Online Spiritual Direction
Meet from anywhere in the world

My spiritual direction practice is located in Amstelveen, The Netherlands. I am available to meet via webcam or phone with those who cannot come to me in person due to geographical distance or limiting circumstances. A webcam is my preferred means of communication due to the level of interaction and connection it offers. If a sufficient internet connection is not available to you, we may consider meeting by phone, or a combination of phone and email.

An invitation

Spiritual direction, many agree, is Soul Care at its best. If you are reaching for more in your spiritual life, I invite you to explore meeting online. Spiritual direction offers a path of growth which will help you to develop deeper intimacy with God, to reach beyond the things which hinder, and to pursue your full potential in Christ. It asks for a personal commitment to set aside time regularly for prayer and reflection, along with an openness to engage with spiritual practices in new ways.

Exploring online spiritual direction

If online spiritual direction interests you, I suggest that you read through the spiritual direction pages and then contact me to begin a conversation or complete the intake form when you are ready. (If you are interested in a spiritual tuneup session you may choose to bypass the intake form and go straight to scheduling an appointment.) Being in touch involves no commitment but will initiate a conversation in which we can discern whether a spiritual direction relationship seems right for us at this time.

Dynamics of meeting online

The few challenges involved in meeting online are easily overcome through regular contact combined with open communication. A series of appointments will allow us to become acquainted and to learn to listen to God together with regards to your life and his work in you. It takes time to build a relationship of trust of course and therefore, after an initial complimentary session, a commitment to a series of 5 sessions is asked.

Payment

Payment is expected either by bank transfer or PayPal (via your credit card). I use PayPal email billing which is simple for you to use. For online spiritual direction, payment is expected in blocks of sessions (we will negotiate how many), due by the first of the set. My current rates and banking details. The first getting acquainted session is complimentary (except in the case of a spiritual tuneup.)

Guidelines for a successful online experience

Prepare the space where we will meet.
Before we meet spend some time in the room in stillness and prayer. Clear away any clutter which has accumulated there. Have your Bible and journal handy. You may find it helpful to place an object in your line of vision which will speak to you of God's presence with you: a picture, a passage of Scripture or a symbol which has been meaningful to you recently. I encourage lighting a candle during the session, as I do, to represent the presence of the Holy Spirit who bridges the distance between us as we meet together.

Set aside a time free from distractions and interruptions.
Allow yourself some spaciousness beforehand so that you are not rushing into our session. Turn off the phones, inform the members of your household that you are not to be disturbed for an hour, and (if applicable) arrange for your children to be tended to. In short, prepare to value our time together as a face-to-face appointment turned toward God and his work in your life.

Keep our appointment!
I set aside this hour just for you, investing beforehand with preparation and prayer. Please honour the commitment being made to you and value your own spiritual journey by guarding this time together. Please make yourself aware of my policy regarding rescheduling appointments.

Communicate openly.
Please articulate any concerns you have about the mode of communication or the way the sessions are going as soon as you are comfortable doing so. You are welcome to email me in between sessions following through with your experience or in preparing for the next session.

Prepare yourself for our time together.
A day or two before we meet, reflect back on your spiritual life over the past weeks, and decide what you would like to bring into our conversation. The preparing for a session page offers insight on how to make the most of our time together.

Technical instructions

You'll need to take care of a few necessities for our online spiritual direction experience to go smoothly. Please read the technical instructions for online spiritual direction I have prepared for you. If you follow them carefully we will be well on our way to a glitch-free time together and won't need to lose time solving technical issues during our first meetings together. It will also be helpful to review these instructions before we meet for the second time.

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