Client Policies

Hello, friend! Thank you for your interest in Pastoral Care and Spiritual Direction. Before we begin, here’s what you can expect from our time together and what I ask of you.

Pastoral Care and Spiritual Direction

Both Pastoral Care and Spiritual Direction create a safe space for you. Pastoral Care includes companioning, but it focuses on a problem or issue you want to work on. That might be relational, emotional, or spiritual (usually all three together!). It isn’t regular counseling, since I’m a pastor and not a certified counselor. Our sessions will be Jesus-focused, with inner healing and discipleship. We’ll pray through what comes up, because I believe the most change happens when someone encounters Jesus, not just me!

Spiritual Direction is listening, reflecting, and creating a safe space for you. It means companioning you on your journey with God and helping you see where He is already at work in both the mundane and the spectacular moments of your life. A spiritual director has the gift of creating sacred space for you to discover how to live fully alive, or as Jesus puts it, how to live an abundant life.

The goal of both is the same: that you would discover how to live fully alive in light of what Jesus has already done for you.

I was ordained with Messenger Fellowship International in 2014 and have worked in inner healing methods for over 25 years. I have a Master’s in Spiritual Formation and a Spiritual Direction certification, and I bring all of these to our sessions. I am not a licensed counselor, and I do not offer EMDR.

Appointments and Cancellation

You can schedule appointments directly with me or through my scheduling page. Most appointments are bi-weekly or monthly, and occasionally as needed.

Pastoral care and spiritual direction work best when we meet regularly. Missed appointments affect the journey we’re on together, so I’d rather reschedule than cancel whenever possible. If you need to cancel, please let me know a full 24 hours before your session. I don’t currently charge a cancellation fee, but that may change in the future.

Ending Our Time Together

Our relationship continues for as long as I’m providing services, until either of us says, in person or in writing, that we’re ending it. I ask for at least two weeks’ notice before you stop, and ideally we’ll schedule one final session for closure. This isn’t meant to be restrictive. It simply helps us both know where we stand, and it encourages a relationship of respect and care.

Contacting Me

If you urgently need to speak with me between sessions, please call my confidential voicemail at 615.497.4568 or email me at amy@sacred-returning.com. I’ll return your call or email as promptly as I can, usually within 24 hours. Unless circumstances are unusual, I’ll respond to lengthy or important emails during our sessions.

Social Media

To keep healthy relational boundaries, I won’t initiate contact with you through the social media channels I use personally (Facebook, Instagram, or others), and I don’t use my personal Facebook account to communicate with clients. If you message me through social media outside our appointments, I’ll respond during our next session rather than replying directly.

My Commitment to You

I commit to grow attentively and prayerfully with Christ, both in my own life and for yours. I also commit to receiving spiritual direction myself and to being accountable to a peer supervision group of spiritual directors, to keep my heart, soul, and practice whole, holy, and healthy.

Emergencies

My practice is limited to clients who do not need 24-hour or crisis care. If you find you need more support, please tell me directly so I can refer you to a professional colleague. Counseling and spiritual direction or pastoral care can go hand in hand, and starting counseling doesn’t end our relationship.

If you have an emergency, call 911 or go to your nearest emergency room.

Fees

My set fee is $125 per session. Sessions run 50 to 60 minutes unless we discuss otherwise, and I ask each client to pray about and assess what the time is worth to them.

I offer a sliding scale for those in pastoral care or missionary work and for anyone who needs it financially. Please ask me if this would help you. At this time, I don’t accept private insurance.