Soul Care Mentoring for Justice-Involved Women
Women in the yard at DWCF.
Restoring Connections has been offering Soul Care for women in prison and during re-entry since 2001.
Soul Care focuses on the deeper reasons why a woman ended up in the criminal justice system. It helps each woman address the trauma she has experienced, develop self-management skills for when she feels triggered, and assume responsibility for the harm she has caused. Reflecting on her experience, discovering her own response to the divine, learning how to forgive, how to seek forgiveness, and how to find meaning in her present circumstances are all part of the process.
During re-entry, the Soul Care Mentoring typically also includes networking support for housing, job search, and budgeting. The Soul Care Mentor encourages her mentee to identify a community connection that is life-giving for her and based on her personal values and faith perspective. Each woman develops a plan for positive relationships and self-care. The Soul Care Mentors make an ongoing commitment to the women they serve in which the mentor learns and grows as much as the woman she companions.
Beth, one of our Soul Care Mentors would like you to know a bit about her experience:
In all of the chaos of the prison, by the end of each evening there, I am grounded in what is most important in life: connection, seeking God's face in our pain and our joy, gratitude, hope, and love. While our living contexts are different, the women I companion remind me by their stories how much we are alike: how much we worry about similar kinds of things, how we struggle with similar kinds of relationships, how we both deeply want to understand how God is working for our good in seemingly hopeless situations.
I have learned to listen deeply to God and another person at the same time. I have learned about compassion for others, for myself, and our collective compassion for those around us who struggle and sometimes make life difficult for us even when they don't mean to. I have learned to love deeply without needing it to be mutual, to be more of a gift freely given.
The experience has helped me to see how Soul Care can be connected to justice when provided in a context with marginalized populations. Prior to volunteering at the prison and participating in the Restoring Connections Formation Program, Soul Care felt like a healing process for the privileged. And, it still is, it’s just that these marginalized women are welcomed into the fold of being privileged along with me. We all belong. The spiritual imperative of our time is 'Oneness.' At no time is this truth more real to me that when I am walking out of the prison after meeting with my mentee. And I find myself being reminded of this very clear imperative throughout my day in such tangible ways.
Why Soul Care for those who live on the margins?
Service of those who live on the margins fosters the continued spiritual growth of the soul care provider/mentor. Every religious tradition understands this to be a transformative experience.
Soul Care with justice-involved women is a calling.
The women we serve are exceptionally open and responsive to examining their life, assuming responsibility for their actions, exploring their values, and embracing the significance of forgiveness. They are challenged by mental health issues, trauma from their past, and suffering they have caused themselves and others.
What is the need?
At present, there are nearly 900 women incarcerated at Denver Women’s Correctional Facility, a high-security state prison. We have a waiting list of women who desire soul care. Women of all faith traditions request soul care mentoring.
Where will we meet?
About Denver Women’s Correctional Facility
All of the women we serve are seen at Denver Women’s Correctional Facility (DWCF), a modern prison without bars. The facility is located southeast of the intersection of Havana and Smith Road in Denver. Soul Care takes place in the living units. There are five levels of security, so each living unit is different and the meeting space is dependent on the security level.
What is my time commitment?
You, as a volunteer, will set your own schedule. We ask that you see the women you serve no less than every 3 weeks and more often if you are able. Your meeting time is determined by their availability. Most of the women work. Some of them work at jobs with flexible hours, but many will need to meet during the evening or over the weekend.
what Qualifications do i need?
To be considered as a volunteer soul care mentor within the prison, the following requirements of Restoring Connections must be met:
Personal experience receiving soul care (spiritual direction) and a commitment to receiving regular soul care.
Completion of a formation program for spiritual directors, chaplaincy training, pastoral care, counseling, or a ministry degree.
Active participation in the Restoring Connections peer supervision group for DWCF soul care mentors.
Openness to a background check and interview process including personal and professional references.
Is there training?
You will be well-supported with the following training:
4-hour Basic Volunteer Training with the CDOC (Colorado Department of Corrections).
2-hour Facility Orientation at the prison.
2-hour orientation with Restoring Connections.
Yearly 2-hour Update Training with the CDOC and annual update of paperwork.
Monthly, ongoing supervision and training through Restoring Connections’ peer supervision group for soul care mentors.