1-1 Spiritual Wellbeing, Counselling & Discovery
I am delighted to be given the opportunity to write a few words of endorsement for John Doherty. I met John through my search for Spiritual Direction in early 2021 and have been working with him since. I am an accredited psychotherapist and Spiritual Director myself and wanted companioning on my journey of exploring and deepening my Spiritual life path.
My immediate experience of John was that he was authentic, honest, direct and knowledgeable. John offers deep listening, Spiritual insight and gentle informed guidance. I experience Spiritual Counselling as Soul-work; The primary intention of my work with John is the deepening of my relationship with myself and the movement of Spirit in my life.
We all have moments in our lives where we are in need of meaning-making or time of needing to make significant decisions. We need a space for our deepest desires and struggles to be spoken in the presence of another person. In relationship with John as spiritual director, there is a safe place to share innermost thoughts and feelings. This, I feel, is where discernment is important as opposed to deciding or getting advice. John supports this discernment process through deep listening, gentle challenge, contemplative grounding and insightful guidance.
As a therapist, John works ethically and professionally at all times. His candid sharing of his insight to his own life experiences has the ability to deepen the work whilst staying firmly rooted in the humanistic principles of Spiritual Counselling. There is a mutuality and intimacy in the relational work of spiritual direction that is not always present in psychotherapy and I experience both of these qualities emanating from John in his work as Spiritual Counsellor.
Martina – Ireland