This page is a draft for review and will be confirmed before the first paid session.
Letter of agreement
This is what we are agreeing to, in plain words. Read it before the first paid hour; you’ll sign a copy and so will I. A PDF for signing is here.
What spiritual direction is, and isn’t
Spiritual direction is an hour, once a month, in which you talk about whatever is most on your heart and I listen for God with you. It is about your life, your journey, and your connection to a God of your own understanding. Nothing is diagnosed and nothing is fixed. Nothing is preached. There is nothing to join.
It is not therapy, counseling, or medical care, and it does not replace them. I am not a licensed mental health professional. If something comes up that needs care I can’t give, I will say so and help you find someone who can. If you are ever in immediate danger, please call 911 or the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline; I am not an emergency service.
Confidentiality
What you say in the hour stays in the hour. I do not share it with anyone, including a church, an employer, or a family member, without your written permission.
The law sets a few limits, and I want you to know them before you begin. I may have to speak to someone outside the room if you tell me about abuse or neglect of a child or a vulnerable adult; if I believe you are about to seriously harm yourself or someone else and there is no other way to keep you safe; or if a court orders me to. I would tell you first wherever I can. Outside those limits, it stays between us.
Sessions and fees
After the free first hour, we meet once a month for an hour, online. Every hour is the same hour; you choose what you pay for it, $50, $125 or $200, and you can change it any month without giving a reason. If $50 isn’t possible right now, write to me and we’ll find a number that is.
Payment is taken when you book, through Stripe. That way neither of us ever has to talk about money in the hour.
Cancellation
If you need to cancel or move an hour, use the reschedule link in your confirmation email. Whatever you’ve paid carries over to your next hour; nothing is lost. If cancelling becomes a pattern, we’ll talk about it together, because it usually means something.
Ending
Either of us can end the direction relationship at any time, for any reason or none. You don’t owe me an explanation. If you are able to, a last hour to close well is a kindness to both of us, but it isn’t required.
If something goes wrong
If something I do or say troubles you, please tell me; it is part of the work, and I would rather hear it than not. If you don’t feel able to raise it with me, or you have and it isn’t resolved, you can write to [a named contact, to be confirmed], who is independent of me and will hear you. You can also simply end the direction, as above, with nothing owed.
Records
I keep minimal notes: usually a line or two after each hour, so that I remember where we were. They are kept privately, are not shared, and are destroyed when we end. You can ask me at any time what I have written, and you can ask me to keep nothing at all.
Signatures
By signing, we each agree to the above.