What is spiritual direction? Who goes to spiritual direction? Who benefits?
Spiritual direction is a confidential companioning of one in one's prayer life. It is a one-on-one relationship with God as the third party. It is of potential benefit to persons of a variety of faith backgrounds – or even to persons of no particular faith, but who may be asking questions or seeking about life's meaning.
How often does one go to spiritual direction? What is the time commitment?
The person seeking spiritual direction is the one who decides the frequency for spiritual direction. Often the directee meets with the director once a month for about 50 minutes. On a university campus, because of the nature of their lives, students may seek to come either more or less frequently. Sometimes a person meets with the director once, and then may wait several months before returning.
What's the difference between spiritual direction and counseling?
The two disciplines have a different focus. Counseling helps individuals to solve problems. Spiritual direction is an opening to an awareness of where God is in one's life. The two can work complementarily.
The purpose of spiritual direction is not necessarily to solve problems in one's life, but to allow oneself to be open to God and to have another person companion one in one's prayer life.