Spiritual Direction – Code of Conduct and Ethics

This Code of Conduct reflects the ethical and relational commitments of spiritual direction at Spill the Tea. It serves as a guide for the practice of Rev. Dr. Rachael Keefe, who offers inclusive, trauma-informed, justice-focused spiritual direction to individuals of all faiths, no faith, and those exploring meaning beyond traditional categories.

This document supports clarity, accountability, and integrity in the work of spiritual direction. It acknowledges the world we live in amidst both injustice and resilience, and names the responsibility to do no harm while fostering liberation and healing.

Commitments to Self and Practice

Rachael Keefe maintains her own formation and growth to support those she accompanies. This includes:

Regular engagement in monthly spiritual direction as a client, continued study, and embodied practice grounded in lived experience and professional accountability.
Ongoing supervision and consultation with trusted colleagues.
Honoring personal capacity and taking time to rest, learn, and repair when needed.
Engaging in continued education around spiritual care, trauma, disability, decolonial thought, and ethical practice.
Referring potential directees to other professionals when their needs are beyond the scope of spiritual direction.

Relationship with Directees

Spiritual direction is built on trust, clarity, and consent. Commitments in this relationship include:

Clearly defining the purpose of spiritual direction, including scope, session structure, boundaries, compensation if applicable, and how the relationship can end at any time.
Respecting each person’s spiritual, cultural, sexual, gender, and overall personal identity without imposing belief systems.
Being transparent about the non-clinical nature of spiritual direction. Spill the Tea does not provide psychiatric, psychological, or medical care. Referrals to licensed mental health professionals will be made when those forms of care are needed and celebrated as valid and essential.
Maintaining strict confidentiality, while clearly outlining exceptions when disclosure is legally required to protect the safety of individuals or others.
Creating a space that is physically, emotionally, and digitally safe, including trauma-informed care and accessibility considerations for each directee.

Mental Health Integration and Collaboration

Dr. Keefe values collaboration with mental health professionals. This includes:

Referring directees to therapists, psychiatrists, or other clinicians when mental health support is needed or when spiritual and psychological care should be integrated.
Welcoming collaboration when appropriate and with the directee’s full consent.
Offering training and consultation to organizations and care teams on the relationship between spiritual well-being and mental health, with attention to intersectional justice and culturally appropriate care.
Working to dismantle stigma around mental health by normalizing therapy, psychiatric care, and spiritual direction as complementary resources.

Commitment to Justice and Accessibility

Spill the Tea is grounded in the understanding that spiritual direction does not exist in a vacuum. Commitments here include:

Actively naming and opposing racism, ableism, transphobia, homophobia, classism, and other forms of harm, both within and outside the direction space.
Providing direction that is accessible and adaptive to people with diverse needs, including neurodivergent, disabled, and chronically ill directees.
Avoiding spiritual bypassing, toxic positivity, and any attempt to use spirituality to dismiss lived pain or social violence.
Honoring the autonomy, agency, and worth of every person, including when harm has come from religious or spiritual communities in the past.

Professional Representation and Integrity

Rev. Dr. Keefe commits to:

Representing her training, experience, and identity with clarity and honesty.
Avoiding dual relationships that compromise the clarity or safety of the direction relationship.
Staying grounded in feedback, reflection, and repair when harm occurs.
Teaching, writing, and speaking publicly in ways that support clarity, equity, and the integration of spiritual health with justice-informed practice.

This Code is not a fixed set of rules. It is a living framework that supports ethical, inclusive, and liberating spiritual direction. These commitments are held with humility, reviewed regularly, and shaped by ongoing learning and accountability.

This document was last revised May 28, 2025.