About Working With Soul

Meet Your Guide, Rebecca

A Life Shaped by Story and Soul

I was raised on fairytales and folksongs, surrounded by a home filled with ancestral wisdom and mythic imagination. My father’s radio show welcomed a rotating cast of balladeers, poets, Irish fiddlers, and storytellers. Joseph Campbell, the renowned mythologist, was a family friend and frequent guest at our table.

It was in that rich environment that my love of story and soul first took root. A dream group that began in our living room would later evolve into the Jung Institute of Chicago, and I’ve remained a lifelong student of Jungian thought and the deeper forces that shape our lives.

Why This Work Matters to Me

During my twelve years working with the Joseph Campbell Foundation, I traveled the world supporting local mythological groups, co-leading retreats at Esalen, contributing to the Parliament of the World's Religions, and writing for the Foundation’s monthly Myth Letter. Through that work, I witnessed a universal hunger for meaning — and a deep longing to reconnect with the wisdom hidden in humanity’s great stories.

I believe that when we reconnect with story, we reconnect with Soul — the personal and collective layers of energy and archetype just beneath the surface of our everyday lives. Helping others recognize and respond to the soul’s movement in their own life is the work I am most passionate about.

Education & Credentials

I hold a doctorate in ministry from Chicago Theological Seminary, along with master’s degrees from the University of Chicago Divinity School and Meadville-Lombard Theological School. I am a certified Jungian Coach through the International Association of Coaches, Therapists, and Mentors, and have additional certification in Divorce Mediation from Northwestern University.

Since 1992, I have worked as a mediator and pastoral counselor, with a focus on the kind of soul-based guidance you’ll find described throughout this site. I’ve also served over 800 couples through ceremonies, counseling, and relationship transitions.

As an educator, I’ve taught philosophy, religion, and ethics at institutions including DePaul, Mundelein, and Purdue. Currently, I teach at Indiana University and remain an active member of Spiritual Directors International.

In My Practice Today

My work weaves together a lifelong devotion to myth, Jungian thought, interfaith understanding, and soul-based transformation. Whether you’re navigating life transitions, seeking deeper meaning, or longing to connect with your dreams and inner wisdom, it would be an honor to walk beside you.

If you cannot find where your own soul is hidden, for you the world will never be real.

~ Kabir, sufi poet

The Mythopoetic Method: Soul Work in Practice

  • What Is the Soul?

    I define the Soul as the whole self — the deep self that includes not just your conscious ego, but also the dreaming, imaginative part of you that connects with unseen forces.

    The Soul carries both shadow and possibility. It is the part of us entangled with the larger story of the world, drawing from and contributing to something collective and archetypal.

  • How the Soul Speaks

    The soul speaks through symbols, dreams, synchronicity, depression, creativity, cravings, humor, and more.

    One of the most powerful skills I help you develop is the ability to understand the language of your own psyche — to read the symbols that arise and trace them to deeper meaning.

  • How the Soul Sees Success

    Many modern methods are rooted in the ego’s desires: imagining the life you want and working hard to manifest it. This can be useful — for a while.

    But as we move through life, it becomes clear that growth often comes not through our goals, but through what surprises us. Soul-based counseling shifts focus from the will of the ego to the wisdom of the Soul.

  • The Role of Self-Reflection

    In Soul Work, the only way “out” is “through.”

    Dreams are one of the clearest portals, but any creative act — writing, walking, daydreaming, even deep conversation — can open that doorway. We begin by discovering the methods of self-reflection that work best for you.

  • Why Stories Matter

    During my years with the Joseph Campbell Foundation, I came to understand something vital: when people reconnect with story, they reconnect with Soul.

    Whether through myth, dreams, or life narrative, story becomes the path by which we heal and remember who we are.

  • What This Work Feels Like

    Soul-based counseling is less about fixing symptoms and more about entering into dialogue with the deeper self.

    When you learn to listen for Soul, the surface of life becomes less confusing. You find yourself in alignment with a deeper rhythm. And from there, you may finally “sit and feast on your life.”

If you're feeling the call to reconnect with your soul's wisdom, I’d be honoured to walk beside you.