Catherine Richardson
Canterbury
Creativity and Spirituality, Disability, Grief and Loss, Motherhood/parenting and faith journey, Wellness, Women's spirituality
Contemplative, Covid Vaccinated, Interactive Drawing Therapy, Welcomes LGBTQI+
Contact details
Religious background
| I became a Christian in the late 70’s, growing up in a small South Canterbury town. Here I was part of the Anglican church and attended a Brethren Sunday School. As a tertiary student I explored a variety of churches and was actively involved in TSCF, returning to Timaru in 1989 where I settled into a Pentecostal church.
Married with a young child, my husband and I shifted to Christchurch in 1995 and became involved in a local Presbyterian church. In time we moved into ministry in this setting, my husband later training to become a minister. I attended Bible College in Christchurch (2002-2004) and grew to appreciate the diversity of various churches, and ways of worshiping including more contemplative ways of being. I completed my training in Spiritual Direction with Spiritual Growth Ministries in 2025. Now I live and work in Timaru, South Canterbury. I am an elder in our local Presbyterian church and work privately as a counsellor, supervisor and spiritual director. |
Approach to spiritual direction
Being a spiritual director is new for me!
I initially trained as an Occupational Therapist, spent 20 years or so in children’s ministry before training as a counsellor in 2011. During the last 10 years since shifting back to Timaru, I have worked as a Hospice Counsellor.
The many spiritual conversations in this setting with patients, whānau and staff, and work within my church community helped me see the significance of spiritual direction and the need we all have for someone who cares and listens well. Grief, loss, and change are significant aspects of life – we never know what is just around the corner for us or those we love.
In spiritual direction I focus on you- what you bring and how God is moving in your life as you seek to deepen this relationship. I do not see myself as an expert but a fellow traveller who is able to sit in the difficult, uncomfortable, challenging or uncertain spaces of life – and to help to notice the Divine there.
