Soul Shepherding

Soul Shepherding Helping you follow Jesus in mental, emotional + spiritual health. Led by Drs. of Psychology Bill & Kristi Gaultiere
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We’re Bill and Kristi Gaultiere, doctors of psychology and the co-founders of Soul Shepherding. We provide emotional and spiritual care for pastors and leaders. Our website features hundreds of authentic stories and practical resources to help you flourish in your life, love, and leadership with Jesus. Contact us how we can help you or speak to your church or group.

You don’t have to navigate your mental health alone 💛
05/29/2026

You don’t have to navigate your mental health alone 💛

If you’ve ever felt unseen in your pain… this story is for you ❤️
05/28/2026

If you’ve ever felt unseen in your pain… this story is for you ❤️

What if anxiety didn’t have to rule your life?I’ve been there—feeling like worry and stress were just part of who I was....
05/27/2026

What if anxiety didn’t have to rule your life?

I’ve been there—feeling like worry and stress were just part of who I was.

But there’s a way out. It is possible to experience freedom from anxiety!

I put together a guide with biblical insights, prayers, and practical tools to help you experience God’s peace for your anxiety. I’d love to share it with you!

Comment GUIDE and I’ll send it your way ❤️

Some of us have learned to equate being needed with being loving…But healthy love doesn’t require quietly running your s...
05/27/2026

Some of us have learned to equate being needed with being loving…

But healthy love doesn’t require quietly running your soul into the ground.

This week on Soul Talks, Bill and I talk about the delicate balance between receiving care and giving care, carrying one another’s burdens without losing healthy boundaries, and what it looks like to love others from overflow instead of depletion.

If this theme resonates, we pray this conversation will encourage you ❤️

Link in comments 👇

It’s possible to walk in faith and still face mental health struggles.The Bible never promises that we won’t face challe...
05/27/2026

It’s possible to walk in faith and still face mental health struggles.

The Bible never promises that we won’t face challenges—whether they are emotional, mental, or physical. In fact, Scripture acknowledges that we will experience trials (John 16:33), but it also assures us that Jesus is with us in the midst of them (Romans 8:38-39).

Jesus’ invitation is not to a life free from suffering but to a life of peace and purpose in the midst of it.

Seeking help or walking through healing does not mean you lack faith. In fact, God can work through counselors, spiritual directors, mentors, and safe friends to bring about his restoration in our lives.

Just as we would seek medical help for a physical illness, it’s wise and faithful to seek help for mental health struggles.

Remember, God is not distant in your pain. He is near to the brokenhearted (Psalm 34:18). In our weakness, we can experience his strength (2 Corinthians 12:9). Your mental health journey is not a sign of spiritual failure but a testament to God’s grace working in your life.

Healing is a process, and you don’t have to walk it alone.

God’s grace meets you where you are, and he will continue to walk with you every step of the way.

No matter how dark or difficult it feels, there is hope. God is in the business of restoring, renewing, and making all things new. He can bring beauty from the ashes, and he has a future of peace, joy, and wholeness for you ❤️

Paul says, “Don’t be anxious about anything.” We may put a period there, but Paul does not!If we tell ourselves or other...
05/24/2026

Paul says, “Don’t be anxious about anything.” We may put a period there, but Paul does not!

If we tell ourselves or others not to feel worried or anxious we’re denying our emotions, pretending that we don’t have them. This is self-deception.

Ironically, repressing feelings like fear, anger, or sadness puts these stress responses into our bodies and eventually causes anxiety!

Denial of emotion drains our energy and hinders our ability to have empathy for others.

The Apostle Paul is not telling us to deny our emotions. He’s not shaming us.

He’s empathizing with our anxiousness.

Paul is helping us admit to and work through our anxious feelings, which are probably caused either by an overwhelming situation or a pattern of repressing primary emotions like fear, anger, or sadness.

This is an emotionally honest and healthy faith, which we see modeled throughout the Bible, including by Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane when he cried out to God as his Abba because his soul was “overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death” (Mark 14:34, 36).

No one would say to Jesus there, “Do not be anxious!”—and neither is it loving for you or someone else to say that to you in your hour of distress.

Instead, the invitation is to rely upon God’s care when we start to worry.

The comforting truth in this passage is that God is near to us when we’re anxious. He offers us his peace, a peace that will protect our soul and body from continual anxiety.

Our part in experiencing God’s peace is to ask God for what we need and to thank him for the good things he provides.

A second step to help with anxiety is to participate in emotionally honest relationships. Many Bible students miss this, but it’s Paul’s implication in this passage. (Did you notice that Paul isn’t talking to you as an individual but to a community of people?)

So the bottom line is: God is near. He’s the Sovereign Lord of all things and as we trust him, we will experience his peace 🤍

You might think of anxiety as a negative thing. Many people do.We don’t like to feel anxious. We don’t want to be contro...
05/22/2026

You might think of anxiety as a negative thing. Many people do.

We don’t like to feel anxious. We don’t want to be controlled by it. We judge ourselves, feel shame, and/or try to distract ourselves.

But, it’s natural to feel anxious from time to time.

Of course, it doesn’t feel good, but anxiety itself isn’t bad. It’s actually a natural way that our body reacts when we’ve been holding onto fear and stress.

Anxiety is how our body indicates that there’s something going on under the surface that needs our attention. Usually it means we need to slow down and pay attention to what we feel and need.

Often times when we experience anxiety we’re perpetuating the problem without realizing it.

We don’t like how the anxiety makes us feel, so we fight against it and try to make the feeling go away. But when we try to make our uncomfortable emotions go away we’re repressing them. They don’t really go away. They go into our unconscious mind, which plays out in our bodies.

So we end up with all this fear trapped in our body and eventually we come undone and break down with an anxiety attack.

But one surprisingly effective strategy to deal with an anxiety attack is to give in to it. That’s right, just let yourself have it! Instead of fighting the feeling, welcome it.

We call this “befriending your emotions.”

One way to do this is to talk to yourself, God, a friend—or even to the emotion itself!—while you’re feeling the emotion.

Ride it out and tell yourself, “I’ve felt extremely anxious before and it won’t kill me. God has helped me survive this before. I won’t suffocate. I’m just anxious because I have a lot of feelings I need to talk and pray through.”

Then start breathing and praying. Or imagine being in a beautiful peaceful scene. Better yet, fix your thoughts to a comforting Bible passage, like Psalm 23.

As we become aware of our personal emotions and needs, receive the empathy from an ambassador of Jesus that calms us down, and learn to rely on God’s presence and grace we’ll experience freedom from anxiety ❤️

This is important ❤️Too often, well-meaning Christians misinterpret Bible verses, causing themselves and/or others to be...
05/21/2026

This is important ❤️

Too often, well-meaning Christians misinterpret Bible verses, causing themselves and/or others to believe that mental health challenges are a sign of weak faith.

But here’s the truth: God doesn’t ask us to ignore our feelings or pretend we’re fine. He invites us to bring our emotions to him, trusting that he’ll meet us in our struggles.

Mental health challenges don’t mean you’re failing God. God’s heart isn’t for us to hide our pain, but to bring it to him, to experience his comfort and peace.

If you’re struggling today, I encourage you to reach out to a safe person for support. You don’t have to walk through this alone!

Our team of spiritual directors would love to help you experience God’s love, presence, and healing in this area. Comment SD for more info 🙏

Jesus cares about your mental health.You can come to him with the anxiety that won’t settle down…the depression that mak...
05/20/2026

Jesus cares about your mental health.

You can come to him with the anxiety that won’t settle down…
the depression that makes it hard to get out of bed…
the overwhelm that makes you feel like you’re drowning…
and even the silence that makes you wonder if he’s still listening.

He is.

Jesus welcomes your real emotions. Your confusion. Your longing. Your honesty.

The Psalms show us this: You don’t have to hide your pain in order to be faithful. You can pour it all out in prayer.

The Lord wants to listen as you share your feelings, thoughts, needs, and desires.

His heart is wide open to you.
He will never shame you, leave you, or reject you.

His eyes shine with delight when he looks at you.
He smiles in your presence.
He enjoys being with you.
And he loves you more than you’ll ever comprehend ❤️

Use the prompts in this post to guide your next conversation with Jesus. You might want to journal your responses, or talk with a soul friend or spiritual director who can listen and minister God’s love and grace to you.

You don’t have to walk this road alone.

Comment SD if you’d like to meet with a Soul Shepherding Spiritual Director for empathy and care. We’d love to support you 🙏

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