Psychology of spiritual growth courses
These online courses have in common the psychology of spiritual growth. They show the relevance of the thinking of Emanuel Swedenborg and compare it with that of other writers in the field.
The courses below are offered on all four routes for SOLCe study. You can begin studying at any convenient time if you choose any of the following routes: assessment only, feedback only, self study. If you would prefer to have regular tutorials and be guided by an experienced tutor, the starting dates for this route are below.
There will be a new course available to study in the academic year 2025-2026 entitled Pathway to Wholeness.
You can use the form below to ask a question or enrol for a course here.
Tutored Courses Available in Semester 1: September 2025
Spiritual growth in childhood (10 Credits)
A clear psychological understanding of children and their development is necessary if we are to both come to terms with our own individual past and learn how best to care for and educate youngsters today.
The student is helped to query to what extent ideas in the field are compatible with spiritual theory. How can an understanding of Swedenborg’s writings illuminate psychology and vice versa?
An intermediate award (10 credit course) is roughly 100 hours of study.
As guidance on the tutorial route, this is broken down as follows:
Sessions: 8
Guided Study Hours with Tutor: 20 hours
Engagement with distance learning materials: 50 hours
Independent study time: 30 hours
Unless you choose the tutorial route, this will be self directed.
There is no assessment of award on the self study route. For the other three routes, the course is assessed by the completion of an essay (c. 250 words) after each of the eight sessions.
You will receive formative feedback from the tutor within ten working days.
Unless you are following the self study route, after the submission of the last essay, an overall grade will be provided for this course as a whole and you will received an Intermediate Award and 10 credits.
Intermediate Award (10 credit module) | Normal Cost | Discounted Rate* |
| Tutorials and Assessment | £600 | £450 |
| Assessment Only or Feedback Only | £80 | £60 |
| Self Study | £60 | £45 |
* This applies to your first Intermediate 10 credit course only.
Spiritual growth in adulthood (10 Credits)
We can involve ourselves in spiritual practices and related activities for example daily prayer, meditation, and counselling. These can have an important role in facilitating our adult development. In this course, however, the focus is on understanding the underlying processes that are involved in our growth into personal and spiritual maturity and how the views of others writers compare with those of Swedenborg.
An intermediate award (10 credit course) is roughly 100 hours of study.
As guidance on the tutorial route, this is broken down as follows:
Sessions: 8
Guided Study Hours with Tutor: 20 hours
Engagement with distance learning materials: 50 hours
Independent study time: 30 hours
Unless you choose the tutorial route, this will be self directed.
There is no assessment of award on the self study route. For the other three routes, the course is assessed by the completion of an essay (c. 250 words) after each of the eight sessions.
You will receive formative feedback from the tutor within ten working days.
Unless you are following the self study route, after the submission of the last essay, an overall grade will be provided for this course as a whole and you will received an Intermediate Award and 10 credits.
|
Intermediate Award (10 credit module) |
Normal Cost | Discounted Rate* |
| Tutorials and Assessment | £600 | £450 |
| Assessment Only or Feedback Only | £80 | £60 |
| Self Study | £60 | £45 |
* This applies to your first Intermediate 10 credit course only.
Spiritual growth in suffering (10 Credits)
This course focuses on knowledge and understanding of personal challenges and problems in adulthood. It includes such topics as problematic personal relationships, psychological dissociation and inner conflict, and existential issues. It asks to what extent the psycho-spiritual ideas found in Swedenborg’s books provide a deeper perspective than current psychological theory.
An intermediate award (10 credit course) is roughly 100 hours of study.
As guidance on the tutorial route, this is broken down as follows:
Sessions: 8
Guided Study Hours with Tutor: 20 hours
Engagement with distance learning materials: 50 hours
Independent study time: 30 hours
Unless you choose the tutorial route, this will be self directed.
There is no assessment of award on the self study route. For the other three routes, the course is assessed by the completion of an essay (c. 250 words) after each of the eight sessions.
You will receive formative feedback from the tutor within ten working days.
Unless you are following the self study route, after the submission of the last essay, an overall grade will be provided for this course as a whole and you will received an Intermediate Award and 10 credits.
Intermediate Award (10 credit module) | Normal Cost | Discounted Rate* |
| Tutorials and Assessment | £600 | £450 |
| Assessment Only or Feedback Only | £80 | £60 |
| Self Study | £60 | £45 |
** This applies to your first Intermediate 10 credit course only.
Who or what am I? (10 Credits)
This online course is an attempt to explore the fundamental questions, “Who am I, and “Why am I here?” To this end it aims to offer a bird’s eye view of those parts of Swedenborg’s spiritual philosophy and psychology that are centred on what he said is our creation, and in particular, the human faculty of ego (or ‘proprium’ in Swedenborg’s terminology).
Like Swedenborg we shall also make much use of the Bible understood and interpreted as a symbolic revelation of the nature and dynamics of the human mind in relation to its ultimate Source.
This module may be thought of as a form of psycho-spiritual map of ego in relation to the human spirit as a whole, and its spiritual growth, which is outlining Swedenborg’s answer to the question of the meaning and purpose of life.
An intermediate award (10 credit course) is roughly 100 hours of study.
As guidance on the tutorial route, this is broken down as follows:
Sessions: 7
Guided Study Hours with Tutor: 20 hours
Engagement with distance learning materials: 50 hours
Independent study time: 30 hours
Unless you choose the tutorial route, this will be self directed.
There is no assessment of award on the self study route. For the other three routes, the course is assessed by the completion of an essay (c. 300 words) after each of the seven sessions.
You will receive formative feedback from the tutor within ten working days.
Unless you are following the self study route, after the submission of the last essay, an overall grade will be provided for this course as a whole and you will received an Intermediate Award and 10 credits.
Intermediate Award (10 credit module) | Normal Cost | Discounted Rate* |
| Tutorials and Assessment | £600 | £450 |
| Assessment Only or Feedback Only | £80 | £60 |
| Self Study | £60 | £45 |
* This applies to your first Intermediate 10 credit course only.
The Divine in intimate relationships (20 Credits)
Physical attraction may be the start of deeper feelings, but if a couple relies only on the sexual aspect of their relationship, the initial thrill will soon wear off and the partnership will founder.
Swedenborg’s notion of conjugial love is that a lasting intimacy is not just a physical, external union but is also an internal union where there is a merging of minds as well as bodies.
According to this view, a monogamous couple will continue to grow closer to each other and their love will deepen with spiritual growth, if they are facing together the problems of life whilst open to the presence of the Divine.
This course looks at the spiritual sexual relationship and its opposite arising from disorderly conduct. Topics explored include the spiritual origin of human sexuality, harmony and disharmony in relationships, same sex partnerships, promiscuity, and extramarital affairs.
A higher award (20 credit course) is roughly 200 hours of study.
As guidance on the tutorial route, this is broken down as follows:
Sessions: 12
Guided Study Hours with Tutor: 40 hours
Engagement with distance learning materials: 90 hours
Independent study time: 60 hours
Unless you choose the tutorial route, this will be self directed.
There is no assessment of award on the self study route.
For the other three routes, the course is assessed by the completion of an essay (c. 300 words) after each of the twelve sections.
You will receive formative feedback from the tutor within ten working days.
Unless you are following the self study route, after the submission of the last essay, an overall grade will be provided for this course as a whole and you will received a Higher Award and 20 credits.
| Higher Award (20 credit module) | Normal Cost | Discounted Rate* |
| Tutorials and Assessment | £1200 | £900 |
| Assessment Only or Feedback Only | £160 | £120 |
| Self Study | £120 | £90 |
* This applies to your first Higher 20 credit course only.
