Animal Chaplaincy Training
FROM COMPASSION CONSORTIUM
Channel your passion for animals and the planet into a caring and supportive vocation
Animal chaplains provide support for both animals and humans by using ritual, ceremony, and the tools of spiritual companionship. Our training program helps you fulfill your heart’s call to honor and celebrate the lives of all species, including how to companion them through joys and challenges.
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Our program is non-denominational and does not require students to have a specific religious or spiritual outlook. It will, though, prepare you to work with a diverse set of belief systems, so that you can support people regardless of their own outlook.
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Program is offered annually. Our next cohort begins classes in September! Contact us with any questions or schedule a consult with our program director by clicking below.
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Program Overview
Program Overview
Sixty-seven percent of homes are interspecies! Humans have practical and spiritual questions about what to do when animals are injured, sick, lost, or die.
The stress and grief we experience during these heartbreaking moments are real. Yet it is often denied because the loss is “not human.” Beyond our homes, how do we address the heartbreak we feel seeing a deer lying on the roadside or the extinction of species on our shared planet?
Animal chaplains provide support for both animals and humans by using ritual, ceremony, and the tools of spiritual companionship. Compassion Consortium’s Animal Chaplaincy Training helps you fulfill your heart’s call to honor and celebrate the lives of all species, including how to companion them through joys and challenges.
Our curriculum combines chaplaincy fundamentals and bereavement basics with best practices from the innovative fields of interspirituality, humane education, animal theology, nature spirituality, and human-animal studies. We offer a flexible program that develops the professional skills you need to:
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Channel your passion for animals and the planet into a caring and supportive profession
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Expand your healing business to include conscious and compassionate life transitions for animals and the humans who love them
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Know what to do and say to help people navigate grief and loss in a meaningful way
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Lead individuals and groups in interspecies practices designed to increase well-being and compassion
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Develop creative rituals to support individuals, animal sanctuaries, nonprofits, veterinary practices, meditation centers, yoga programs, or religious communities
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Our courses are offered online in order to be accessible to the widest audience and to avoid travel expenses (for you and the planet). Each summer, we offer an optional 3-day in-person retreat to celebrate the past year's graduates and gather in community.
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For more detailed info, click on a link below.
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Frequently Asked Questions
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1. Is this a religious program?
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You do not need to be a religious person to become a chaplain, and we encourage people of all belief systems (or none) to apply, whether you are Buddhist, Christian, Vedic, Jewish, Wiccan, [insert your tradition here, we don't have room to type all 4000+], or you consider yourself secular. The Compassion Consortium itself is an interfaith, interspiritual, and interspecies organization.
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In this program, you will not being asked to believe anything specific. However, as a chaplain you will need to be able to support people regardless of their belief system. For that reason, our program will teach you how to meet people "where they are" by exposing you to a wide range of beliefs about animals from religious/spiritual communities, scientific literature, and ethical discourses. We believe the more you know about how people have formed their beliefs about human/animal relationships, the more you can help people and other animals.
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2. Your website includes a lot of pro-animal, vegetarian, and vegan perspectives. Is that typical of your program?
Many people in the animal-care community and in spiritual/religious communities do a lot of reflection about interspecies ethics, since human and animal lives are entangled in lots of ways! Accordingly, we study a wide range of ethical perspectives, so that as chaplains we can understand where beliefs and ethical choices may "come from." When involved in chaplaincy, we never try to convert a person to a specific belief system or way of living. Instead, we help people navigate the messy ethical dilemmas they are having within their own implicit and explicit codes of conduct. So, in this program, we'll explore how to do that. It's messy and challenging, but well worth our time to learn about what makes others tick.
3. What is ordination? And do I need it?
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Ordination is a process of conferring a certain status on an individual, performed by an organization. It can look different in different organizations. Within this program, it means that you have completed all of the steps we think you need to become a professional animal chaplain, you have completed an individualized mentored capstone with us to step into your unique calling, and that we welcome you into our organization as a professional member. If you have more questions about what program duration best fits your needs, please schedule a consult with us and we can talk to you more about the difference.
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We'd love to talk with more about these questions or others you may have. Just schedule time with us by using the button below:
Curriculum & Monthly Time Commitment
Curriculum Components
Format
Training includes individual study and group sessions with faculty and guest speakers. Our program features curated reading and reflection, film discussions, peer-supported practice groups, 1-on-1 mentoring, and community-based experiential sessions. Optional in-person retreats are also available (details provided upon acceptance to the program).​
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Our three program options build based on your desired level of skills and knowledge. All students start the program together each September.
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I. Animal Chaplaincy Foundations Course (3 months)
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​II. Tools of Animal Chaplaincy Course (6 months; includes Course 1)
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III. Full Ordained Animal Chaplain Training Program (9 months; includes Course 1 &2)
All students begin at the same time. Participants chosing course 1 or 2 may choose to upgrade to add the next consequitive course. The 9-month Ordained Chaplain Training includes all of the content from both the Foundations Course and Tools of Animal Chaplaincy Course. See the Program Options & Fees Section below for more details on the courses, focus areas, and guidance on which program might be right for you..
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Monthly Time Commitment
Total commitment:
All three course options require an estimated the same time commitment each week. The difference between our programs is not the amount of commitment each week, but rather the length of time you stay committed to the program (3, 6, or 9 months) and the learning outcomes.
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Classes meet 3 times each month: two Wednesday evenings from 6-8:30 pm ET and one Saturday from 1-6pm ET. Video replays are available for students who have conflicts due to their timezone, work schedule, or religious observances.
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DAILY:
15 min+ of mindfulness, meditation, or spiritual practice per day
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A variety of options and tools will be provided
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WEEKLY:​
2-4 hours of reading, listening, watching, and reflecting each week
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Includes reading and listening to talks/podcasts ​
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Choose from a curated selection of films to watch and reflect on each month
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We recognize some people learn visually, some like to be in their heads, others in their hearts, and others learn kinesthetically. We will help tailor your experience to your learning style and interests.
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MONTHLY:
2 hours of online group classes every other week​
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Attend group classes two Wednesdays of each month from 6-8:30 pm ET / 5-7:30 pm CT / 4-6:30 MT / 3-5:30 PT (Accommodations for video-based classes can be made by prior arrangement at enrollment)
1 half-day of online group classes
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We will gather as a learning community one Saturday each month from 1-6 pm ET / 12-5 CT / 11-4 MT / 10-3 PT for immersive experiences and interactive interviews with guest expert lecturers working in the fields being studied
Dedicated mentoring via Zoom ​
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Our courses are offered online in order to be accessible to the widest audience and to avoid travel expenses (for you and the planet). We meet together three times each month via Zoom.
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Each June, we offer an optional 3-day in-person retreat to celebrate the past year's graduates and gather in community.
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Program Options & Fees
Foundation
Course
The basics for people curious about animal spirituality, companioning interspecies relationships, and supporting humans through the loss of an animal.
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Great for anyone with an interest in human-animal relationships.
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Sept - Nov
$850
(Payment plans available. See details below.)
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Tools of Animal Chaplaincy Course
A deeper dive into the skills needed to support animals and humans through the joys and challenges of interspecies living, including creating practices for thriving, navigating ethical dilemmas, and rituals for transitions, loss, and extinction.
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Includes practicums for offering interspecies spiritual, mindfulness, and meditation practices; creating life-stage rituals for adoption, illness, and death; and supporting humans through messy interspecies ethics, ecological concerns, and cross-species grief.
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Sept - Feb
$1800
(Cost includes Course 1. Payment plans available. See more information below.)
Full Ordained Animal Chaplain Training Program
The final course in our program helps you discern how you will use animal chaplaincy tools within your work or volunteering.
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Deepen your understanding of the impact of compassion fatigue, burnout, and moral injury impact on people who work with, or advocate for, other-than-human species.
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Great for people who want to expand their existing work or volunteering to include animals or interspecies concerns; including animal-care professionals such as shelter workers, dog walkers, veterinary practices, or animal non-profits who want to support the spiritual needs of animals and humans grieving animals. Also excellent for Reiki practioners, yoga teachers, "people chaplains," clergy, and spiritual seekers who want to attend to human-animal relationships and resolving conflicts within their community.
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Upon completion of this third course and a unique capstone project, participants will be ordained as Animal Chaplains.
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Sept - May
$2700
(Cost includes Course 1 & 2. Payment plans available. See more information below.)
Note: These program fees are cumulative. (The 6-month program cost includes Course 1 automatically; the 9-month program cost includes all previous available course content.) All students begin the program together and travel as a cohort.
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Reductions in tuition cost may be available for people whose income was less than $25,000 in the last calendar year or who have circumstances which make the program cost prohibitive. Availability of funding is based on current enrollment. Priority is given to people who identify as within a BIPOC or APIDA community or experience neurodiversity or physical disabilities. Please contact us for more information.
Program Options & Fees
Course 1: Foundations Course
3-month duration
September - November
An experiential survey of practices and methods for addressing the spiritual needs of animals and humans who live or work with animals.
Who it's for:
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People who are curious about becoming an animal chaplain and would like to learn more before committing to the full training program.
Focus areas:
Foundation curriculum
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Interspecies Spirituality: Learn and practice mindfulness, meditative, and spirituality practices―in nature, with animals, and virtually through technology―designed to reduce stress, anxiety, and depression, and increase joy, compassion, and balance
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Companioning Grief & Loss: Develop professional skills for companioning animals and humans through difficult health decisions, loss, death, and grief
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Trauma Stewardship: Practice self-care techniques designed specifically for animal lovers and earth warriors to manage heartbreak and increase resilience
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Course fee:
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$850 when paid in full upon registration
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Or three monthly recurring payments of $295
Estimated self-purchased book & media cost: $50-80
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Upon completion of the course, participants are invited to become a member of the ongoing compassionate practice circle.
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Course 2: Tools of Animal Chaplaincy Course
6-month duration (includes Course 1)
September - February
Building on the learnings of the foundations course, this course explores the human-animal bond more deeply, and helps you learn practices for helping animals (and their humans) through life's transitions. Also includes an introduction to planetary ethics.
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Who it's for:
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People interested in diving deeper into the intersection of spirituality and science, such as the empirical evidence for improved health and wellness benefits of human-animal bonds
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People interested in integrating interspecies spirituality and wellness into their life, community, or organization
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People who'd like to better support animals (and their humans) through spiritual practices, rituals, and sacred listening
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Focus areas:
Foundation Course curriculum
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Interspecies Spirituality: Learn and practice mindfulness, meditative, and spirituality practices―in nature, with animals, and virtually through technology―designed to reduce stress, anxiety, and depression, and increase joy, compassion, and balance
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Companioning Grief & Loss: Develop professional skills for companioning animals and humans through difficult health decisions, loss, death, and grief
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Trauma Stewardship: Practice self-care techniques designed specifically for animal lovers and earth warriors to manage heartbreak and increase resilience
Plus additional curriculum in animal chaplaincy tools​
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Anthrozoology & the Human-Animal Bond: Explore scientific, research-based evidence for the spiritual, mental wellness, health, and conservation benefits of the human-animal bonds
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Rituals: Explore grief and transition rituals from around the world. Then learn to create rituals for animal healing, pet funerals, memorialization, ecological disasters, habitat and species loss, or to promote conservation and animal advocacy in spiritual communities.
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Eco-spirituality & Planetary Ethics: Learn creative communication methods that help humans increase their compassion for other species and the Earth and tackle tough ethical dilemmas in the more-than-human world
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Course fee:
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$1800 when paid in full upon registration*
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Or two recurring payments of $925 (Registration Date / December 1)
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Or seven monthly recurring payments of $265
Estimated self-purchased book & media cost: $75-$150 (For Courses 1 & 2)
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*This fee is for the entire 6-month course and is inclusive of the 3-month Foundations Course (not additional).
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Upon completion of course, participants are invited to become a member of the ongoing compassionate practice circle and to attend our Summer retreat.
3. Full Ordained Animal Chaplain Training Program
9-month program (includes Course 1 & 2)
September - May
Expanding the knowledge and skills developed in the foundations course and tools of animal chaplaincy course, you'll now tread more deeply in the area of bereavement care, learn to companion people of different faith traditions / belief systems, and work with our faculty to develop a plan for doing the work you feel called to do in the world.
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Who its for:
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People who are interested in becoming an animal chaplain
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Staff and volunteers working in animal shelters/sanctuaries, veterinary practices, humane education, or vegan advocacy who are interested in integrating spirituality and wellness into their organization; and
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Healers and spiritual directors/mentors who'd like to expand their yoga, coaching, massage, therapy, reiki, veterinary, or spiritual counseling, or wellness practice to offer animal chaplaincy services; and
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M. Div. seminary students (or graduates) whose program or denomination does not offer a path to an animal chaplaincy; and
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Spiritual directors/companions, clergy, social workers, and coaches interested in developing their skills and capacity for supporting humans through animal loss, ecological grief, moral injury, compassion fatigue, vystopia, or other animal and earth-related challenges; and
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Pastors, rabbis, ministers, imams, priests or other people in spiritula leadership interested in bringing animal and planetary issues into their community in a meaningful way
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Foundation curriculum
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Interspecies Spirituality: Learn and practice mindfulness, meditative, and spirituality practices―in nature, with animals, and virtually through technology―designed to reduce stress, anxiety, and depression, and increase joy, compassion, and balance
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Companioning Grief & Loss: Develop professional skills for companioning animals and humans through difficult health decisions, loss, death, and grief
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Trauma Stewardship: Practice self-care techniques designed specifically for animal lovers and earth warriors to manage heartbreak and increase resilience
Plus additional curriculum in animal chaplaincy tools​
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Anthrozoology & the Human-Animal Bond: Explore scientific, research-based evidence for the spiritual, mental wellness, health, and conservation benefits of the human-animal bonds
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Rituals: Explore grief and transition rituals from around the world. Then learn to create rituals for animal healing, pet funerals, memorialization, ecological disasters, habitat and species loss, or to promote conservation and animal advocacy in spiritual communities.
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Eco-spirituality & Planetary Ethics: Learn creative communication methods that help humans increase their compassion for other species and the Earth and tackle tough ethical dilemmas in the more-than-human world
Chaplaincy skills curriculum​
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Animal Theology: Learn what different religions and philosophical traditions "say" about animals, including tools and resources for supporting people of different spiritual paths
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Bereavement Care: Study different models for bereavement support. Then, develop your own authentic model for supporting people through animal loss, ecological grief, and other spiritual challenges. Engage in practicums to hone your skills for working with others in a safe, supportive space.
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Creative Capstone: Guided by your faculty mentor, you'll work 1-on-1 to deepen your knowledge in your chosen area of emphasis. We'll curate readings and media for your unique call to support the more-than-human world. Then you'll complete a final reflective project to help launch your chaplaincy into the world.
Course fee:
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$2700 when paid in full upon registration*
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Or three recurring payments of $925
(Registration Date / December 1 / March 1) -
Or ten monthly recurring payments of $279
Estimated self-purchased book & media cost: $125 - $200 (for Course 1, 2, & 3)
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*This fee is for the entire 9-month ordination program, and is inclusive of the 3-month and 6-month course costs (not additional).
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Certification of Ordination provided upon completion of program
(Compassion Consortium offers this program as adult education. Contact your professional organization, academic institution, religious institution, or state licensing board to determine if this program will apply for CE credits or other ongoing educational requirements for you.)
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Upon completion of program, participants are invited to become a member of the ongoing compassionate practice circle and to attend our Summer retreat.
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Apply
Application Process
Admission requirements
Training is open to adults over 18 years of age, regardless of location, religious affiliation, ethnicity, race, gender, or sexual orientation. Although people from all countries are encouraged to apply, our training will be in English and group events will be scheduled based on North American time zones. If you have questions about specific learning accommodations, please contact us.
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Application steps
Fill out the application form to let us know about you and your educational interests. If you'd like to speak with us prior to applying, schedule a consultation session here.
Within 2 weeks of receiving your application, we will contact you with any questions we have, and then within 1 week after that, we will contact you with an admission decision and to help you finalize your enrollment and desired payment plan.
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Application fee
$30 US.
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Application deadline
For standard enrollment, please apply no later than Aug 1 to allow time to be onboarded to the program. Our program does reach capacity each year, so earlier applications are more likely to be accepted than those close to the deadline cut-off. Contact us for details.
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Helpfulness Funding
Reductions in tuition cost may be available for people whose income was less than $25,000 in the last calendar year or who have circumstances which make the program cost prohibitive. Availability of funding is based on current enrollment. Priority is given to people who identify as within a BIPOC or APIDA community or experience neurodiversity or physical disabilities. Please contact us for more information.
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Hello.
We can't wait to meet you.
Core Program Leadership
(Rev) Sarah Bowen
(she/her & they/them)
Executive Director, Training Programs
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Oversees the program and teaches core curriculum, weaving connections between your life experiences and our unique collection of expert knowledge facilitators.
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Reverend Sarah Bowen is an ordained interfaith/interspiritual minister, animal chaplain, and program director of Compassion Consortium's Animal Chaplaincy Training Program.
Especially interested in the intersection of spiritual values with animal welfare, Sarah is a fierce advocate for all creatures, teaching interspecies mindfulness practices, working with humans around the grief and loss of companion animals, loving up animals in shelters, and providing wildlife struck by cars a sacred sendoff.
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Sarah has presented on animal death and interspecies spirituality in a wide range of venues, including the Best Friends National Conference, Chaplaincy Innovation Lab, United Nations World Interfaith Harmony Week, Parliament of the World’s Religions, Compassion Arts Festival, Pace E Bene’s Campaign Nonviolence Action Week, Spiritual Directors International, and on numerous spirituality, animal advocacy, and conservation podcasts.
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An award-winning author, her latest book is titled Sacred Sendoffs: An Animal Chaplain’s Advice for Surviving Animal Loss, Making Life Meaningful, and Trying to Heal the Planet. (April 2022, Monkfish Publishing). Sarah is a columnist for Spirituality & Health Magazine and her work has been featured in Parabola, Tricycle: The Buddhist Review, Light of Consciousness, Elephant Journal, mindbodygreen, Religious Dispatches, Religion News Service, and a wide range of spirituality media. Sarah was recently interviewed by a RNS Vatican news desk reporter for her response to Pope Francis’ suggestion that living with cats and dogs is “selfish.”
She holds a BA in Human Ecology from Michigan State University, a MA in Religious Studies (specializing in the intersection of religion/spirituality and animals), from Chicago Theological Seminary, and an Alt M.Div from One Spirit Interfaith Seminary. A forever learner, she is completing ongoing post-graduate work in Anthrozoology at Canisius University and pioneering doctoral research in interspecies chaplaincy at Chicago Theological Seminary. She is an annual attendee of the Oxford Centre for Animal Ethics Summer School program, the world's first academy dedicated to the ethical enhancement of the status of animals.
Sarah is also a faculty member at One Spirit Interfaith Seminary in New York City and Omega Institute of Holistic Studies in New York's Hudson Valley region.
Marshall Hammer
(she/her & they/them)
Program Coordinator
Rev. Marshall Hammer assists the program director by facilitating program components and student technology as well as leading "listening room" experiences.
Marshall is an Interfaith/Interspiritual Minister & Reiki Practitioner who specializes in working with animals and their humans, remotely and in person. She facilitates a monthly peer-support group for folks experiencing grief after suicide loss and she's served on the NC Chapter Board of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. Her ministry is sprouting through a contract with Crest View Addiction Recovery Center, facilitating weekly Spirituality topic groups with participants in the program. Marshall feels most alive in spaces where grief is present. (Where is it not?) She believes everyone benefits from feeling seen and accepted exactly where they are and knowing they're not alone. Marshall lives in the East Cherokee (Tsalaguwetiyi) Territory also known as Asheville, North Carolina.
Adjunct Presenters & Conversation Partners*
Marc Beckoff
(he/him)
Animal Empathy & Emotions
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Marc Bekoff is professor emeritus of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at the University of Colorado, Boulder.
He has published 31 books (or 41 depending on you count multi-volume encyclopedias), won many awards for his research on animal behavior, animal emotions (cognitive ethology), compassionate conservation, and animal protection, has worked closely with Jane Goodall, and is a former Guggenheim Fellow. He also works closely with inmates at the Boulder County Jail.
In June 2022 Marc was recognized as a Hero by the Academy of Dog Trainers. His latest books are The Animals' Agenda: Freedom, Compassion, and Coexistence in the Human Age (with Jessica Pierce), Canine Confidential: Why Dogs Do What They Do, and Unleashing Your Dog: A Field Guide to Giving Your Canine Companion the Best Life Possible (with Jessica Pierce) and he also publishes regularly for Psychology Today. Marc and Jessica's most recent book A Dog's World: Imagining the Lives of Dogs in a World Without Humans was published by Princeton University Press in October 2021. Dogs Demystified: An A-Z Guide to All Things Canine will be published by New World Library in March 2023. In 1986 Marc won the Master's age-graded Tour de France. His homepage is marcbekoff.com.
Clair Linzey
(she/her)
A Conversation about Animal Theology
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Dr Clair Linzey is the Deputy Director of the Oxford Centre for Animal Ethics. She is also the Frances Power Cobbe Professor of Animal Theology at the Graduate Theological Foundation, USA. Her doctorate is in theology from the University of St Andrews, Scotland. Before that, she gained her masters in theology at the same University, and then did a second masters at Harvard Divinity School. Dr Linzey is Director of the Annual Oxford Animal Ethics Summer School. She is co-editor of the Journal of Animal Ethics published by the University of Illinois Press, and co-editor of the Palgrave Macmillan Book Series on Animals Ethics. Her co-edited volumes on animal ethics and theology, include Animal Ethics for Veterinarians (University of Illinois Press, 2017), The Ethical Case Against Animal Experiments (University of Illinois Press, 2018), The Palgrave Macmillan Handbook of Practical Animal Ethics (Palgrave Macmillan, 2018), The Routledge Handbook of Religion and Animal Ethics (Routledge, 2018), and Ethical Vegetarianism and Veganism (Routledge, 2018). She is the author of Developing Animal Theology: An Engagement with Leonardo Boff (Routledge, 2021).
Janel Griffieth
(she/her)
Underrepresentation in Animal Issues​
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Janel is a dedicated non-profit leader with nearly a decade of experience in promoting human and animal well-being. As a first-generation college graduate with a Bachelor of Science in Public Health from the University of South Florida, she is committed to addressing racial inequities within the nonprofit sector and amplifying diverse voices.
Her journey in the nonprofit realm began at the Oklahoma Humane Society, where she served as a Pet Adoption Specialist and later transitioned to become the Neonatal Volunteer Coordinator. Recognizing the critical need for comprehensive neonatal care, Janel assumed the role of Neonatal Nursery Program Manager, successfully establishing a kitten nursery, expanding fostering programs, providing medical care, and managing a substantial program budget. Her leadership resulted in the lifesaving of thousands of neonatal animals and garnered recognition through media and community outreach.
Having relocated to Florida, Janel redirected her passion towards addressing domestic violence as the Community Engagement Manager. In this capacity, she revitalized adult community education and volunteer programs, delivering impactful presentations across Pinellas County. Janel shifted the narrative to focus on holding abusers accountable and empowering survivors to escape challenging situations.
Stephanie Niemela
(she/her)
Diverse Animal Bodies & "Cripping" Animal Ethics
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Steph is a lover of spiritual things as well as a dreamer, She is a licensed professional counselor who offers her clients care and presence with a hope that they feel a sense of increased empowerment, new coping skills, and a reduction in the symptoms that they are experiencing. She is also a self-proclaimed "Foodie." Steph is currently a Seminary student and hopes to one day pastor a church rooted in love and acceptance within the UCC denomination. She lives with her feline companions Magdalene Teresa and Marley Grace.
Ginny Mikita
(she/her)
Chaplaincy & Animal Law​
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Rev. Ginny K. Mikita, JD is a certified Animal-Friendly Attorney and ordained interfaith minister/animal chaplain. She has provided compassionate legal assistance to those whose voices have been silenced — animals, children, LGBTQ+ individuals and incapacitated adults — for 30+ years. For her animal protection work specifically, she has been recognized as one of Michigan’s Top Ten Lawyers and was recently awarded the State Bar of Michigan Animal Law Section’s Brandi Award.
Ginny is the founder of Animal Blessings, a nonprofit organization dedicated to honoring the sacred worth of all animals – animals with whom we share our lives, captive animals exploited by humans for food, clothing and entertainment and wild animals who are hunted or at risk of extinction. Ginny writes a monthly column for Cats and Dogs Magazine, officiates blessings and memorial services for animal companions throughout the year – outside and in, secular and religious and facilitates a monthly animal companion loss grief support group.
Betz King
(she/her)
Ethics & Rituals in Animal-Assisted Interventions​
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Rev. Dr. Betz King is an existential-humanistic psychologist, Pagan minister, and priestess of the Western Mystery Tradition. She is a core faculty member of Saybrook University’s humanistic clinical psychology program. Her work focuses on the intersectionality of psychology and spirituality, feminist scholarship, women’s empowerment and human-animal interactions. When relaxing, she can be found roaming nature, hand-drumming, gardening and enjoying bonfires. Dr. King shares her home with her husband Kyle and their three black dogs.
Debbie Philp
(she/her)
Spiritual Practices & Wildlife Rehabilitation
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Debbie Philp is a licensed wildlife rehabilitator and founder of the nonprofit, Dancing Turtle Rescue and Education Program, Inc., with a mission to save the freshwater turtles of northeastern New York and their habitats by caring for injured, ill, neglected, and abandoned turtles and promoting advocacy and activism on their behalf through public education. Dancing Turtle is a formalization of her commitment to service our Earth family. Debbie is also a Reiki master, yoga teacher, and shamanic practioner.
Cheryl Garrett
(she/her)
Supporting Veterinary Staff through Chaplaincy ​
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Dr. Cheryl Garrett DVM as always had animals at the center of her life from as young as four years old when she can remember a stray cat coming into her house and having 4 kittens in the kitchen cupboard!
She completed vet school at Colorado State University, 27 years ago and has since worked at two Humane Societies, two emergency clinics, two private practices, and now owns her own business, AnimalKind House Calls.
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Susan Shannon
(she/her)
A Chaplain's Perspective: Animals, Buddhism, and Prison Ministry​
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Susan Shannon, M. Div., BCC is a seeker, student, mystic, poet, dharma lover, student, and teacher, earth and animal steward, and devotee of the heart, interfaith minister and chaplain. Susan has been a student and practitioner of Tibetan Buddhism for over 45 years. She is also an Interfaith Minister with the focus of serving marginalized and oppressed communities. In 2019 Susan moved from Northern California back to her soul home of Orcas Island in the Upper Left Corner of the US, where she founded the Buddhist Prison Ministry which is currently serving male and female inmates in 20 states and multiple prisons across the US. She also teaches for various organizations, provides spiritual counseling, supervises Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) for chaplain students, and tends the sacred land she lives on. Susan’s work has recently (2020-21) been highlighted in David Sheff’s book “The Buddhist on Death Row”, Lama Palden Drolma’s book “Love on Every Breath” and several podcasts and radio shows including Caroline Casey’s Visionary Activist radio show on KPFA.org FM 92.1 and the Dear Governor podcast.
Victoria Moran
(she/her)
Compassionate Lifestyle Development
Victoria Moran specializes in helping people explore and adopt ahimsa-based, compassionate lifestyles.
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A Compassion Consortium cofounder, Victoria is a certified life coach, certified holistic health coach, graduate of the T. Colin Campbell/e-Cornell program in plant-based nutrition, and a registered yoga instructor. She is the author of Main Street Vegan and The Good Karma Diet; and the founder and director of Main Street Vegan Academy, which trains and certifies Vegan Lifestyle Coaches and Educators. ​
She has been featured on Oprah, Today, Good Morning America, and All Things Considered, as well as in the 2019 Curiosity Stream docu-series, The Future of Food. She also acted as lead producer of Thomas Jackson's documentary, A Prayer for Compassion. She lives with her husband, William Melton, their rescue dog, Rupert, and rescue pigeon, Thunder, in a green condo in Upper Manhattan.
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William Melton
(he/him)
Compassionate Ethics
William was, in his first career, an international business and technology lawyer living in seven countries and working in more than thirty others. This gave him exposure to myriad cultures and religions before he shifted gears to pursue a ministry of compassion dedicated to healing the suffering of animals, the environment and the human heart.
William left his 30-year legal career, enrolled in Seminary, and after being ordained by One Spirit Interfaith Seminary in New York City, co-founded the Compassion Consortium, all in his quest to extend to all living beings the same compassion that is a foundational element of all religions and faith traditions. William is a Level-3 Animal Reiki Master, a Shelter Animal Reiki Association certified practitioner, and Fear Free Shelter certified practitioner. He offers animal chaplaincy and animal Reiki as part of his ministry.
QUESTIONS?
Check out the detailed information on this page.
We'd be happy to answer any questions you have about the program. You can also schedule a discernment call with our program director