Ethics as a Living Practice

The work of CSP ministers centers on supporting individuals in expanded and vulnerable states of consciousness. In these spaces, relationship becomes the primary medium of transformation—and therefore, ethics becomes the primary responsibility.

Relational Ethics—the art of being in aligned relationship—is the foundation of all meaningful human connection. When practiced well, it creates the conditions for trust, healing, and emergence. When neglected, it can lead to contraction, rupture, or harm.

To study ethics is to cultivate an open mind and heart, to engage in continual reflection, and to wrestle with the deepest questions. It is through that honest inquiry—sitting together in uncertainty and discovery—that we develop our own ethical compass, learning to navigate with external guidance and inner knowing.

At CSP, we understand ethics as:

  • A discipline of attunement and awareness
  • A commitment to right relationship with others, community, and Spirit
  • An ongoing process of reflection, humility, and growth

We study ethics by engaging in inquiry:

  • How do I hold power responsibly?
  • How do I remain in integrity in moments of ambiguity?
  • How do I repair when rupture occurs?

This work is especially critical in expanded states, where participants may be more open, suggestible, and sensitive and power dynamics are heightened.

We are proud to offer comprehensive relational ethics training specially designed for those working in expanded states of consciousness.

Ethics are embedded throughout the organization:

Training & Formation

  • Ethics is a core pillar of ministerial training
  • Students engage in ongoing reflection, dialogue, and supervision
  • Ethical development is treated as lifelong practice, not a one-time requirement

Code of Conduct

All ministers must review, sign, and uphold a formal Code of Conduct, which covers:

  • Boundaries
  • Consent
  • Confidentiality
  • Financial integrity
  • Use of influence

Ethics Committee & Coordinator 

Our Ethics Committee is an active body eight of ministers responsible for:

  • Reviewing concerns submitted by ministers and members
  • Supporting accountability and repair
  • Maintaining ethical standards across the community

They work in tandem with an ethics coordinator, who responds to ethical complaints.

Certificate in Relational Ethics for Expanded States

A four-part exploration of self, other, and what emerges in between. 

This flagship program is designed for:

  • Entheogenic ministers
  • Psychedelic guides
  • Breathwork facilitators
  • Coaches and therapists
  • Anyone holding space for transformation

The program integrates:

  • Philosophy and spiritual ethics
  • Psychology and relational dynamics
  • Experiential practice and reflection
  • Community-based learning

Program Structure

The certificate is modular and flexible. Your ethics journey can begin with either an in person intensive or a live virtual semester-long course

  • Courses can be taken in any order, with exception of 602, for which 601 is a prerequisite
  • Students complete 4 courses (10 units total) to earn certification

Annual Course Cycle

ETHC 651 — January Intensive

Ethics and Embodied Ways of Knowing

What does it mean to be in right relationship when those who trust you are in some of their most vulnerable moments? This four-day intensive explores the essential skills of embodied attunement and ethical discernment that ministers need when holding sacred space. Read the full course description.

2027 Schedule:

Preparation and Integration, Online, Wednesdays, January 13 and January 27, 1:30-3:30 PM PT/4:30-6:30 PM ET

In-person Intensive, Thursday, January 21—Sunday, January 24, 2027

The core of this course is a four day in-person non-residential intensive in the San Francisco Bay Area. Lunch will be provided. Participants traveling for the intensive will be responsible for finding housing.

ETHC 601 — Spring Semester

Ethics and the Art of Aligned Relationships

This course integrates wisdom from multiple traditions—Western philosophical ethics, post-modern relational approaches, indigenous plant medicine protocols, and developmental psychology—to create a comprehensive understanding of aligned relationships across consciousness states. Read the full course description.

2027 Schedule:

Every other Wednesday beginning February 3, 2027 from 1:30 - 4 PM PT/ 4:30 - 7 PM ET

ETHC 652 — July Intensive

Ethics, Power, and Shadow  

Where does ethical harm actually happen? Not in the abstract domains of philosophical theory, but in the charged, shadowed places where a minister's unexamined wounds quietly shape the care they offer — where power accumulates unnoticed until harm is done, and where the most difficult topics like money, sexuality, caste, and dual relationships exist. Read the full course description.

2027 Schedule:

Preparation and Integration, Online, Wednesdays, July 14 and July 28, 1:30-3:30 PM PT/4:30-6:30 PM ET

In-person Intensive, Thursday July 22—Sunday July 25, 2027

The core of this course is a four day in-person non-residential intensive in the San Francisco Bay Area. Lunch will be provided. Participants traveling for the intensive will be responsible for finding housing.

ETHC 602 — Fall Semester

Advanced Relational Ethics: Creating Your Ethical Compass

This course is the capstone of the Relational Ethics Certificate — a graduate-level seminar for those ready to do more than understand ethics intellectually. Building on the philosophical survey of ETHC 601, this course dives into the phenomenological and non-dual dimensions of ethical life, drawing on integral systems theory, process philosophy, and eco-depth psychology to ask: what does it mean to live and practice ethics in a way that create a world that is life enhancing, amid a rapidly changing world and technologies with uncertain impacts. Read the full course description.

2027 Schedule:

Every other Monday from 1:30-4:00 PM PT/4:30 - 7:00 PM ET, starting August 16, 2027

*601 is a Pre-requisite for 602 

Application

A brief application is required for individual courses and for the certificate. You will receive notice within two weeks of applying.

Tuition

  • Full certificate (10 Units): $6000 total
  • 2 Unit In-person Intensives: $2000 per intensive
  • 3 Unit Semester-long courses: $1800 per semester

Instructor

Andi Chatburn, DO, MA, HEC-C (they/she) is a Hospice and Palliative Care physician, bioethicist, and ordained ceremonialist. With over 25 years of experience facilitating spiritual ritual and ceremony, Dr. Chatburn accompanies people at the threshold of life's most profound transitions. An apprentice to death since childhood, Andi brings an intimate understanding of the relational nature of being human within an animate ecosystem of life. Through their own surrender to mystery, they know spiritual transformation affects entire ecosystems of relationships with both human and more than human relations.

Throughout a decade-long career at Providence Health and Services, Chatburn served as Senior Director for Ethics at Providence Health in Washington and Montana, where they chaired and led over a dozen ethics committees and taught ethics to interdisciplinary groups of healthcare professionals, spanning topics from pediatric ethics to end-of-life care. Their academic experience includes Clinical Instructor positions in Biomedical Ethics at Washington State University's Elson S. Floyd School of Medicine, Pacific Northwest University School of Osteopathic Medicine, and the University of Washington/Gonzaga School of Medicine. Andi also served as a spiritual director for fellow healthcare executives through Leadership Formation, and as a board member and instructor for Providence's Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) Program for healthcare chaplains.

Dr. Chatburn completed a Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine and Master of Arts in Bioethics from Kansas City University (2010), holds a certificate in Spiritual Direction from the Companioning Center (2022), and holds a Master of Arts in Philosophy with an emphasis in Ecology, Spirituality, and Religion from California Institute for Integral Studies (2026). This unique combination brings unprecedented interdisciplinary depth to bioethics education and practice.

Based in the San Francisco Bay Area, Andi finds restoration through dancing, swimming in wild waters, and wandering in nature's fierce embrace.

An Invitation

Ethics is not about perfection, it’s about staying present in relationship, taking responsibility for impact, learning to repair when things break, and cultivating an inner compass that can navigate complexity.

Reporting Ethical Concerns

If you have concerns about ethical conduct within CSP, contact our current Ethics Coordinator, Jodi Eilers: ethicscoordinator@sacredpractices.org

All concerns are handled with care and confidentiality.