The Centre for the Care of the Soul

What is the Centre for the Care of the Soul?

The Centre for the Care of the Soul is a place of welcome within Charles University — one of Central Europe's oldest and most distinguished universities. It exists for students, teachers, researchers, and staff: anyone who carries questions about meaning, inner life, values, or spiritual direction and would like to explore them with a trained companion.

The Centre connects spiritual accompaniment, counselling, and therapeutic support. It organises meditations, interactive workshops, discussions, public lectures, and seminars. Its work is grounded in attentiveness to the inner life, resilience, value orientation, and interpersonal relationships.

Why "care of the soul"?

The Czech phrase péče o duši — care of the soul — is drawn from the philosophy of Jan Patočka, Czech phenomenologist, who in turn drew on Plato's Socratic tradition. For both Patočka and Plato, care of the soul means attending to the interior dimension of a human being: the depth beneath our activities and achievements, where our relationships, longings, frustrations, and unresolved experiences quietly shape who we are.

Inspiration for a distinctly spiritual (rather than purely psychological) centre was found in the chaplaincy models of hospitals and prisons — institutions that have long understood that human beings in crisis need more than therapy: they need someone to walk with them in their searching.

What do we offer: Spiritual accompaniment

Spiritual accompaniment — sometimes called spiritual direction in other traditions — involves a confidential one-on-one conversation about personal questions, purpose, and direction in life. It can include conversations about values you live by, or values you discover you can no longer live by, existential crises, grief, or disorientation.

Accompanying practitioners come from diverse religious traditions and hold long professional experience in this area. Several also have training in psychotherapy; the team includes a psychiatrist. The Centre's services are integrated into the broader counselling network of the Charles University Counselling Centre (Centrum Carolina).

Spiritual accompaniment is not therapy or psychological counselling, though it can complement those. It does not offer diagnoses or solutions. It offers attention, a trustworthy presence, and unhurried conversation.

Conversations are strictly confidential.

How to make an appointment

Appointments for spiritual accompaniment can be made through the Charles University Counselling Centre (Centrum Carolina) online booking system

Spiritual accompaniment in English, Italian, Portuguese, and Russian takes place in D4. Advance booking is required.

What do we offer: Roundtable discussions

The Centre regularly organises interactive workshops, round tables, lectures, and seminars. These events explore the intersection of inner life, culture, values, and public engagement. They bring together people from across Charles University's faculties and departments, such as Kampus Hybernská and UK Point, as well as from the wider civil society. Some events are held in English or feature simultaneous interpretation.