Christian Spiritual Directors Recommended by Charlotte Donlon
What Is a Spiritual Director?
A brief definition of a spiritual director is someone who makes space for others to notice God’s presence and direction in their lives. The Holy Spirit is the active party during spiritual direction sessions. Before every spiritual direction session, I tell my spiritual direction clients that we are setting apart one hour and making space to notice and give our attention to how, where, and when God has been at work in their lives. I will never not be astonished by the ways God shows up during spiritual direction sessions. Every time I meet with clients I am reminded that God’s Spirit is within us and around us.
Traditional spiritual direction usually consists of monthly sessions with a certified spiritual director. I’m not currently meeting with spiritual direction clients long-term on a monthly basis.
Short-Term Spiritual Direction
Beginning in March 2021I am not currently accepting new clients. I will start offering short-term one-on-one weekly spiritual direction for 4-6 weeks at a time beginning in March 2021. Topics will include: Writing with God, Listening to God in Our Grief, Noticing God’s Presence When God Seems Absent.
Please email me at charlotte@charlottedonlon.com for more information about these short-term one-on-one spiritual direction offerings. Learn more about my spiritual direction practice and read testimonials from my clients here.
Long-term Spiritual Directors Recommended by Charlotte
If you would like a long-term spiritual director to meet with on a monthly basis, here are several spiritual directors whom I recommend. I either know them personally or I know someone who knows them. Please pray about this decision and do your own research, though, and make sure you are a good fit for any potential spiritual directors.
And if you know anyone I should add to this list, please let me know at charlotte@charlottedonlon.com.
Amy Brady
amy@amybrady.com
https://www.facebook.com/EvergreenSoulWellness/
Instagram: @evergreensoulwellness
One of my greatest joys over the past 20 years is to walk with other women as a fellow Sojourner on the journey of life. A favorite quote encourages us to, “let our souls catch up with our bodies.” That’s the heart of spiritual direction for me; a sacred space where we sit and bring it all together. We do this by taking a walk down the contemplative path, listening to your story, and finding His hand in it all. Spiritual direction is sitting with another, holding space for the highs and the hard of daily life, discerning the sound of the still small Voice and the grace of Love. It would be pure joy to join you where you are and listen for where He wants you to go.
Vanessa Caruso
directionwithvanessa@gmail.com
https://www.directionwithvanessa.com/
After an MA in Spiritual Formation, I dId my training with CenterQuest SSD and now facilitate their month-long intro to SD called Soul Companioning. I mostly meet with people on Zoom, as I have many directees through CQ's intro course, and they're all over the world (currently am seeing 12 directees monthly - 11 on zoom). I currently work part time for a small Anglican church (in spiritual formation), am an officiant for people who want to get married outside the church, and am a member of a neomonastic community.
Kelly Chripczuk
Chripczuk.kelly@gmail.com
www.thiscontemplativelife.org
https://www.facebook.com/thiscontemplativelife.org
Kelly Chripczuk, MDiv, is a graduate of Princeton Theological Seminary and completed a two year Spiritual Direction training program from Oasis Ministries for Spiritual Development in 2014. She currently offers Spiritual Direction both in person and via Zoom or Skype. Kelly believes God's spirit is present in all of life. In Spiritual Direction sessions, she focuses on listening and paying attention to God's spirit and its invitations. You can read more about Spiritual Direction in general and Kelly's background and training on her website http://www.thiscontemplativelife.org/.
Derek Cummins
derek.r.cummins@gmail.com
I approach Spiritual Direction in a casual and gentle manner. The Holy Spirit will guide us into what model of direction best fits our relationship, be that Celtic, Ignatian, or otherwise. We'll create a sacred space together in which to explore your biggest questions, deepest doubts, and hardest decisions with the help of God Himself.
Matthew R. Green
matthew.rob.green@gmail.com
I approach spiritual direction as a process of coming alongside a person as they explore their life with God. It involves a lot of listening but also attending to the Spirit's movements and nudges, listening for what God has already done, what he's doing in that moment, and what this means he might be doing in the future. It can also be about uncovering what is already in our souls so that we can more fully be who God designed us to be and take that person and enter into ever more rich relationship with God. It is a joy to walk with people as they come to see God more clearly and see themselves more clearly - perhaps with some struggles and wrestling like Jacob, but even those can serve to make us more like the God who created and calls us.
Tara Owens
tara@anamcara.com
https://anamcara.com/tara@anamcara.com
Tara Owens, CSD, CSDS is the Executive Director of Anam Cara Ministries, a non-profit dedicated to the practice of soul friendship in all of its forms. She has a MTS in Spiritual Formation and a certificate in Death, Dying & Grieving both from Tyndale Seminary where she trained in spiritual direction, and holds the titles Certified Spiritual Director and Certified Spiritual Director Supervisor from CCPC Global. She teaches and trains spiritual directors in the Anam Cara Apprenticeship in Spiritual Direction, a relationally-based rather than time-delimited apprenticeship. She also leads people in rabbinic study of the Bible called Scripture Circles, a pastoral, relational, communal, and deeply human approach to wrestling with these texts and with God. After practicing spiritual direction for more than 15 years, she delights even more deeply in the questions, in liminal spaces, and in joining others in holy listening. At Anam Cara, she also participates in a community of like-souled directors who she trusts implicitly and with whom she could match you if you would be interested. Her main image of spiritual direction right now is that of an earthworm. You should ask her about it.
Nicole Parsons
nicolepparsons@gmail.com
Nicolepparsons.com
I approach spiritual direction as intentional listening and prayerful witnessing of the spiritual landscape of another’s life. I have always loved Eugene Peterson’s description of this ministry — that there is a great drama going on between God and the person in front of me. My work is to trust that unfolding drama, say the few lines I’m given and otherwise stay out of the way.
Over the years, my directees have tended to be creatives, young moms, or people in difficult relationships who are molting out of a previous version of their faith, navigating liminal space into the ever bigger-ness of God’s heart. I work over Zoom or Skype, and I have room for new directees. A full description of my philosophy is on my website.
Kyndall Rae Rothaus
kyndallraerothaus.com/contact/
http://kyndallraerothaus.com/http://
Kyndall is completing her spiritual direction certification through The Haden Institute, which specializes in the Jungian Mystical tradition. She has a Masters of Divinity from Baylor University and a Bachelor’s Degree in Theology from Southern Nazarene University. She has spent ten years as minister, first as a chaplain to college students, then as Senior Pastor of churches in San Antonio and Waco. She was ordained in 2011.
Reverend Rachel Twigg
Revracheltwigg.com
http://revracheltwigg.com/contact/
One image I use to describe my approach to direction is it’s like taking a drive together and I am in the passenger seat. The client decides where we drive, how fast we go, if we pull over or turn around. They’re in control. I’ll point out things I notice along the way. I believe that just speaking our stories out loud to another person gives them a weight that just keeping them inside ourselves does not and it’s important to do so regularly in a safe environment.
I was a Spiritual Director before I was a priest and I separate the two - so you can ask me about priestly/Anglican type stuff but if you think your dog is God, we can have the conversation from that perspective. I’m not here to convert anyone or provide pre-programmed “right” answers. I’m also 110% LGBTQ friendly.
Casey Tygrett
https://www.soulcare.com/about-us
casey@caseytygrett.com
Over the years, Soul Care developed more ways to help you deepen your own spiritual reality, and inspire the same in others. We provide resources, gatherings, and consulting with an aim to:
-Foster an authentic life with God
-Help organizations lead towards growth of those they serve
-Mentor leaders to focusing on re-establishing their spiritual vitality as the primary step -towards a lifestyle of sustainable ministry and leadership
Reverend Charlotte Wilson
revcharlotte.wilson@gmail.com
https://www.stpaulsburlingame.org/charlotte
My philosophy: Individual direction is a three-way conversation between Spirit, the directee, and the director, and the directee’s relationship with God is the primary focus. My intention in listening is to hold space for the individual to attend to God’s voice and respond authentically. I have been described as a warm, gentle, patient, hospitable "midwife of the Holy."
An internship in interfaith chaplaincy at Stanford Hospital gave me rich experiences of accompanying people from a variety of faith traditions, helping them to encounter the Holy using their own spiritual resources. I have worked with and welcome directees of all religious affiliations, or none.
Trevor Wright
https://makespace.life
https://makespace.life/spiritual-direction-2/
Make_Space is about creating the places and spaces in our daily lives to breathe, care for our souls, be revived in our spirits, and to hear more clearly from God in the midst of life. Sometimes we need permission to do so, and sometimes we need a gentle reminder to return to the practices which have been edged out in the midst of busy life. Either way, the call is to pause and make_space.
Jen Rose Yokel
hello@jenroseyokel.com
https://www.jenroseyokel.com/spiritualdirection
In June 2020, I completed my training and certification with Pax Center in Essex, MA to practice spiritual direction in the contemplative Christian tradition. I approach spiritual direction as prayerful co-listening to the Holy Spirit, the true director of our souls. As a millennial who grew up evangelical and has been through a deconstruction and reconstruction experience, I have a special empathy for folks who find themselves hitting a wall, and consider it an honor to listen and walk with those who are losing and finding their faith again.