Talk with a spiritual director or coach
When you are busy with your ministry, family, or work it can be hard to fit in caring for your soul. This can lead to stress overload, discouragement, relational conflict, spiritual dryness, or hitting a wall.
The spiritual directors and coaches with Soul Shepherding have been through the wall and experienced renewal. They offer you a safe place to receive empathy, guidance, and practical tools to help you go deeper with Jesus in emotional health and loving leadership.
About the Spiritual Directors and Coaches
Drs. Bill and Kristi Gaultiere and their faculty have trained each spiritual director and coach for at least two years in their Soul Shepherding Institute and Certificate in Spiritual Direction that is informed by Jesus-centered psychology. The providers also have many years of experience as pastors, missionaries, ministry spouses, and leaders.
Each provider maintains credentials from Soul Shepherding to serve as a Spiritual Director, Sr. Spiritual Director, and/or Sr. Coach. Some of them also have earned a certificate to serve as a Sabbatical Coach and/or Enneagram Coach. They all provide online appointments and some also provide in-person appointments.
Find a Spiritual Director or Coach
It’s easy to get started. Simply pick a spiritual director or coach below and click “Book Appointment.” *When booking, be sure to select your time zone at the top of the scheduler for accurate availability.
When booking your first session with any spiritual director/coach, please select “Spiritual Direction: First Session” or “Leadership Coaching: First Session.”
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Frequently Asked Questions
Spiritual direction is an opportunity for you to discuss your personal challenges, needs, and hopes with a mature Christ-follower that helps you appreciate God’s presence, support, and guidance in your life. Your Soul Shepherding spiritual director will assist the Spirit of Jesus by providing you with listening, empathy, guidance, specialized resources, and prayer.
Coaching is an opportunity for you to discuss your life or work, set goals for improvement, and take steps for progress. Your Soul Shepherding coach will assist the Spirit of Jesus by guiding you in our PEGS model of coaching: Prayer, Empathy, Goal-setting, and Steps to grow. Some of our coaches specialize in leadership coaching, Sabbatical coaching, Enneagram coaching, or marriage coaching.
Soul Shepherding incorporates Jesus-centered psychology in spiritual direction and coaching. Our spiritual directors and coaches serve as assistants to the Spirit of Jesus in your life. As they offer empathy, guidance, specialized resources, and prayer they are trusting God’s care and wisdom for you.
Spiritual direction focuses on helping you experience God’s loving presence and discernment for your life. Coaching focuses on helping you make progress on accomplishing important goals for your leadership, life, relationships, work, or Sabbatical. Both spiritual directors and coaches who serve with Soul Shepherding provide empathy, prayer, and resources.
Spiritual direction focuses on helping you experience God’s loving presence and discernment for your life. Psychotherapy focuses on diagnosing and treating mental health disorders that are interfering with your ability to function in your relationships or work. Spiritual directors do not diagnose or treat mental health disorders, but refer to psychiatrists, psychologists, and other therapists.
In both spiritual direction (from Soul Shepherding) and therapy you can discuss your struggles, hurts, stressors, and hopes and expect to receive empathy, confidentiality, new insights, and support for making positive changes in your life. Some clients meet regularly with a therapist and a spiritual director.
Therapy sessions often cost $250 or more per session, while spiritual direction sessions are less than half that price.
Some of the Soul Shepherding spiritual directors and coaches have also earned a certificate in Sabbatical coaching. They help you pray about, plan, and implement a Sabbatical for rest and renewal. They are trained to help you make the most out of our Sabbatical Guide, which is an all-in-one toolkit for a season of replenishment and growth. We help you get approval from your board or supervisor, prepare your staff and community or organization, incorporate your family, and plan for re-engaging your work or ministry after your time away.
Regularly meeting with your Soul Shepherding spiritual director or coach helps you not burn out or stay stuck in discouragement, distress, spiritual dryness, conflict, or compassion fatigue. Your provider will invest the care, energy, spiritual wisdom, and prayer you need to go deeper with Jesus in emotional health and loving leadership.
A great way to receive regular spiritual direction or coaching is in the context of the Soul Shepherding Institute retreats, Certificate in Spiritual Direction, Certificate in Coaching, Healthy Pastor Care, or Sabbatical Guide.
Spiritual directors, coaches, and other ministers can meet with a Soul Shepherding Institute faculty member who is an experienced supervisor. Supervision is an opportunity for you to discuss your clients or others you are ministering to and receive empathy, confidentiality, new insights on how to be more helpful, and guidance on setting good boundaries and caring for your own soul. It’s important for all spiritual directors, coaches, and ministers to receive regular support from a supervisor.
All the Soul Shepherding spiritual directors and coaches have completed two or more years of training in a Certificate in Spiritual Direction that’s informed by Jesus-centered psychology. This includes classroom learning, retreats, reading books, writing papers, receiving spiritual direction, and being supervised in the practice of spiritual direction ministry. The program meets the requirements of the Evangelical Spiritual Directors Association.
Coaches have completed an additional year of similar training in a Certificate in Coaching. Some spiritual directors and coaches have additional training and experience in Sabbaticals and the Enneagram.
Soul Shepherding maintains credentials on all providers to certify their ongoing quality of care, continuing education, and supervision. Spiritual directors who have more experience and training in Soul Shepherding ministry serve as Sr. Spiritual Directors and/or Sr. Coaches.
Each of our spiritual directors and coaches have additional ministry as a pastor, missionary, ministry spouse, coach, leader, and/or counselor. Most have decades of ministry experience.
Your spiritual director or coach will ask you how you’re feeling, what you need help with, and how you’re experiencing God’s loving presence (or not). You will receive listening, empathy, collaborative guidance, recommended soul care resources, and prayer. You can ask for your sessions to include Scripture meditation, quiet reflection, or a closing prayer or blessing.
Soul Shepherding has created over 300 specialized resources for spiritual direction and coaching that integrate our Jesus-centered psychology to meet your specific needs and help you go deeper with Jesus in emotional health and loving leadership.
Most clients meet with their Soul Shepherding spiritual director or coach online (via Zoom). Some providers will meet with you in-person at an office or other mutually agreed upon location. Each Soul Shepherding provider’s profile lists the city where they live.
Prices range from $90 to $150 per session, depending on the service and provider. Pastors, missionaries, and others in ministry with financial need can request assistance from their provider. Soul Shepherding’s Healthy Pastor Care program provides discounts on Institute retreats, spiritual direction, and leadership coaching.
Many clients meet with their spiritual director or coach twice a month or weekly. Others meet monthly or every other month. During a spiritual retreat or Sabbatical you may want to meet with your spiritual director more often.
