensure that the document shows your name and the entire academic history as shown on ACORN including any previous programs you have taken.  The document must clearly show your name and your student number. You will be asked to upload a pdf document at the end of the online application form. Only one document should be uploaded for this category.
  • Additional Information: As part of the online application you will asked to list relevant:
    • qualifications and/or certifications you hold, including the name of the issuing body and the year of completion.
    • current memberships in professional organizations.
    • current and previous work or volunteer experience in spiritual care, ministry, social service, therapy, or community service, including the name of the organization, position, and dates.
  • Application Fee.  $32 CDN.  Payments are made through PayPal only. Information on how to pay this fee can be found here.  This fee is non-refundable.    

Please click SCP Certificate Application Form to access the online application.                                                                             

Frequently Asked Questions

  1. Can TST confirm that my materials have been received?  We will confirm receipt of your application form. If you have reason to believe that any other application materials may not have been received by TST, you are welcome to contact us at admissions@tst.edu. During busier times of the year, however, especially September, January and early April, response times may exceed a week. We therefore strongly encourage you to submit all application materials well in advance of the deadline.  
  1. I have applied for Supervised Pastoral Education (SPE); PCE or CPE, but have not received an offer. Can I still apply? You should indicate in your personal statement that you have applied to SPE or CPE, include the dates and location of the unit to which you have applied.
  1. If I do not receive an offer of admission am I automatically considered for next year? No. You will need to make a new application next year.
  1. I have been declined admission to the certificate program. Can I appeal the decision? No. However, an applicant may request the reconsideration of a decision by the Admissions Committee. Such a request must be made by the applicant in writing to the TST Registrar in a letter emailed or delivered within thirty calendar days of the date of the communication of the decision by TST. The request must state in full the grounds for the request. The Admissions Committee will consider the request and make a determination at its next meeting. Decisions made by the Admissions Committee concerning admission and related matters are not subject to appeal.
  2. I have completed my online application form, but I couldn't attach my ACORN academic history and/or SPE Evidence.  If this is the case you may email the documents in pdf format to GCTS.Office@utoronto.ca .  Please put "SCP Application Supporting Documents" and your name in the subject line of the email. DO NOT email the documents if you were able to attach them to your online application.