Supervisor Spotlight: John Doherty 
What year were you ordained? 2020
What inspired you to pursue training with OneSpirit? I wanted to integrate many years of exploring different faith paths and develop my spiritual counselling practice.
What motivated you to expand your ministry by becoming a Supervisor? I have been a Supervisor for 18 years, starting with a Masters degree in 2006. I wanted to support people in the caring professions as I had witnessed a lot of burnout and poor self-care. I also wanted to develop my own skills in this area.
What services do you provide? I offer a wide range of services, Supervision, Spiritual counselling, Mindfulness Retreats and courses and workshops on spirituality and Spiritual Wellbeing.
How can clients get in touch with you? Accessing this link here. You can also learn more about me on my OneSpirit Minister Profile here.
What do you consider the most rewarding aspect of being an ordained interfaith minister? The most rewarding aspect of being an ordained interfaith minister is to crystallise my work into a simple vow of service. “I vow to practice KINDNESS, to always choose LOVE over FEAR and to be a LIGHT in the DARKNESS for those in need.”
What do you consider the most rewarding aspect of being an accredited supervisor? The most rewarding aspect of being an Accredited Supervisor is to empower fellow ministers in polishing their professional identity and helping them feel they aren’t alone in the work they do.
How do you put your personal ministry into practice? I work as a spiritual counsellor offering 1-1 and groups helping people explore their spiritual connection and journey. I also do a lot of ritual work and retreats for people who need some time away from their busy lives.
Where do you see your ministry taking you in the future? At my core, I am a teacher and love to accompany people in transformation learning.
How do you personally interpret the words “interfaith” or “interfaith minister”? Interfaith isn’t a word that resonates with me as I am post-religious and consider myself spiritual, so I would go more with inter-spiritual.
Why do you believe supervision plays an essential role in developing and deepening a minister’s practices? I am a complete advocate for the role of supervision in a minister’s life as it provides a safe and sacred space to reflect, process the impact and learn from the “live” work of a minister.
What inspires you to do this work? I am inspired by my own experience of supervision as an essential tool for growth and all those who I have worked with over the years. My first impression was in 2004 when I attended a lecture by Michael Carroll who has written many books on supervision. I was so impressed I thought I wanted to be like him!
What aspects of your work do you find the most inspiring, rewarding, etc.? I love to be in a safe and sacred space with others exploring our connection to Spirit and growing in awareness and love, as well as honing our professional skills.
How do you bring forward innovation and creativity to your supervision practice? I love innovation and creativity in supervision as this supports the important value of different learning types and differences in general. I attend lots of CPD supervision workshops and read in the area to update my practice as a supervisor and broaden my perspectives.
What sets your ministry apart from others? I believe we all have a unique ministry based on our lived and reflected experiences. I like Richard Rohr when he says “We get the most value from our work when we work most closely to our own brokenness.”