Yes. Camino PDX is a registered tax deductible 501c3 in the state of Oregon. EIN413806985

When someone gives to Camino PDX, their support goes directly into the slow, steady work of building connection and accompaniment in Portland. Every contribution helps us:

• Create spaces of belonging

Small gatherings, shared meals, reflective walks, and community moments where people are welcomed with dignity.

• Offer trauma‑informed spiritual accompaniment

One‑on‑one and small‑group support that helps people feel seen, grounded, and not alone as they navigate major life transitions — including reentry after recovery or incarceration.

• Reduce isolation and strengthen community

Your gift helps us build relationships that counter the loneliness and disconnection that contribute to recidivism.

• Sustain a small, community‑rooted nonprofit

Because Camino PDX is intentionally small and relational, every dollar directly supports the work — not layers of overhead.

• Equip communities to welcome people well

We train and support organizations, congregations, and community groups who want to thoughtfully and responsibly fold our participants into their communities with care, dignity, and intention.

Are you a trained Spiritual Director, coach, or have experience in the slow and steady work of formation? If so, we’d love to hear from you.

Please reach out and let’s seek to provide relationship where there is none.

Yes — we’re grateful for in‑kind support.

If you have items or resources that could strengthen our community spaces or support our participants, we’d love to talk with you.

Trauma‑informed spiritual accompaniment is a way of walking with people in their spiritual lives that honors the impact of trauma and protects their dignity. It creates the safety, agency, and compassionate presence needed for healing and growth.

• Safety — We create environments where people feel grounded, respected, and never pressured.

• Honoring the body — We recognize that trauma affects the nervous system, and we adapt spiritual practices so they don’t overwhelm or retraumatize.

• Restoring agency — We let people set the pace, make choices, and reclaim their voice in their spiritual journey.

• Compassionate presence — We offer steady, non‑coercive companionship rather than quick fixes or spiritual clichés.

• Healthy boundaries — We know the limits of spiritual work and collaborate with mental‑health professionals when needed.

In short:

Trauma‑informed spiritual accompaniment means helping people encounter God in ways that are safe, empowering, and shaped by deep respect for their lived experience.

Pastoral theology is the field that explores how God’s care is expressed in real human suffering, healing, and relationship. It focuses on the lived experience of people and asks: How do we accompany, comfort, guide, and support people in ways that reflect God’s compassion?

It includes:

• listening deeply

• tending to wounds of the heart

• offering presence rather than pressure

• honoring the dignity of each person

Pastoral theology is where spiritual accompaniment lives.

Practical theology studies how faith is lived out in real life — in bodies, communities, emotions, and daily decisions. It connects spiritual wisdom with psychology, social science, and human experience.

It asks:

• How does someone actually pray when they’re anxious?

• How does trauma shape a person’s image of God?

• How do communities embody love and justice?

Practical theology grounds spirituality in the realities of human life.

Liberation theology emerged in Latin America and teaches that God has a preferential option for the poor — meaning God stands with those who suffer injustice, oppression, or marginalization. It insists that faith must lead to justice, dignity, and the transformation of harmful systems.

It emphasizes:

• solidarity with the oppressed

• confronting structures that cause harm

• reading Scripture through the eyes of the poor

• God’s presence in struggle and hope

Liberation theology is the heartbeat behind trauma‑informed work: God is found with those who have been wounded.

1. Pastoral Theology

God draws near to the wounded and tends to their hearts.

• Psalm 34:18 — “The Lord is near to the brokenhearted.”
  God’s nearness to the wounded is the basis of pastoral care.

• Isaiah 42:3 — “A bruised reed he will not break.”
  God’s gentleness toward the fragile shapes our approach.

• John 10 (Good Shepherd) — Jesus knows his sheep, calls them by name, and leads them safely.
  Pastoral theology mirrors this non‑coercive, attuned presence.

• 2 Corinthians 1:3–4 — God comforts us so we can comfort others.
  Accompaniment participates in God’s own healing work.

Why this matters for trauma‑informed work: 
Scripture reveals a God who moves toward the wounded with tenderness, patience, and presence — the heart of trauma‑informed accompaniment.

2. Practical Theology

Faith is lived, embodied, and expressed in real human experience.

• James 2:14–17 — Faith without works is dead.
  Theology must take shape in action, not abstraction.

• Matthew 7:24 — The wise person “puts these words into practice.”
  Spirituality is something we do with our lives.

• Luke 24 (Road to Emmaus) — Jesus walks with confused disciples, listens, and reveals himself slowly.
  A model for reflective, experiential, real‑life accompaniment.

• Romans 12:1–2 — Offer your bodies as a living sacrifice; be transformed.
  Embodied, whole‑person spirituality.

Why this matters for trauma‑informed work: 
Trauma affects bodies, emotions, and relationships — and Scripture insists that faith must meet people in those places, not above them.

3. Liberation Theology

God has a preferential option for the poor, the oppressed, and the harmed.

• Luke 4:18–19 — Jesus proclaims good news to the poor, release to captives, freedom for the oppressed.
  The mission of Jesus is liberation.

• Exodus 3 — God hears the cry of the oppressed and acts.
  Liberation is God’s initiative.

• Matthew 25:31–46 — “Whatever you did for the least of these…”
  God identifies with the marginalized.

• Luke 1:46–55 (Magnificat) — God lifts up the lowly and brings down the powerful.
  A biblical vision of justice and reversal.

Why this matters for trauma‑informed work: 
Trauma often results from misuse of power. Scripture reveals a God who sides with the harmed, restores dignity, and confronts injustice.

• God draws near to the wounded (pastoral).

• God cares about how faith is lived in real bodies and real lives (practical).

• God stands with the oppressed and works for their liberation (preferential option for the poor).

Trauma‑informed spiritual accompaniment is simply a contemporary expression of Scripture’s ancient truth: God meets people in their suffering, honors their dignity, and leads them toward healing and freedom.