KAREN SHIELDS WRIGHT, MS, DC, DM
Ignatian Spiritual Director/Clinician
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Dr. Karen Shields Wright received her advanced certificate training (2003) in spiritual direction at Fordham University's Graduate School of Religion after receiving her MS in Christian Spirituality (1998). Previously she received her Doctor of Chiropractic from New York Chiropractic College (1980), where she has practiced full-time caring for thousands of patients with neuro-muscular-skeletal conditions in her community and volunteering abroad. After retiring from full-time practice she served her community as a chaplain at Greenwich Hospital Yale-New Haven Health, providing spiritual care for patients and programs for staff.
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Currently, she ministers as a spiritual director and mentor to colleagues with the Murphy Center for Ignatian Spirituality at Fairfield University since 2017 and in her private practice (ministering100% virtually for the past 8 years).
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As a life-long learner, she continues her CME and CE credentialling, in addition to studying research on the integration of spirituality in health, neuroscience, mind/body medicine, and topics in psychology, theology, and philosophy.
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She is a Dame in the Order of Malta, an international Catholic lay/religious organization, on its national Palliative Care Committee; and as a member ( 2003) of Centesimus Annus Pro Pontifice Foundation focused on evangelizing with Catholic Social Teachings (CST) to business leaders, she has presented and written on the subject of CST and lay spirituality.
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Karen is married to Dmitri Wright a fine artist and a Knight in the Order of Malta. She continues to take great delight in her children and grandson, in addition to her extended family, friends, patients, and clients.
Link to Selections of Publications & Presentations Given
Selections from Professional CME & CE Formation Programs Completed
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CME "Advances in Mind-Body Medicine" Thomas Jefferson U. Sidney Kimmel Medical College ('22)
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Programs of the Murphy Center for Ignatian Spirituality, Fairfield University ('17-'22)
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Programs of the Office for Ignatian Spirituality (OIS) Eastern Provence ('19-'22)
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CME "Advances in Integrative Nutrition" Thomas Jefferson U. Sidney Kimmel Medical College ('21
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"Handing on the Fire: Making Spiritual Direction Ignatian" w. Fr. Joseph Tetlow, SJ, Ignatian Spirituality Institute ('21)
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"Teaching of Discernment of Spirits" w. Fr. Timothy Gallagher ('21)
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Practicum in Giving the 19th Annotation" MCIS by Sr. Karen Doyle and Nan Bouche ('20-'21)
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"Fundamentals of Cognitive Behavior Therapy" Mass General Psychiatry Academy (CME credits) '20
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"Stress Management and Resiliency Training Mass General Psychiatry Academy (Harvard Medical School CME credits) '20
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"Giving the Spiritual Exercises in the 19th Annotation Format to Others" Fr. Jame Bowler OIS '19
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"Essentials of Palliative Care" Chaplaincy Program. California State University (CE credits) '18
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"Adult Psychological Development and Spirituality: Ignatian Spirituality Across the Life Cycle" OIS Fr. David McCallum, SJ '18