Bio: Rev. Barbara F. Meyers is a Unitarian Universalist Community minister affiliated with Mission Peak Unitarian Universalist Congregation in Fremont. She holds a Masters in Divinity from Starr King School for the Ministry and a Certificate in Spiritual Direction from the Chaplaincy Institute. Special Interests Mental Health: The role of spirituality in recovery is crucial; it affects one’s world view and outlook on life. Spiritual direction is not a substitute for any required professional therapy, but can be done along with therapy. Scientists: Attending to spiritual matters can help balance a life filled with Reason. Spiritual Direction with Barbara Meyers Meeting times: 1 hour per month Meeting place: Online, at Mission Peak Unitarian Universalist Congregation Office 2950 Washington Blvd, Fremont, or other mutually agreed-to location Compensation: Either: 2 hours of your hourly wage Or: Volunteer at least one hour at a local charitable agency.

Bio: Queer feminist of the African diaspora, mother, prison abolitionist, beloved partner, daughter and sibling, Minister Emeritus of First Unitarian Church of Oakland, NURTURER, and LOVER of everything that supports life to thrive in joy.

Bio: Rev Wakil David Matthews is an interfaith minister ordained through the Sufi Ruhaniat International order, a very universalist and ecumenical Sufi organization. He has worked in hospice as a volunteer and chaplain’s assistant, so feels called to work specifically with those who do end of life work, e.g. social workers, nurses, aides, chaplains, volunteers, etc. He is also very engaged in social and earth justice work and so offers companionship to those who are engaged in activism. He has a Masters in Social Change from seminary, (the Starr King School for Ministry) and a certificate in Spiritual Direction from the Interfaith Chaplaincy Institute (CHI). He works well with folks from any spiritual or religious background or who identify as spiritual but not religious. His church is the forest and so his preference, when possible would be to meet outside for our companionship times, but he can also do Zoom or by phone – and may have office space in the future. If you feel drawn to walk with him on this path toward a greater awareness of the Divine that connects us all, please consider contacting him to arrange an initial meeting.

Bio: The historical moment we are living in is demanding, disorienting, and exciting, too. I’ve accompanied people through transitions of all kinds, as a coach, a hospital chaplain, and now as a spiritual companion. stretching beyond my own social location has been a big part of my life experience. I see our lives unfolding not only as individuals, but also in a collective, historical, and ancestral context. our personal growth reverberates across space and time, benefitting everyone. For me, offering spiritual companionship is a direct encounter with mystery, a relationship where both people grow. An exploratory conversation is always welcome.

Bio: I am an Interfaith Minister and a Spiritual Director who deeply enjoys accompanying people as they explore the place of purpose, meaning and Spirit in their lives. If you hope to work with someone who values compassion, empathy, and a creative process, we might be a good fit. I offer an initial visit at no charge and a “love offering” fee structure. I live in a multi-race family and am proudly Queer and Trans friendly.

Bio: Rev. Lisa j Winston –– spiritual companion/guide, healer, interfaith chaplain, contemplative photographer, mystic… I care for the soul through creative, sacred, healing arts. In 2005 a near-death experience turned my world upside down and accelerated my quest to know my true soul-self. I have wandered the labyrinth of life for decades as a seeker, through spiritual trainings and direct experiences ––from adventurous pilgrimages to mystery school and seminary, from life at an ashram to work as a hospital chaplain–– only to find that what I was looking for was already inside. My wish is that we all walk in the world awake, connected with and respecting our inner truth, our fellow beings and the natural world around us. If, in your waking you are as Rumi was, “a wanderer, worshipper, lover of leaving,” let’s walk together.

Bio: Rev. Maya Massar has been sharing her offerings in the areas of Creativity, Healing and Awakening for over three decades. Maya’s one-on-one Listening Sessions, lectures, workshops, meditations & presentations, using crystal, sound, breath, communion with Nature.

Bio: I am a daughter of the African diaspora, a mother, a grandmother, an interfaith minister, and a spiritual director. I draw upon these lineages and experiences in my work as a Spiritual Director and interfaith minister. I use traditional non-directive spiritual direction practices as well as shamanic approaches to spiritual witnessing.

Bio: Sara has trained as a spiritual director at the Chaplaincy Institute and is an ordained Interfaith Minister. Sara also has 14 years of experience as a Unitarian Universalist religious educator. Sara is a parent to two young adult/teens and lives with her partner and kids on a couple of acres between the water and mountains of Western Washington. Her personal spiritual path is that of a religious naturalist, Unitarian Universalist, and pagan, while she has experience and openness to companioning people from diverse religious backgrounds and spiritual paths.

Bio: Hanna is an interfaith spiritual director to adults and families, a storyteller, virtual reality health and wellness innovator, commissioned peace advocate and ordained interfaith minister. Hanna honors every spiritual path.

Hanna serves a global community of adults and families seeking spiritual direction on the path to creating a divinely inspired life. Through her private practice based in California, Hanna meets with clients virtually and in-person also serving families through her Peaceful Child: Playful Spiritual Practices in a Garden Classroom curriculum. She is the creator of the virtual reality experience Breathe Peace World, which debuted at the United Nations’ SDG Interactive Exhibition General Assembly, utilized for pain management in children’s hospitals and in healthcare settings globally. A love of uplifting stories and children’s picture books inspired Hanna to create Aya, a purposeful panda whose search for beauty leads her to a peaceful place, the one inside her beautiful heart and which later inspired the creation of Breathe Peace World. Hanna is a Peace Advocate, commissioned by Chaplaincy Institute founder Rev. Dr. Gina Rose Halpern. Early in her career, Hanna worked in clinical wellness and international public relations. Hanna and her beloved husband and life partner Greg are blessed with four beautiful adult children, a joyous dog, and a virtual panda

Bio: Laura Prickett is an interfaith minister and spiritual director whose spiritual call includes deepening her own contemplative practice and companioning others as they explore and deepen their relationship with the Divine. She appreciates opportunities to companion clients as they contemplate the work of spirit in their daily lives and explore spiritual practices that deepen their experience of spiritual connectedness. She developed a dream exploration workshop for exploring dreams for insight and inspiration, which she has led at conferences of the International Association for the Study of Dreams and for groups at the Chaplaincy Institute and other venues. Laura holds a certificate in Spiritual Direction from the Chaplaincy Institute and a Certificate in Dream Group Facilitation from Marin Institute for Projective Dreamwork. She is a Clergy in Good Standing with the Chaplaincy Institute.

Bio: Through my own journey, I know the transformative and healing power of being held in compassionate presence. I trust the inherent goodness and inner wisdom of each person to unfold and reveal itself through the spiritual companioning relationship. As someone raised in a multi-cultural community with a diverse multi-ethnic family of Christian, Jewish, Buddhist, Humanistic, and spiritual but not religious traditions, I am comfortable working with people of diverse backgrounds and faith traditions. I focus my spiritual direction practice on accompanying others who are grappling with life transitions, specializing in loss and grief, and those who desire to integrate their spiritual beliefs into their daily life or simply want a safe space for spiritual reflection and support. Since 2001 I have served as the facilitator of Santa Rosa Sutter Hospice’s bereaved parents support group and provide one-on-one bereavement support as well. My practice is trauma informed and I integrate Somatic Experiencing® techniques when appropriate. I have completed the first year of SE™ Professional Training. I am also a Certified Provider of Compassionate Bereavement Care, a mindfulness approach to traumatic grief and also have an Integrative Somatic Trauma Therapy Certificate through the Embody Lab. My certificate in Spiritual Direction is through the Chaplaincy Institute’s Interfaith Spiritual Direction program in Berkeley, CA and I practice in a non-directive, interfaith approach. I am a graduate of the Mercy Center’s Sacred Journey program in Burlingame, CA and the Sati Center’s Buddhist Chaplaincy program in Redwood City, CA. As a practicing Buddhist for over 20 years in the Theravadan tradition, I have also completed the 2-year Dedicated Practitioners Program through Spirit Rock Meditation Center. My interests and passions that inform my work include meditation and mindfulness, non-dual teachings, the enneagram, dream work, somatics, dance and yoga, non-violent communication, and a deep connection to the natural world. I am available for spiritual direction by appointment both remotely and in my home office in Occidental, CA.

Bio: Rev. Theresa “Rivka” Gevurtz is an interfaith minister, chaplain and spiritual director, ordained through The Chaplaincy Institute in 2018 and earning her MDiv. at Starr King School for the Ministry in 2019, as well as graduating the ChI Spiritual Direction program at that time. Rivka’s area of focus, culminating her master’s degree, was addressing the ways religious wounding impacts not only the queer and BIPOC communities, but the society at large.

Bio: Scott Quinn is Executive Director of the Marin Interfaith Council. He was ordained a Lutheran minister and Interfaith minister, and was an educator and spiritual director at an interfaith spirituality center in Austin that was part of a Catholic healthcare system. He is Core Faculty and a student supervisor for the spiritual direction program at The Chaplaincy Institute, an interfaith seminary/community in Berkeley, and part of the instructional and supervision staff for the spiritual direction program at San Francisco Theological Seminary. Scott lives in San Rafael where he has a spiritual direction/supervision practice, and where he and his partner tend many pets and a large garden.

Bio: Raised in the Midwest, Rev. Lauren Van Ham, M.A., worked as a performing artist in NYC before attending ChI. Following ordination (’99), Lauren served as a hospital chaplain, focusing in psychiatry, palliative care, and bereavement support. Her ministry moved to corporations (’07), where she custom-designed employee engagement sustainability programs for multi-national companies. Lauren completed the ChI Spiritual Direction certificate in 2003 and later trained to provide Spiritual Direction Supervision. She returned to ChI (’10) where, for 9 years, she served as Dean. Lauren’s passion for spirituality, art and Earth’s teachings have supported her specialization in eco-ministry, grief & loss, and sacred activism. Currently, Lauren tends a spiritual direction and eco-chaplaincy consulting practice; and serves as guest faculty for several schools in the Bay Area. Of Spiritual Direction, Lauren offers, “In my role as spiritual companion (traditionally called director), I create the conditions for deep listening, expanded awareness and spacious curiosity to both tend and celebrate the sacred story unfolding in the life of each individual. Always my intention is to support an individual or group in their relationship to Spirit/Life/God/Love, and to respond in a growing practice of relatedness, service and joy.

Bio: SD might look like this: The client and I ask for the grace to see and hear their lived experience with warmth and spaciousness. From here, it is amazing how clarification often comes forth on its own. We inquire how they might live at a level that deeply resonates, down to Source, so as to live with ever more freedom. Anything can be brought to SD, but I have special experience with pregnancy, birth, and post partum, grief and loss, menopause, spiritual emergence, community, and dementia. My own core spirituality focuses on Participating in Divine Nature. I practice meditation, believe Reality is the best teacher, and follow Love. I’m in Colorado and quite comfortable with zoom sessions. I’ve had lots of practice…as a member of the first ChI class to be done completely online!

Bio: I came into this world with a deep love of the God of My Understanding and bursting forth with an adventurous spirit that longed to be in Nature and connected to everything and everyone around me. I am still a lover of the God of My Understanding and Nature and am so fortunate to live in the beautiful Pacific Northwest in Bellingham, WA, with my partner and pets, and where I enjoy wild communion in the forests. I welcome the sacred adventure of coming alongside you as an Interfaith Spiritual Director/Companion where I cannot help but bring to bear my professional experiences as a counselor, congregational minister, and hospital chaplain. I’d be happy to accompany you in person in my office or on a walk in Nature if we live near one another; I am also available via zoom or telephone. In the meantime, May the forest be with you.

Bio: Tristy Taylor, ordained in 2005, is a Portland, Oregon-based dream worker, teacher, and spiritual companion. Raised by world-renowned dream worker Jeremy Taylor and dream artist Kathryn Taylor, she has been working with her dreams from the very beginning of her life. Her greatest joy is being a companion and guide to her fellow humans on their authentic life’s path, and her services include co-creating ritual, grief and shadow work, dreamwork, and open heart practices. She has a Masters of Art & Consciousness from John F. Kennedy University, and along with teaching for several organizations, she also sees clients one-on-one and facilitates in-depth, online dream and dream art workshops every season.

Bio: Allison was ordained by the ChI Community in 2007 and has been serving as a spiritual director since 2012, companioning individuals on their journey toward deeper connection with what matters most. Formative experiences that shape the quality of her listening include work as a chaplain, hospice bereavement counselor and massage therapist. She holds an MA in East-West Psychology from CIIS where her studies focused on transpersonal psychology and embodied spirituality, and she completed comprehensive training in Hakomi method of mindful, somatic psychology. She loves engaging expressive arts, dream work, somatic awareness and ritual to support an individual’s deepening experience of wholeness and spiritual connectedness..

Bio: Ordained as an interfaith minister, Rev. Elizabeth O. Hutchins is an educator, mentor, and spiritual director who companions persons delving into their spirituality and relationship with holy mystery. She offers safe space for persons to tell their own sacred story while discerning the purpose and meaning of their life’s journey. She honors all spiritual questions and exploration. As an avid wilderness paddler who embraces a mystical path, she welcomes opportunities for reimagining where our soul and role may be in harmony. She offers spiritual companionship to both individuals and small groups of all ages, race, ethnicity, class, and gender expression.