Find a Spiritual Director/Companion Guide

Find a spiritual companion, spiritual director, or life coach to help you on your journey.

Are you ready to take the steps to find a spiritual director/companion? 

Locating and interviewing a spiritual director or spiritual companion is an important step in your spiritual journey. SDI’s desire is to provide an easy, inviting way for seekers to find a spiritual director or spiritual companion, to find a training program, and/or a retreat center. We also help existing spiritual directors and companions find supervisors and additional training resources.

About the FASC Guide

To aid your process in finding a spiritual director or spiritual companion, SDI offers this resource to help you locate and reach out to one of the more than 6000 spiritual directors and companions listed in our free searchable database below.

Find a Spiritual Director/Companion uses database software to provide a list of spiritual directors  and spiritual companions, retreat centers, and formation and training programs that are displayed according to your specific search criteria. It is updated constantly and available to you around the clock.

Instructions

Just click all the attributes you are looking for in a spiritual companion. Results will appear below in real-time as you define your search. But remember to wait until you have selected all your choices before you evaluate the results. Please be patient as it can take several seconds for the results to display.

Important: If you don’t get results that are useful to you, try selecting fewer search criteria to see how widening your search might produce promising alternatives.

New to this? Read this resource for practical tips and questions about beginning to work with a spiritual director or companion.

Note to Members: If your profile is incomplete or missing from the Find a Spiritual Companion guide, you can update your information here.

Search Parameters

Click on a heading below to view filter options to help narrow your search.
Results will appear in the “Search Results” section below.

Search Results

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Rev. Laura Nugent-Carter
Massapequa
NY
English
Interspiritual
Interfaith, Interspiritual, Spiritual but Not Religious, Spiritual Independent
Spiritual Companion
5168354953
Addiction, Alcoholism, Codependency, Grief and Loss, LGBTQIA+, Mindfulness/Meditation, Non-Traditional Healing, People with Disabilities
In 2007 I experienced a life-changing accident that turned my physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual world upside-down. Since then, after countless surgeries, I have lost both legs but now walk with prosthetic legs and have a new sense of purpose and a unique appreciation for life. My healing journey guided me to seminary, where I completed programs to become an Ordained Interfaith Minister and Interspiritual Counselor. Then, still seeking a path where my life experiences could be transformed into a greater purpose, I went to college and earned a Bachelors and Masters degree in Social Work. I have been blessed with the opportunity to help others through my Spiritual Counseling Practice, where I journey with others as they find inner peace, joy, and emotional freedom regardless of their circumstances. I look forward to journeying with you. Whether consciously aware of it or not, we are all on a spiritual journey. Trauma, grief, loss, and other life experiences can jar us into this awareness. But what do we do with the awareness? Connecting to Spirit is the solution, and Spiritual Counseling will help to guide that connection. The concept of Spirit or a divine or higher power is common throughout many religious and spiritual traditions. This can be a named traditional divine being, the Universe, Mother Nature, Love, Inner Voice or other. It's up to you to choose…or not. Spiritual Counseling utilizes universal spiritual principles that offer guidance on how to live a more peaceful and purposeful life. It provides the opportunity to be engaged at the soul level, to go within to find your own answers and become more deeply connected to Spirit. As a Spiritual Counselor, I will be present for you as a companion on your spiritual journey. I listen deeply, ask gentle questions, and reflect your thoughts back to you to help you develop your inner wisdom and allow your inner guidance to emerge. I accompany you on your journey of deeper understanding and connection to Spirit and to life, which will lead to inner peace, joy, and emotional freedom. Spiritual Counseling is for anyone wanting to grow and develop their own spiritual beliefs and experience life through a spiritual lens. When you change how you look at things, the things you look at change. My office building & restrooms are fully wheelchair accessible.
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Rachel Donnelly
Greenville
SC
Christianity
Spiritual Director
My name is Rachel Donnelly and I am a graduate of the Shalem Institute's certification program in Contemplative Spiritual Direction. Prior to this training, I received a Masters Degree in Clinical Mental Health and worked several years in the field. I am also a Mother, and a Yogi, and enjoy working with people of all ages. My hearts desire is to encourage individuals' on their spiritual path. My own practice of Centering Prayer continues to cultivate in me an openness and receptivity to God. I bring this grace to our time together. Spiritual Direction is a good fit for individuals seeking to deepen their relationship with God, those who may be in a time of discernment, and also for those who are learning to embrace the mystery of God's workings in their lives and perhaps want to put language to their experience. I work with ALL people, from ALL walks of life.
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Pastor Chamie
Thousand Oaks
CA
English
Christianity
Christianity, Eco/Nature-based
Spiritual Director
Children/Teens, Corporate/Workplace, Couples/Families, Dying/Sick/Hospice, Ecospirituality/Nature-based, Education, Enneagram, Grief and Loss, Mental Health/Depression, Mindfulness/Meditation, Women's Issues, Young Adults
I have been a spiritual director since 2010, though took some time off for "momming" and a needed pause during Covid. But as we continue to move forward from the pandemic, I hear increased needs for companions on the spiritual journey. My own journey with spiritual direction began when I was young mom, transitioning from a full time working pastor to family leave, and trying to reconcile things from my past – like my dad abandoning us when I was just 5-years-old. A friend advised that I meet with a spiritual director. It was transformative and an enormous blessing. Now 16 years later, I continue to give thanks for that wise advice and the gift of receiving spiritual direction. I wanted to pass on that gift, so I completed a two year certificate program through Stillpoint in Southern California. I finished the program in 2010. I am open to meeting with people from all walks of life. That being said, I specialize in spiritual direction for women, from teen girls to older adults. As a mother of a child with a chronic disease (Type 1 Diabetes), I also specialize in the soul care of moms and children who are finding God’s presence and way through illness. In addition, I help in the soul care of life’s transitions such as starting college, changing jobs, relocating, marrying, divorcing, retiring, and losing a loved one. I frequently work with people who are experiencing anxiety, depression, or grief. I have been a campus pastor at a university as well as a TK-8th grade school, so I have experience working with young adults, families, and tired teachers and educators. In addition to my certificate in spiritual direction, I also hold a certificate in horticultural therapy, therefore I have at times practiced spiritual direction in a garden or on a hiking trail.
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KAREN C NELSON, PHD
SANTA FE
NM
English
Christianity
Buddhism, Christianity, Eco/Nature-based, Interfaith, Interspiritual, Spiritual but Not Religious
Spiritual Director, Spiritual Companion
719-289-1079
Creative Arts, Divorced/Widowed, Dreamworker, Dying/Sick/Hospice, Ecospirituality/Nature-based, Elderly/Mature, Grief and Loss, Homeless/Low Income, Men's Issues, People with Disabilities, Women's Issues, Young Adults
As SOUL FRIEND Dr Karen Nelson brings COMPASSSIONATE PRESENCE and DEEP LISTENING as you: seek to recognize the Divine at work your life discern your life purpose, callings, spiritual gifts establish focus and accountability for your spiritual practice find spiritual aid and growth in grief, loss and loneliness learn to draw guidance from your dreams deal with illness, aging and end-of-life issues for yourself or loved ones let go of past burdens and guilts gain freedom through forgiveness or heal trauma Dr. Karen Nelson: "As a Soul Friend I will attune as deeply as I can to your spirit and to the concerns and goals you bring. Together we will invite the Spirit to be manifest with us. "For 50 years I have been sustained on a spiritual path as I raised four children, earned a PHD, worked as an editor, professor and director of a literacy center. The 'pearl of great price' for me is a life lived in the Spirit and filled with the Great Love. "During a sabbatical year spent at a Benedictine Monastery I earned a Certificate in Spiritual Direction. I have been a Spiritual Companion for 15+ years, led workshops, dream groups and spoken at retreats. For several years I was the director of spiritual care in an eldercare facility and provided spiritual care for the dying in hospice. "I practice Christianity and am a Mystic, but you don't have to be either to work with me. I enjoy and employ embodied prayer which has led me to chant the Hebrew Psalms with Benedictine monks, dance the Beautiful Names with my Sufi community and sing Kirtan with friends on the Hindu path. "I agree with Franciscan Richard Rohr who says, Nature is the First Body of God. Thich Nhat Hanh has been foremost among my Buddhist teachers. From Rohr and Hanh I learned to balance Action and Engagement with Contemplation. Reach me at 719-289-1079 or [email protected] for a free 30 minute consultation. My fee is $60 per hour.
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Rev. Dr. Paula M Payne
San Antonio
TX
English
Christianity
Christianity, Spiritual but Not Religious, Spiritual Independent
Spiritual Director, Chaplain
210-480-8230
African Cultures, Dying/Sick/Hospice, Education, Elderly/Mature, Grief and Loss, Group Spiritual Direction
I have earned a doctorate in ministry for spiritual direction (certified) and am a certified clinical hospital chaplain specializing in death, dying, and listening to stories of veterans. I served and retired as a chaplain in the United States Air Force. I am an ordained elder in the Global Methodist Church and was a pastor for thirteen years. Everybody has a unique story. No story is better than another story. I aim to listen, hear God speak through the story, and I hope to understand God's direction better in each life. A spiritual director does not have all the answers. Still, among the three participants--the spiritual director, the client, and the Holy Spirit--the time together is sure to be in the hands of Almighty God, who can heal the soul. I begin every session with prayer and Scripture, allowing the client to respond to the Scripture as the Spirit leads. It is perfectly acceptable if the client initiates an issue for reflection to enhance the spiritual process when a meeting begins. My preferred clients are those who choose to process a ministry of a call from God, grief issues, death and dying, loneliness, mediation, spiritual challenges, and numerous life uncertainties.
Karen Dalton
Claremont
CA
English
Christianity
Spiritual Director
9094558453
Corporate/Workplace, Education, Elderly/Mature, Enneagram, Grief and Loss, Mental Health/Depression, Mindfulness/Meditation, Physical or Sexual Abuse, Women's Issues
I'm a retired United Methodist pastor who has served congregations and was on the staff and faculty at Claremont School of Theology for 25 years. I have been a spiritual director since 2006 and continue sharing with people in this way. While I am rooted in Christianity I learn from and draw from many other religious and spiritual traditions. I'm married and have two daughters. I also enjoy music, gardening, being outdoors, and spending time with my 3 grandchildren.
CSR: School of Spiritual Direction - a Trinitarian & Enneagram Harmony Approach
Marshall
MI
English
Christianity
Christianity, Interfaith, Interspiritual
Formation/Training School
419.345.0592
Creative Arts, Dying/Sick/Hospice, Enneagram, Grief and Loss, Group Spiritual Direction, Mental Health/Depression, Women's Issues
CSR: School of Spiritual Direction is a 2-year, hybrid (online and in-person) program, that begins with an intensive Enneagram training and certification. Our MISSION: Through a Christ-centered Trinitarian Model and a focus on the Enneagram Harmony Map, the Crossroads Soul Resources (CSR) School of Spiritual Direction seeks to develop whole and holy spiritual directors and leaders able to accompany others on the journey to know and experience God. We see this spiritual companionship as a critical discipline for all those who are in God for the sake of the world. “Action and contemplation are inextricably bound.” CSR: SCHOOL OF SPIRITUAL DIRECTION IS DESIGNED TO: – Ground you in traditions and practices: Good News of Christ, Ancient and Contemporary Texts and Spiritual practices, Enneagram Harmony Triads – Provide ways for you to individualize your learning experience based on your Enneagram Harmony triad style (Intellectual (IQ), Emotional (EQ), and Instinctual/Gut (GQ) intelligence): to fulfill our mandate to love God with our heart, soul, mind, and strength, and love our neighbors as ourselves. – Equip and empower you as leaders and spiritual directors to bring healing and wholeness to individuals and communities, tofulfill the Mission of Christ in the world. We prepare leaders and spiritual directors trained in professional listening skills for adults and children at every psychological and spiritual age and stage. Core Faculty consist of Christian Spiritual Directors, able to sit with others around a variety of issues including vocational calling, faith crisis, poverty, racism, church division, sexual/domestic violence, and other societal ills. Adjunct Faculty brings a diverse expertise from psychology, business and faith.

Find a Spiritual Companion

Disclaimer

The information in Find a Spiritual Companion is supplied solely by the providers themselves and is not checked, verified or warranted by SDI. Members that join SDI pay specified annual membership dues. They are listed in this guide as part of their membership benefits. Any and all SDI members who request to be listed are included. As a general rule, no one is excluded. SDI does not provide training, certification, or credentials for spiritual directors, chaplains or life coaches. SDI does not pre-screen or evaluate members before they are put on the list. SDI DOES NOT RECOMMEND OR ENDORSE ANY OF THE LISTED MEMBERS. By accessing and using this list, I accept responsibility for interviewing and selecting a suitable spiritual companion.

By accessing this list of resources, I UNDERSTAND AND AGREE THAT SDI IS IN NO WAY RESPONSIBLE FOR THE ACTS, OMISSIONS, OR SERVICES OF ANY OF THE MEMBERS LISTED OR FOR ANY OTHER ACTIONS TAKEN BASED UPON THE INFORMATION FURNISHED BY SDI. By accessing this list, I understand and agree to only use the information for finding a spiritual director, chaplain, life coach, training program or retreat center. I agree not to use the list for any other type of solicitation. I also understand and agree not to reproduce, display, or distribute Find a Spiritual Companion or the information listed therein.

Find a Spiritual Companion

Disclaimer

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