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Spiritual Direction is an invitation into a relationship to explore the meaning, purpose, and possibility of the experience of life while acknowledging a deep connection to however you name a spiritual connection and presence in your life [Allah, Divine, God, Other, The Universe, etc.]. Forms of Spiritual Direction are common to most belief traditions and are exemplified in the interpersonal connection witnessed by historical and present-day spiritual leaders like Buddha, Mohammed, Jesus, Gandhi, Mother Theresa, and the Dalai Lama.

Not by any means. The root word of spirituality, spiritus, means breath; so as long as you are breathing you have a spiritual life! Atheists, agnostics, and seekers of all identities find Spiritual Direction to be a window into understanding and claiming a deeper, more meaningful experience of life.

Most folx meet for Spiritual Direction once a month for 50 minutes. The ‘seeker’ (that’s you!) can bring a variety of topics to discuss including vocational discernment, love & relationships, sexuality, gender, spiritual crisis, or loss & death. Sometimes sacred or inspired texts and images or meditation, silence, and prayer are used as part of a session.

Spiritual Direction welcomes a private and intimate conversation where folx are given the space, trust, and vulnerability to share in a way that feels safe and right for them. By nature of the spiritual director being employed by the university, they may be obligated to contact appropriate resources if there is an imminent threat to you or another person. This may include situations that involve, but are not limited to sexual assault, harassment, and discrimination.

At times, Spiritual Direction may look or sound like therapy and vice versa but there are clear differences. Specifically, the content of these sessions is different. Therapy may seek to make a diagnosis or realize a specific problem in one’s life. Spiritual Direction takes an approach to recognize and honor the wholeness and completeness of an individual despite their difficulties and helps the individual integrate that complexity into their personal life. Most importantly, spiritual direction is not a substitute for a therapy or counseling relationship but can provide a beautiful compliment.