FINDING AND CHOOSING A SPIRITUAL DIRECTOR
Carefully review the qualifications of a potential spiritual director and decide if they are a cultural and spiritual fit for you. Each Spiritual Director has their own style of practice based on their personality, background, and training. Feel free to interview two or three people before choosing who to work with. Also, you may want to agree at the beginning of the relationship to evaluate how it is going after three or four months. Your spiritual director should have received training and supervision from a reputable program, and agree to abide by the ethical guidelines of their denomination and Spiritual Directors International or another training institution–click HERE to learn more about this.
While most people choose to have a Spiritual Director within their own faith tradition, it can be interesting to meet with someone with a different background (for example, a Presbyterian choosing to work with a Franciscan priest). Ordained pastors often seek to work with other clergy, but many qualified lay people serve as spiritual directors.
Many Spiritual Directors work through Zoom, but some offer direction in person at their office
or at a spirituality center. Expect that they charge a fee for their service; some offer a sliding scale. Pastors can often draw on their education fund to cover this fee.
LISTINGS OF SPIRITUAL DIRECTORS
- Spiritual Director International Directory: a wide range of Directors (SDI Members) meeting locally and by Zoom
- Franciscan Spirituality Center, Lake Oswego (There are Protestant Directors on staff)
- SoulFormation: Vancouver-based training program focused on Ignatian Spirituality
- Interfaith Spiritual Center
- Companioning Center