Spiritual Direction & Soul Care 

Is Spiritual Direction Right For You?

• Are looking for a way to find God in the middle of your circumstances?

• Do you need someone to listen and help you break free from anxiety?

• Could your prayer life use a boost?

• Do you feel stuck, overwhelmed, stagnant, or unsure of what to do next?

If you answered “yes” to any of these questions, spiritual direction and guided soul care is just what you need!

What is Spiritual Direction?

Spiritual direction is a form of soul care that helps people deepen their connection with God. Originally termed the cure (or care) of souls, Spiritual Direction is a Scripture-directed, prayer-shaped form of care that helps people cultivate an awareness of God in their daily lives.

Each Spirit-led session is unique and personal.

You may experience your direction session to be a:

• protected space of discovery, where you can learn more about God and yourself

• holy space to receive healing, peace, and rest

• fortifying space to receive strength, direction, and guidance

• experiential space, to receive the love, approval, and the grace of God

• unburdening space, where you can share your pain and worries with God and someone who cares

God knows exactly what you need to experience Him in the fullest measure, and He will meet you right where you’re at.

What To Expect.

Your Spiritual Direction session is your time, so you can talk about whatever you think is important or spiritually significant. My role is to come alongside you as a friend/companion to help you notice your life and relationship with God. We’ll be “dusting for the fingerprints of God,” and the Holy Spirit is the true Guide.

This is a time for you to talk about what’s on your heart. Tears are always welcome, and they most often lead to the flowing river of God’s grace and love for you. Everything you share is confidential and nothing you say can shock me. I’ve heard a lot of stories and confessions and I am well aware of my own weaknesses.

Your life is probably pretty full and fast-paced, but during our sessions, we’ll go slow and rest with God. We’ll work to quiet your heart, calm your mind, and listen for the still small voice of God. We’ll set aside time for you to reconnect with your soul, and we’ll create space for the Lord to bind up your heart, renew your spirit, and exchange truth for lies. We’ll take back spiritual territory and courageously discover more freedom.

Our conversation might look and feel a bit different. Neither of us will work to fill the void of silence. When I ask you a question, you can take as much time as you’d like before answering. Conversely, after you say something, I might be silent for a bit to pray and consider more deeply what you’ve said before rushing forward with another question.

Silence and the room to breathe deeply are welcomed guests because we are stepping out of the loud, fast-paced world to be with God.

Cost:

My standard rate for an hour of Spiritual Direction $75, however, I refuse to let money get in the way of feeding your soul. If cost is prohibitive, please let me know.

What’s the difference between Spiritual Direction, Counseling, and Other Helping Professions?

Spiritual Direction, as the name implies, is primarily about our spiritual lives, our relationship with God, and the movement of the Holy Spirit in our lives. Spiritual Directors help directees experience God amid the circumstances, decisions, transitions, and emotions of life. A Spiritual Director’s role is to hold space, journey with, listen, ask questions, pray, and guide you through soul-nourishing spiritual practices. This “sacred space” helps directees pay attention to the way that God is communicating with them and helps them become more fully who they have been created to be. Spiritual Directors typically have completed an advanced certificate program and gone through a period of oversight with an Instructor.

Counseling helps us to explore, uncover, process, and resolve problems in our lives and relationships. Psychotherapy goes even deeper and uses a myriad of tools to help individuals process trauma and overcome persistent and debilitating obstacles. Counselors and Therapists typically have years of advanced Masters-level training and go through an extensive state licensing process.

Coaching is all about refining skills and strategies. Life coaches generally talk about the present and the future, not the past, and are trained to help you define what your current reality is, dream what the future could look like, and help you get there. This could include health goals, making healthy decisions relationally, career goals or simply doing what you want to do but have a hard time doing. In short, a life coach helps you through your life as a coach and/or cheerleader ultimately helping you in your journey of becoming. Coaches typically have completed some kind of higher-level training though there are many programs varying in intensity, specificity, and qualification.

Discipleship is a core part of developing maturity in one’s Christian life. Discipleship can take many different forms but often includes the presence of a mentor who has more life experience and the relationship usually features some level of transparency, accountability, curiosity, and trust.

So when’s the right time to pursue counseling/therapy vs. spiritual direction?

• If you are struggling with emotional pain and negative patterns of behavior in your life, dealing with depression or mood disorders, anxiety, addictions, or other diagnosable conditions, psychotherapy is your best option. 

• Do you need guidance and support sorting out your life and your relationships? Counseling would be the way to go.

• Are you trying to grow in your relationship with God and discern the movement of the Holy Spirit in your life? Then spiritual direction is what you should pursue.

Keep in mind that each discipline is not mutually exclusive and you can participate in spiritual direction along with therapy and counseling.