Frequently Asked Questions
What’s in my free session?
30 minutes of consultation about whether it’s a good fit for you
(Optional) 30 minutes of actual spiritual direction
What’s an individual session like?
Zoom or in-person (indoors or outdoors)
60 minutes (weekly, monthly, or occasionally)
Private, confidential
Welcoming and non-judgmental
Peaceful and unhurried
Starts and ends with a time of silence
I may offer a short reflective quote, poetry, or sacred text
We listen to stirrings in your life
I may gently offer observations, perspectives, practices to consider
I take notes, which we may refer to in later sessions
Duration: As long as you find fruitful, from a single session to many years
What’s a group session like?
Zoom or in-person
90 minutes
Focused on two participants’ experiences each time
Whole-group listening and discernment
Confidential within the group
Duration: six monthly sessions, unless otherwise noted
Can I afford it?
My desire is for cost to be no obstacle . . .
Sliding scale, individual session: $40 – $140
Sliding scale, group series: $90 - $240 total for six sessions (six months), can spread payments
Sliding scale, workshops and retreats: discounts available
If the scale needs to slide further for you, let’s discuss.
What’s your formal training?
In addition to life-long learning and a B.A. in ancient languages and biblical studies, the following are specific to my practice of spiritual direction . . .
Certification: Formation Program for Spiritual Directors, Center for Spirituality at Work, 2009-2010.
Ordination: Community Chaplain (non-denominational), Street Psalms, 2010.
Graduate Sendee: Living School for Action and Contemplation, 2016-2018.
Member: Spiritual Directors International (+ continuing education)
Member: Spiritual Direction Colorado (+ continuing education)
What is Spiritual Direction NOT?
Psychotherapy, counseling
Pastoral care, Bible study
Coaching, mentoring
Teaching, training
Soul friend
. . . though these resources can be complementary to spiritual direction
“All walks of life” – Who’s that?
I’ve companioned people who are . . .
Low-income and high-income
In their 20s and 90s
BIPOC and white
LGBTQIA+ and straight
Progressive and conservative
Devout in faith, abandoning faith, trying out faith, no formal faith
How should I prepare for my session?
If meeting remotely, find a quiet spot free from distractions (some directees meet in their cars!)
Bring a willing and open heart.
What’s stirring within? You may wish to offer a personal experience, discernment question, troubling thought, hopeful longing, or celebration.
Or simply bring “yourself in the present moment,” and there will be more than enough to listen to.
How do you prepare for our sessions?
I review notes from our previous sessions, prayerfully.
I may select a reading, spiritual exercise, or perspective to be available as our time may prompt.
I prepare the room, quiet myself, and center my heart.
I hold you in love and prayer between meetings.
What are your ethical guidelines?
I follow “Guidelines for Ethical Conduct, Spiritual Directors International,” including . . .
Preserving confidentiality (directees are free to divulge contents of our sessions; I am not*)
Clarifying our respective roles, session formats, cost, and payment
Honoring dignity of directees by respecting varieties of spiritual, religious, and personal experiences
Observing appropriate physical and personal boundaries, avoiding conflicts of interest
Tending my own spiritual formation, undergoing spiritual direction, undergoing supervision
*I am ethically (and in certain cases legally) bound to report child abuse, elder abuse, and physical harm to self and others. Also, as I undergo professional supervision, I may share my own experience of a session while strictly preserving anonymity of the directee.
