Ethics, Scope & Boundaries
This work is grounded in attentiveness, respect, transparency, and the autonomy of each person. It is offered as reflective accompaniment rather than instruction, diagnosis, treatment, or direction over another person's life.
Nature of the work
Soul accompaniment—also known as spiritual direction or spiritual accompaniment—is a non-directive, contemplative, and non-clinical practice.
Sessions may include conversation, silence, prayer, ritual, creative reflection, embodied awareness, and engagement with dreams, memory, and imagination as these arise within the scope of soul accompaniment.
The emphasis is on attending to experience rather than analysing, diagnosing, treating, or directing.
This work does not provide psychotherapy, counselling, psychology, psychiatry, medical treatment, crisis intervention, or legal or financial advice.
You remain the authority in relation to your own experience, beliefs, interpretations, and decisions. This does not remove my responsibility to practise within appropriate ethical, professional, and safeguarding boundaries.
Participation and ongoing consent
Participation is voluntary and collaborative. You are free to pause, decline, redirect, or end a session—or the working relationship—at any time without needing to provide a reason.
Consent is ongoing rather than confined to an initial agreement. It may be withdrawn in relation to any particular practice while continuing with other aspects of soul accompaniment.
Where a session moves toward dreamwork, imagery, embodied attention, prayer, ritual, or another focused practice, consent may be checked again. No exercise or spiritual framework is imposed.
Scope and suitability
Soul accompaniment may take place alongside other forms of support but does not replace healthcare, mental health treatment, emergency services, or other specialist assistance.
If you are experiencing acute distress, require diagnosis or treatment, or need crisis support, it is important to seek assistance from an appropriately qualified health professional or emergency service.
I may pause, decline, or end an engagement where the work appears to fall outside my training, role, capacity, insurance, or scope of practice; where safe or ethical practice cannot be maintained; or where another service appears more appropriate. Where reasonably possible, this will be discussed openly and suitable referral options will be considered.
Services are offered to adults aged 18 years and over.
Dreams, imagination, and embodied attention
Dreams and images are approached collaboratively and without fixed or authoritative interpretation. You remain the final authority in relation to the personal meaning and significance of your own dream.
They are not used to diagnose a condition, establish historical facts, recover or verify memories, predict events, provide divination, determine another person's intentions, or impose a spiritual explanation.
A dream or image may be experienced as personally or spiritually significant. Its meaning remains open to exploration within your own experience and discernment.
You decide whether to share a dream, and whether to share it in whole or in part. Dreams may hold several possible meanings, and no particular interpretation or method is treated as final.
If imaginal or embodied work becomes overwhelming, disorienting, or no longer feels steady, it may be slowed, paused, or discontinued.
Safeguarding commitment
I am committed to practice that supports the safety, dignity, agency, and participation of children and adults at risk, even though this service is offered only to adults.
Adult clients may disclose concerns involving a child, an adult at risk, abuse, neglect, family violence, exploitation, or unsafe conduct within a religious or other institution. Such concerns are taken seriously.
I do not independently investigate allegations or confront an alleged perpetrator. Where necessary, I may seek safeguarding or legal advice and may consult with, refer to, or notify an appropriate authority, subject to applicable law and the circumstances of the concern.
My safeguarding approach is informed by ongoing professional development through Australian Catholic Safeguarding Ltd, including completed training in Safeguarding Adults at Risk, together with further training in safeguarding foundations, risk management, and trauma-informed safeguarding.
Professional boundaries
The relationship is professional and exists for the purpose of soul accompaniment. I do not position myself as a spiritual authority, healer, guru, confessor, or person who knows more about your life than you do.
There is no expectation that you disclose anything you do not wish to discuss or accept a suggestion, interpretation, belief, prayer, ritual, or exercise that does not feel appropriate to you.
Sexual or romantic relationships with current clients are not compatible with the professional relationship. Dual relationships, gifts, social media contact, communication between sessions, and other possible boundary issues are considered with attention to power, privacy, dependency, and client welfare.
Substantive soul accompaniment ordinarily takes place within scheduled sessions rather than through email, text messages, or social media. Practice communications are not continuously monitored and must not be used for crisis or emergency support.
Professional practice and accountability
This practice is offered within the limits of my training, experience, role, and scope of practice, and is undertaken with regular professional supervision.
I seek to practise in alignment with the Guidelines for Ethical Conduct of Spiritual Directors International .
Where dreams and images form part of our work, my practice is also informed by the IASD Dreamwork Ethics Statement , including its emphasis on the dignity and integrity of the dreamer, the dreamer's authority in relation to personal meaning, informed consent, confidentiality, non-imposition, competence, and appropriate referral.
I also draw relevant practice and professional-development principles from the IASD Principles of Community and the IASD Guidelines for Ethical Dreamwork Training . These documents have different purposes: the community principles apply primarily to participation in IASD activities, while the training guidelines are directed principally to dreamwork training programs. I use their relevant principles as ethical and educational benchmarks rather than representing them as certification or endorsement of this practice.
As part of assessing my qualifications for professional indemnity insurance in the modality of spiritual direction, my insurer has asked that I practise in accordance with the National Code of Conduct for Health Care Workers . I therefore use the Code as an important standard for safe and ethical practice, including informed consent, accurate representation of qualifications, appropriate professional boundaries, competent service delivery, and maintenance of professional indemnity insurance.
Soul accompaniment remains a non-clinical practice. Reference to the Code does not mean that I provide medical, psychological, or other clinical healthcare services.
Professional indemnity insurance is maintained and includes international coverage, subject to the terms and geographical limits of the policy.
The current policy does not extend to clients located in the United States or Canada. An insurance exclusion does not necessarily mean that spiritual accompaniment cannot lawfully be offered in those locations; however, the work would fall outside my professional indemnity cover. Enquiries from these countries are therefore considered individually before an appointment is accepted.
Spiritual direction and spiritual accompaniment are not registered health professions in Australia. Practitioners may have varied formation, training, affiliations, and experience. I therefore seek to be transparent about my qualifications, supervision, ethical commitments, insurance limitations, and scope of practice.
Qualifications and professional training
The University of Queensland
Australian Catholic University
Australian Catholic University
Centre for Applied Jungian Studies
International Society for Embodied Imagination / Robert Bosnak (2025–2028, ongoing)
Current until June 2029
Blue Knot Foundation
Australian Catholic Safeguarding Ltd; further safeguarding training underway
Formation, experience, and ongoing practice
- Five years of formation within an Eastern Orthodox monastery: three years as a novice and two years as a tonsured Rassaphore Monk.
- Professional experience in secondary education.
- Five years of one-to-one disability support and accompaniment.
- Ongoing independent study and research in spirituality, phenomenology, archetypal psychology, trauma awareness, dreams, imagination, and contemplative traditions.
I undertake regular personal spiritual accompaniment for myself, together with separate ongoing professional supervision for this soul accompaniment practice.
My Embodied Imagination training includes training-specific supervision by certified practitioners. Where aspects of this work are adapted to soul accompaniment—for example, accompanying dreams within spiritual life—their use within this more limited context is also considered through my regular professional supervision.
Professional and scholarly memberships
- Spiritual Directors International
- International Society for Embodied Imagination — Trainee Member
- Melbourne Jung Society
- Golden Key International Honour Society
Confidentiality
What is shared within sessions is treated respectfully and confidentially within the ordinary limits of professional spiritual care practice.
Confidentiality may be limited where:
- there is a serious and imminent risk of harm to you or another person;
- disclosure is required or authorised by law;
- there are concerns relating to abuse, neglect, or the safety of a child or adult at risk;
- records are subpoenaed or otherwise lawfully requested; or
- limited information is reasonably required for professional supervision, legal advice, or insurance purposes.
Information discussed in supervision is limited to what is reasonably necessary, and identifying details are reduced wherever practicable.
Where disclosure is considered necessary, information will be limited to what is reasonably required in the circumstances.
Online sessions
Sessions are conducted online using Zoom. Reasonable steps are taken to support privacy, security, and continuity, although no digital platform can guarantee absolute security or uninterrupted service.
Sessions are not recorded. Participants are also asked not to record a session without prior discussion and agreement.
If a connection fails, an attempt will be made to reconnect through Zoom or the telephone number provided. If this occurs while there is a serious and imminent concern for your safety and you cannot be reached, your nominated emergency contact or an appropriate emergency service may be contacted.
Privacy and records
Brief records may be kept for professional continuity, safety, ethical, and administrative purposes. These may include contact and consent information, appointment details, brief notes, referrals, and records of significant safety or professional decisions.
Records are handled securely and are not intended to constitute psychotherapy, counselling, or medical documentation.
A client's dream, image, artwork, story, or case material is not used in teaching, publication, research, promotional material, or public presentation without separate, specific, and freely given consent. Declining such consent does not affect access to soul accompaniment. Because distinctive material may remain recognisable even when names are changed, de-identification alone is not assumed to remove every privacy risk.
More information about collection, storage, access, correction, disclosure, and retention is available in the Privacy Policy.
Feedback and complaints
Questions, concerns, disagreement, and feedback are welcome and will not affect your right to be treated respectfully.
If you feel comfortable doing so, you are encouraged to raise a concern directly with me so that it can be understood and, where possible, addressed. A concern may also be provided in writing.
A complaint will be acknowledged as soon as reasonably practicable. I will seek to understand the concern, preserve relevant information, explain the steps being taken, and provide a written response or outcome where appropriate. Serious matters may require consultation with my insurer, supervisor, or an independent legal, privacy, safeguarding, or professional adviser.
Raising a concern or complaint will not result in retaliation or affect your right to be treated with dignity and respect. Where continuing the professional relationship would no longer be appropriate, this will be addressed transparently and with attention to safe transition or referral where reasonably possible.
If the matter cannot be resolved, or you would prefer to contact an independent body, you may contact the Health Complaints Commissioner Tasmania .
Serious safeguarding, criminal, privacy, or consumer matters may also be raised with the relevant authority.
Jurisdiction and international practice
This practice is offered from Tasmania, Australia, and operates within Australian professional and ethical frameworks.
Because laws, protected professional titles, emergency pathways, and insurance arrangements may differ between locations, international enquiries may require additional consideration before an engagement is accepted.
Clients are asked to provide accurate information about the country and region from which they attend and to advise me if their location changes.