A definition..

Power Imbalance

Spiritual directors are likely to have more perceived power within the spiritual accompaniment relationship. In ‘live’ sessions we explore this and have suggested the reasons for this could be that the directee is the only person sharing personal information, there might be age differences or there could be gender differences. The list can change depending on different circumstances. It is also recognised that at times, the power imbalance could switch.

The presence of a power imbalance has to be acknowledged.  The person offering the accompaniment has the duty of care to ensure they always protect their own and their directee’s interests.

When these facts are out in the open it can lead to the required high level of transparency between the two parties involved in Spiritual Accompaniment.