Spiritual Accompaniment

Also known as spiritual direction, spiritual guide, or soul friend.

What is Spiritual Accompaniment?

Whether we recognise it or not, we are all on a spiritual journey. There can be times in our lives when it is helpful for someone to walk closely beside us as we delve more deeply into our relationship with God and our sense of purpose. What is God saying to us? Where can we experience His love in our lives?

Spiritual accompaniment is focused on the present time, although when the past gets in the way of the present, we may look at unfinished business through the lens of faith.

Spiritual accompaniment is not about me telling you what to do or what to believe. It is not about me being a go-between between you and God. The actual guide is the Holy Spirit and together we sit in His presence as we nurture your relationship with Him. It is not counselling.

Our work in spiritual accompaniment will follow your agenda, looking at what is figural for you at any particular time, and where God is in this. This might include matters of discernment, your feelings about your faith, your prayer life, or things that are happening in your life that you would like to look at from a spiritual viewpoint. We will look at your agenda, through the lens of faith in God.

You might also be new to the idea of faith in God and want to use sessions to further explore this, or you may be questioning your faith. All of this would be a valid part of our work.

In sessions, I might suggest you talk directly to God (through prayer), or have moments of silence to listen for His guidance. We might draw upon the Bible, where it relates directly to your issue. We might work creatively, or just talk together, recognising God’s presence in the work.

Spiritual accompaniment is based on a professional relationship. I work to the standards and ethics stated in the Retreat Association Spiritual Direction Guidelines. I can give you a copy of this on request.

If you choose to work with me, we will agree on a formal contract so we both know what to expect. I work with supervisors who make sure I’m working ethically and providing you with the best possible service.

About me…

I am a flawed human being on my own spiritual journey with all its ups and downs, struggles, and moments of deep connection. My Christian faith means increasingly more to me as I get older and I am committed to exploring this regularly in my own spiritual accompaniment sessions. This has been a truly transformative journey for me.

My Christian faith has been part of most of my adult life. Being in a faith community is an important part of how I express my faith. My personal journey has taken me to C of E churches, Baptist churches and free churches among others. My journey has included involvement in leading Life Groups, pastoral care, worship leading, working alongside children in their developing faith, mentoring and teaching pastoral skills courses.

I was brought up in a Vicarage and have therefore seen some of the pressures (and also joys) of full-time Christian work.

I trained and qualified in spiritual accompaniment at Aylesford Priory.

I studied for my Counselling BA at Waverley Abbey, home of Selwyn Hughes. As part of this degree, I studied spirituality, which I will draw upon in our work together.

I am also a professional counsellor and co-founder of Counselling World, an organisation which trains counsellors through accredited courses. There is a significant overlap between counselling and spiritual accompaniment, but there are also distinct differences. If, during our work, it becomes apparent that counselling would help you, we can if time is available, re-contract for this work.

I enjoy walking in nature, often with my dog, Oscar. Theatre is a passion of mine and I especially love musicals. I love singing and always have a book on the go. I find it precious to spend time with my family.

Please note that my work with you will come from a Christian perspective as this is where my knowledge and experience lie.

What to expect

We will meet for 50-minute sessions. Most people choose to have sessions once every 4-6 weeks, but the choice is yours. You can equally have one-off sessions when you feel you need them. I don’t work during school holiday times. We can work face-to-face (near Canterbury), on Zoom, by phone, or by email. I also offer the option of walking outside together in God’s amazing creation. Oscar, a certified therapy dog, can also be part of our sessions. (Please note, that Oscar will be on the premises if we meet face to face, so if you are allergic to dogs or have a phobia, I may not be the right person for you).

It can be helpful to start our time together with a moment of silence, making time to fully connect with God before we begin our work. Sometimes using a prayer, a guided meditation or a candle can be part of how we start. We can talk about your preferences in this.

Our first session, it is an opportunity to get to know each other and to see whether we would be a good match for the journey ahead. It is a chance to explore in more depth what spiritual accompaniment looks like in practical terms and you will also be able to ask any questions you would like to know about me. If this is what you are seeking, then we will come to a formal agreement on how we will work together.

My Availability

I have time available on a Friday afternoon from 2-4:30pm

Cost

My current rate is £45 for a 50-minute session.

Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any further questions.

Contact me

If you would like to meet up for a session together please contact me at: hmcounselling@gmail.com. Alternatively, you can leave a message on: 07833353822. Please note that I only use this phone as an answer phone due to the nature of my work.