Life Guidance Center
The Life Guidance Center started out as a concept, just a few short years ago. The idea was to build a Counseling and Wellness Center where talented professionals could practice, side-by-side in a non-clinical setting. What The Center has become is beyond anything imagined by my husband, Thomas and I.
Sometimes, when I step into our beautiful Mexican-tiled waiting room with its lovingly hand-painted golden walls (by our friend Tiffany), I remember when it was just a slab of cement. Now, when I enter, there might be an older man reading a magazine, or a teenager texting on his phone, a middle-aged woman taking a moment from her busy day to quietly listen to our wall fountain, or a young mother playing with her children. They wait for some of the most talented practitioners in their respective fields and I am honored to call them my colleagues.
Collaboratively, we work to serve Charleston and the surrounding communities. We have licensed counselors, substance abuse specialists, an acupuncturist, a play therapist, a child psychologist, a clinical social worker, a business coach, marital and parenting therapists. What do all these individuals have in common? They are resourceful, talented practitioners who truly care about their patients.
Before the glorious paintings by Patick Pelletiere were commissioned and hung in our lobby, he walked around the building to get the right “vibe”. “This is a good place,” he told us. “There are good spirits here.” Maybe I wanted to believe him because he is part Lummi Indian and has a mystical sense about him, but many people since have told us the same thing in different ways. “I feel safe here,” one said. Some patients even come early to unwind in the waiting room before their appointments.
The work we do is not always easy, and often therapists are like lone satellites out there on our own. I worked that way for a long time in my private practice and when The Life Guidance Center was first built, I was alone in this great big building, before we filled the other offices. Then one-by-one, just the right person found his or her way to join us. And now, when the burden gets heavy, I can find a friend to have a cup of tea with, or chat about our weekend plans.
We are so grateful for the patients who come to us from all around the Charleston area and all walks of life. They come with life’s burdens, or to make changes in their lives – to become more healthy, more balanced, happier. The Center truly has a life of its own now, and to me, it feels a bit like giving birth to a baby and watching him grow into someone more amazing than you ever could have imagined. And isn’t that what we all want that for our children?
