It’s Good to Meet You
To walk with you in the midst of your pain, fear, celebration, emptiness, and anger is a sacred privilege, so I take seriously my responsibility as a spiritual guide and healer. You can be vital, alive, and joyful. Together, we will explore your challenges, but also your strengths. Specific tools, such as ways to change thinking and manage emotions, can help. So can healing interventions such as grounding and mindfulness. We can explore these possibilities and others.
My Background
Over the years, I have worked in the health field as a chaplain, massage therapist, and nurse’s aide. Additionally, I have served as a director of religious education, performed piano, taught songwriting, and volunteered for the theater and opera.
My chaplain training included a year-long internship at the Oregon State Hospital and a residency at the Portland Veteran’s Administration Hospital. In seminary, I specialized in pastoral counseling and spiritual direction. Over the years, I have taken many workshops and classes on trauma, addiction, abuse, and grief and loss.
Chaplain Work
An ordained, Unitarian Universalist minister and chaplain, I specialize in serving people in recovery from addiction, trauma, and loss. For over seven years, I was the chaplain at Providence Hospital’s inpatient substance abuse program. Currently, I serve as a chaplain with Kaiser Permanente.
Writing
I have been writing poetry and columns for over twenty years, though I retired from producing columns in June so I could return to fiction writing. You can read my recent writing at Barbara’s Columns – Universalist Recovery Church.
Parish Work
My parish experience includes being a director of religious education, a consulting minister, and an affiliated community minister. In 2011, a few other people and I started the Universalist Recovery Church. Since then, we have been gathering for spiritual reflection and healing. Now we meet in Sharing Circles every Sunday at 2 pm on Zoom.
Rites and Rituals
I perform weddings, funerals, and other rites of passage. No matter what the ritual, I will collaborate with you to create a ceremony that honors your spirituality and reflects your personality. We will meet to develop ideas together, then I will put together a plan, and we will confer again. Click here to find out more about specific rituals.
Barbara’s Beliefs
To find out what Unitarian Universalists believe, visit the Unitarian Universalist Association’s website. You will discover that few Unitarian Universalists believe the same thing. Thus, I will be open to your religious tradition and spiritual beliefs, since I honor all beliefs that are based on love and justice. As we journey together on a path toward freedom and wholeness, we will explore your world view, your beliefs, your spirituality, and we will uncover the wounds that keep you from experiencing a joyful connection with whatever is holy or sacred to you.
Love, Peace, and Wholeness
Ultimately, I believe that the source of life and creation is love, If we can accept that love, we can heal. Though we might not escape sorrow and pain, we can know joy. I look forward to partnering with you to help you discover the love, peace, and wholeness that finding your true self can bring.