Soul Care / Spiritual Direction

“The human spirit has to be explored gently and with unhurried tenderness.” — Howard Thuman

A gentle space to listen for the presence of God within your real life.

There are seasons when faith feels clear and luminous. And there are seasons when we feel untethered: disoriented in prayer, exhausted by striving, grieving what we once believed, healing from painful spiritual experiences, or simply longing for a quieter and more honest way of being with God.

Spiritual direction offers a compassionate place to bring all of that.

Not to be fixed.
Not to be managed.
Not to be rushed toward certainty.

But to be listened to carefully and prayerfully.

What is Spiritual Direction?

Spiritual direction is an ancient contemplative practice of holy listening.

Together, we pay attention to your life, your longings, your questions, your relationships, your desires, your fears, and the movements of God within the ordinary texture of your days.

Rather than giving advice or quick answers, spiritual direction creates space for discernment:
Where is God already present?
What is stirring beneath the surface?
What might love be inviting here?
What needs gentleness, truth, grief, rest, or attention?

Many people come to spiritual direction during seasons of transition, burnout, vocational discernment, spiritual deconstruction, grief, parenting, creative exhaustion, or healing after spiritually harmful environments.

You do not need to arrive spiritually confident or emotionally “put together.”

Only willing to come honestly.

A Different Pace

Many of us learned to relate to God through pressure, fear, urgency, or constant self-monitoring.

So when healing begins, spirituality can initially feel quieter than expected.

Part of the work of spiritual direction is gently learning how to recognize God outside of survival mode.

To discover that intimacy with God may look less like performance and more like presence.
Less like hyper-vigilance and more like trust.
Less like striving and more like honest companionship.

This kind of healing often unfolds slowly and tenderly.

And you do not have to navigate it alone.

What Sessions Are Like

Sessions are typically 50–60 minutes and take place either virtually or in person in Chattanooga, Tennessee.

Our time may include:

  • conversation and attentive listening

  • silence and reflection

  • noticing patterns, invitations, or resistance

  • prayer or contemplative practices when helpful

  • gentle curiosity toward your inner and spiritual life

There is no pressure to perform spirituality here.

You are allowed to bring confusion, numbness, anger, longing, skepticism, beauty, exhaustion, desire, and questions.

All of it belongs.

Who I Often Work With

I especially love walking alongside:

  • people healing from spiritual trauma or religious burnout

  • caregivers, pastors, therapists, artists, and helping professionals

  • those navigating vocational discernment or transition

  • people longing for a more contemplative and grounded faith

  • creatives seeking integration between spirituality and art-making

  • those carrying grief, exhaustion, or inner fragmentation

  • spiritually curious people unsure what they believe anymore but still longing for connection

Beginning

Starting spiritual direction can feel vulnerable, especially if being spiritually seen has not always felt safe.

We begin gently.

An initial session allows us to meet one another, explore what you are longing for, and discern whether this feels like a good fit for this season of your life.

You do not need to know exactly what you need before reaching out.

Sometimes the beginning is simply letting yourself be accompanied.

Details

  • Sessions: $100/session

  • Sliding scale spots available in limited numbers

  • Sessions offered virtually or in person

  • Typically meeting monthly or twice monthly

About Kaysie

I’m Kaysie Strickland — a spiritual director, artist, retreat facilitator, and poet.

My work is rooted in the belief that healing and spiritual formation often happen slowly, gently, and in the presence of compassionate attention.

For many years, I have walked alongside people navigating grief, burnout, vocational discernment, creativity, questions of faith, and healing after painful spiritual experiences. Again and again, I have witnessed how transformative it can be to have a space where someone is no longer performing spirituality, but learning how to live honestly before God.

My approach to spiritual direction is contemplative, compassionate, and deeply attentive to the whole person — body, story, relationships, imagination, and soul.

I am especially passionate about creating spaces for people who feel spiritually exhausted, spiritually homeless, or unsure how to relate to God outside of fear, pressure, or striving. Many of the people I sit with are recovering from high-control religious environments, chronic self-monitoring, or the quiet ache of feeling disconnected from themselves, others, or God.

Together, we practice noticing.
Listening.
Making room for what is true.
Learning to recognize the presence of God within ordinary life again.

In addition to spiritual direction, I also lead retreats, write, create art, and facilitate contemplative spaces centered around beauty, prayer, creativity, and healing. My work is shaped by liturgy, poetry, the natural world, and a deep belief that tenderness is not weakness, but a form of holy attention.

I live in Chattanooga, Tennessee with my two young sons, where much of my life unfolds around shared meals, paint-covered tables, gathered objects from walks, prayer, and the ongoing practice of paying attention.

It would be an honor to accompany you in this season.

Book an Appointment

You do not have to be certain, spiritually confident, or “doing well” to begin spiritual direction.

You are allowed to arrive tired.
Unsure.
Questioning.
Hopeful and skeptical at the same time.

Sometimes the bravest thing is simply letting yourself be accompanied for a little while.

And often, what people discover in spiritual direction is not pressure to become someone else—but permission to become more honest, more grounded, more attentive to their own life with God. That kind of space can be quietly life-changing.

Laura C. says:

I have been meeting with Kaysie for almost 3 years. Meeting with her was my first introduction to spiritual direction and I found it intensely refreshing. Kaysie has a gentle and peaceful presence. She is an excellent listener and encourager. Our beginning together came at a really difficult time for me and she walked with me through a lot of personally hard situations in my life, as well as through some detangling and questioning of my faith. I look forward to each of our meetings together. She is professional yet warm, comforting yet honest, and spiritual yet relevant. Her genuine faith and friendship with Jesus is evident in every conversation. I am so thankful for what she offers and highly recommend her to anyone needing some guidance, discernment, and a listening ear. 

  • It’s important to note that I have certain approaches to spiritual direction (mine being: trauma-informed, contemplative, embodied, hospitable) but these are not the same things as agendas. Your voice, story, and needs are a priority within our shared space. My approach toward our times together are fashioned gently and collaboratively with you. There will also be moments in which I invite feedback from you to make sure our time together feels safe and spacious. I am committed to you finding that place, even if it means offering you a referral that better suits your needs.

  • Your story and soul are the most holy ground. As I have moved toward learning how to best honor others through listening, I hungered for training that would equip me to create safe, sacred space. This led me to complete a series of trainings and courses that help me approach your soul with the dignity it deserves.

    I am currently completing my MA in Spiritual Formation and Direction through Richmont Graduate University. I have a two-year training certificate in Spiritual Direction through Richmont and have been sitting with directees (a strange word meaning “clients”) since 2021. I am also a student in the Renovaré Institute for Christian Spiritual Formation, which is a two-year immersion program incorporating training, practices, community, and praxis work around spiritual formation. I also have a certificate in Level 1 and Level 2 Narrative-Focused Trauma Care through The Allender Center which is housed within the Seattle School for Psychology and Theology. Because of this, I consider myself a trauma-informed spiritual director and which means I approach stories with an attention and sensitivity to trauma and spiritual abuse. I am also actively in supervision, which is where I meet regularly with an older, more experienced spiritual director to discuss things in my own story and formation that might prevent me from listening to you well.

    Disclaimer: While a Narrative Focused approach to engaging personal stories of childhood harm and trauma may feel therapeutic at times, I am not a licensed therapist. During this process, if you find yourself in need of additional support, I will be glad to help you find a therapist or health care provider in your state.

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“The human soul doesn’t want to be advised or fixed or saved. It simply wants to be witnessed — to be seen, heard and companioned exactly as it is.”

— Parker Palmer