Free Spiritual Direction w/ a Student in Training

What is spiritual direction? 

Spiritual direction is a ministry/spiritual discipline that dates back to the early church when wise men and women, the desert mothers and fathers, were sought for spiritual discernment.  They helped people wrestle through the experiences of their faith. From questions like-- Why does God feel so distant when he used to feel so near?  What is God calling me to do? Where is God in my suffering? to more practical questions like-- Should I marry this person? What kind of job would be fulfilling to me?  or Which of these three options do I choose? As you can see, virtually every aspect of life is fair topic in spiritual direction.  

While spiritual direction does have the word "direction" in it, the director is not there to direct your life, but serves more like an orchestra conductor who is paying close attention to the music God has written and is listening carefully to the ways the different instruments are participating in the music.  For this reason, I often describe spiritual direction as a ministry of clarification and hospitality.  Directors serve as a second set of ears to help you see and hear clearly what is happening in your life, and as a facilitator of time and space to be with God in that awareness of your real life.  This allows God to be the real director and helps the directee (the receiver of spiritual direction) to grow in his or her capacity to discern God's voice themselves.  

Who is it for? 

Spiritual direction would benefit anyone who desires a closer, more intimate relationship with God.

Who are we?

The spiritual directors participating in this offer are spiritual directors in training.  They have completed their first year of spiritual director training which includes study in the life and ministry of Christ, developmental spirituality, liturgical frameworks, and attachment psychology, as well as practice in group spiritual direction and compassionate listening.  They are trained in Christian spiritual direction by Julie Barrios, a spiritual director for 15 years and supervisor of spiritual directors for 13.

How much does it cost?

Because you are working with student directors, there is no charge.

What is my commitment?

While there are 10 sessions a year available to you, you are only committed to 5.  At the end of 5 sessions you and your director will re-evaluate and discern together if you would like to continue for another 5 sessions.  Because these are directors in training, we would appreciate participants who understand that their commitment to meet with their director is important to their director meeting his/her training requirements. You will be setting your meeting time and frequency based on your availability and the availability of your director.  The 5 meetings will be completed by the end of the calendar year..

As a participant, the information you share may be discussed as a part of your director's supervision requirement.  While the content of what you shared will be discussed, your identity will remain completely confidential.  

Where will we meet?

Our directors are located in the San Francisco Bay Area, but are available to meet with directees remotely for those who are out of the area, or for whom remote meetings are most convenient.  

When do we start?

Your director will reach out to you in late July/early August to schedule your first appointment for September 2024.  

How do I get started?

Just fill out this form! This information will help us discern if we currently have a director in training that could be a good fit for you.  If you are not immediately matched, we may reach out to you in the future to see if you are still interested in being matched with a director that has become available.   

If you have any questions, please email julie@nuosformation.com