Counseling vs. Spiritual Direction
What's the difference between counseling and spiritual direction?
Both are quiet, confidential spaces with a lot of listening in them. They have different purposes, and knowing which one you're looking for makes the first conversation easier.
The short version: counseling addresses emotional and mental-health concerns, including symptoms, problems, goals and change. Spiritual direction attends to God, noticing and discerning God's movement in your everyday life. Spiritual direction is not psychotherapy.
Lori Rasmussen holds both credentials: she is a Licensed Independent Social Worker (LISW), licensed in the State of Iowa, and a Certified Spiritual Director. That's unusual, and it means you can ask honest questions about which one fits without being handed off.
How do counseling and spiritual direction compare?
| Counseling | Spiritual Direction | |
|---|---|---|
| Purpose | Understand and address what's making everyday life hard, and move toward change. | Pay attention to God, and discern where God is at work in your life. |
| Focus | Emotional and mental health: anxiety, depression, eating and body image, grief, relationships, self-worth, transitions. | Your life of faith: prayer, longing, calling, spiritual dryness, discernment, intimacy with Christ. |
| What a session looks like | Talking through what's going on, assessment when appropriate, goals, practical steps, and evidence-based approaches such as cognitive behavioral work. | Prayer, silence, scripture, holy listening and unhurried questions. Up to about one hour. |
| Who it's for | Women and female students, approximately ages 13 to 65. | Adults who want a sacred space to notice and respond to God. |
| Payment | Insurance (Wellmark / Blue Cross Blue Shield, HealthPartners, MultiPlan) or private pay. | Private pay. |
| Format | In person in Waterloo, Iowa, or online for clients physically located in Iowa. | In person in Waterloo, Iowa, or online. |
What do counseling and spiritual direction have in common?
Both are confidential. Both are open to any part of your life. Both are full of listening, discernment and a lot of good questions. And in both, you get to be honest without managing how it lands.
If you're not sure which one you're looking for, that's a completely normal place to start. Say so when you reach out, and Lori will help you sort it out.
Common questions
What is the difference between counseling and spiritual direction?
Counseling focuses on emotional and mental-health concerns: symptoms, problems, goals and change. Spiritual direction focuses on attentiveness to God, noticing and discerning God's movement in your life. Both are confidential, reflective spaces filled with listening and good questions, but their purpose, focus and payment differ.
Is spiritual direction therapy?
No. Spiritual direction is not psychotherapy and is not a treatment for mental-health conditions. If what you're carrying involves symptoms that are affecting daily life, counseling is the better starting place.
Can I do both counseling and spiritual direction?
Some people do, and Lori is credentialed in both as a Licensed Independent Social Worker (LISW) in Iowa and a Certified Spiritual Director. They are kept as separate services with separate purposes, and the right starting point is a conversation about what you're looking for.
Which one should I start with?
If worry, sadness, panic, food and body concerns, grief or something similar is affecting daily life, start with counseling. If what you're carrying is more about God, such as longing, calling, dryness or discernment, start with spiritual direction.
Reaching out can be the first step.
You don't need to know exactly what to say, or have anything figured out, before you contact Lori.
Or email rasmussencounselingandsd@gmail.com