Spiritual direction allows you to talk about your personal difficulties, desires, and hopes with a mature Christ-follower and thus helps you to become more aware of God's presence, support, and guidance in your life. A spiritual director can assist you in connecting with the Spirit of Jesus through listening, empathy, advice, specialized resources, and prayer.

To avoid burnout, discouragement, spiritual dryness, conflict, and compassion fatigue, it is helpful to meet with your spiritual director on a regular basis. To help you grow closer to Jesus in a healthy way and under loving guidance, your provider will devote the time, effort, spiritual insight, and prayer that you require.

Your spiritual director will inquire about how you are feeling, what you require assistance with, and how you are experiencing God's loving presence (or not). You will be offered hearing, empathy, collaborative coaching, recommended soul care resources, and prayer. You can request that your sessions include Scripture meditation, quiet reflection, or a final prayer or benediction.

Using a Jesus-centered psychological framework, each of Soul Shepherding's spiritual directors has spent at least two years earning a Certificate in Spiritual Direction. All of the following are part of the spiritual direction ministry curriculum: classroom instruction, retreats, book study, paper writing, receiving spiritual direction, and supervision. The curriculum complies with the Evangelical Spiritual Directors Association's standards.

To ensure that all providers are upholding high standards of care, education, and supervision, Soul Shepherding keeps track of their credentials. 

Spiritual direction is all about guiding you to feel God’s loving presence and gaining discernment from God for your life. Psychotherapy is primarily about finding out and addressing mental health issues that might be getting in the way of how you connect with others and live in different relationships and environments. Spiritual directors aren't there to diagnose or treat mental health issues; instead, they refer you to psychiatrists, psychologists, and other therapists who can help you with that.

In both settings, you can talk about your challenges, pain, stress, and desires, expecting to receive empathy, confidentiality, fresh perspectives, and support to help you make positive changes in your life. Some clients have regular meetings with both a therapist and a spiritual director.

Therapy sessions usually are more expensive than spiritual direction sessions.

Spiritual directors often meet with their clients weekly or twice a month. More regular meetings with your spiritual director may be beneficial during a Sabbatical.