Kathy's Counseling & Spiritual Direction . . .
I have been fascinated by relationships all my life. I think they are key to who we are and how we understand our lives and our relationship to God. I believe that the process of growth toward wholeness, balance and holiness are one and the same, and I am happy to address this dimension, but only when it is comfortable and helpful to a client. I have been privileged to work with couples and individuals for more than 20 years, and I am licensed in the state of Washington as a Mental Health Counselor (#LH 60312591). I earned an M.A. in Counseling Psychology from Gonzaga University and an M.A. in Religious Education from Fordham University. Besides teaching courses on marriage and spirituality at Gonzaga University for 40 years, for many years I have helped prepare engaged couples for marriage at St. Aloysius Parish in Spokane. I have given numerous workshops and presentations on relationship issues and faith. Also, I'm an experienced spiritual director, which I understand as reflecting on one's spirituality with a trained guide.
How I Work as a Counselor . . .
As a counselor, I use a variety of therapeutic approaches, depending on the needs of the client, but I am especially interested in clarifying interpersonal communication skills and the importance of adult attachment research as essential for our growth. I can also help a client work on issues such as relationship stresses, grief and loss, and life direction issues. I often assign "homework," which can include reading and reflection that I think might be helpful to our therapeutic goals. In couple therapy I may see partners together or separately, depending on the specific needs or goals. I am able to work in a faith context if that is helpful to the client(s). When it comes to the role of the therapist, I like the five-point model described by John Bowlby, an early researcher on attachment: to provide the client a secure base of trust from which the possibility of more positive relationships can be explored, to help the client examine internal working models of current relationships and what they can expect from others in their present lives, to examine which aspects of internal working models of past relationships work well and which do not, to examine how past relationships influence present functioning, to revise and update the client's working models with the hope of establishing more flexible, organized, thoughtful relationships.
My Approach to Spiritual Direction . . .
I see spiritual direction, or perhaps more accurately spiritual companionship, as a process of together listening for where the Holy Spirit may be leading. I often begin with a few minutes of silence so that we can let other noise fade into the background and listen for God's still, small voice. Prayer surrounds all that we do together, and I regularly pray for all the directees that I'm working with. Generally, I would see someone for spiritual direction about once a month, depending on that person's preferences. If for whatever reason our relationship isn't working well for a particular person's spiritual growth, I'm happy to refer to other spiritual directors.
(Learn more about spiritual direction by clicking HERE.)
How to Contact Me . . .
You can email me by using the email form at the bottom of this page. I will respond to you by email, or by phone if you give me your number, usually within 24 hours. We can decide how to proceed from there.
If you know others I might be able to help, feel free to suggest me. I look forward to an opportunity to accompany you or someone you know to greater wholeness and healthiness.