A short story,

A while back, a client brought me a gift as a way of thanking me for the help that I have given to him over his journey of counselling. He had travelled to a famous lighthouse in Europe. During his visit to the lighthouse he was compelled to buy a replica of it for me because it represented the work that we’ve done together. He told me that lighthouses point you in the right direction and they bring light into the darkness.

He said, “You have been my lighthouse”. I took this as a great honor because lighthouses have always been close to my heart as well. Growing up on an island on the west coast of Canada, we were surrounded by lighthouses. They have always represented peace and safety in my life. So when I researched the symbolism of lighthouses I found this description: “Lighthouses symbolize the way forward and help in navigating our way through rough waters whether those waters be financial, personal, business or spiritual in nature. Nothing else speaks of safety and security in the face of adversity and challenge quite the way a lighthouse does”. So as we were thinking of a name for our Centre, the name Lighthouse was suggested. It fit with my heart and my belief about counselling as a safe space. A place where people are able to face adversity and challenges in their lives and navigate the rough waters to find the way forward. Lighthouse Counselling and Training Centre is built on the foundation of the words from Isaiah 61: 1-4, mainly focusing on 3 essential words…RESTORE, RENEW and REBUILD. We believe that those who are facing challenges in their lives can be restored. We believe that places in our lives that have been devastated can be renewed. And we believe that beauty can rise out of the ashes and lives can be rebuilt.