The Buddhist Studies Program stems from Emmanuel College's goal to foster dialogue between Buddhists, Christians, Muslims, and others within the larger community. The Master of Pastoral Studies (MPS) is a twenty-credit program that allows students to specialize in one of the following three streams:
- Spiritual Care, for providing spiritual care in religious communities or public institutions and
, if a student completes units in Supervised Pastoral Education (SPE), in compliance with the criteria of the Canadian Association for Spiritual Care (CASC) [at Emmanuel College, Buddhist Studies, Christian Studies and Muslim Studies are possible foci within the MPS/Spiritual Care Program...
- Social Service, for providing leadership in religious or secular social service agencies [at Emmanuel College, Christian Studies and Muslim Studies are possible foci within the MPS Program/Social Service Stream.
- Worship and Preaching, for providing lay leadership in religious communities
- Within the Spiritual Care stream, students may complete requirements for a Certificate in Spiritual Care and Psychotherapy for providing spiritual care and psychotherapy as a spiritual care practitioner (chaplain) in public institutions like hospitals and prisons or as a psycho-spiritual therapist (pastoral counselor) in counselling centres or other contexts. This certificate is designed to meet a portion of the educational requirements towards becoming a Registered Psychotherapist (Qualifying) within the College of Registered Psychotherapists of Ontario (CRPO). For more information, see www.crpo.ca. This degree and certificate may also meet a portion of the educational requirements for applying for Advanced training in the Canadian Association for Spiritual Care (CASC). The Certificate in Spiritual Care and Psychotherapy is approved by the University of Toronto, and can be used toward meeting the requirements for Qualifying Membership within the College of Registered Psychotherapists of Ontario (CRPO). DIPLOMA IN BUDDHIST MINDFULNESS AND MENTAL HEALTH
This Diploma is designed to explore Buddhist approaches to mental health and the alleviation of mental suffering through an in-depth examination of Buddhist psychology, theories of mental illness, psychotherapy, counselling, and pastoral care. Central to the goals of this Diploma is an understanding, theoretical and practical, of mindfulness meditation in the context of Buddhist spiritual practices and its role in Buddhist counselling. This Diploma will be of interest to those who wish to integrate the wisdom of Buddhist spirituality into their professional and personal practices.