14 JUNE 2020 | TheJournalNJ.com
BY LORI DRAZ
Every industry has its
own unique challenges
when dealing with
COVID-19, and mental
health is no exception. The
crisis has created the largest
paradigm shift in the
delivery of mental health
services in the history of
the country. Many therapists
were overwhelmed
ways to help their patients
and the speed at which
they had to do it. These
are unprecedented conditions.
There is no clinical
research available on how
to deal with something
of this global magnitude.
It was clear a guide
was needed to help the
community of therapists,
coaches and parents transition
to virtual treatment.
That was until the Fair
Haven family of therapists
who operate Lighthouse
Counseling & Sand Play
Training Center, LLC created a free, downloadable guide to Telehealth.
Gretchen Morgan, LCSW and her partner (and mother), Mary Pat Mc-
Geehin, opened Lighthouse Counseling & Sand Play Training Center in 2000.
Heath, LCSW; Linda Law, LPC; Heather Koenigsfest, LPC; Barbara McGinley,
LPC; Bianca Valentini, LCSW; and Charlotte Stant, RYT. Each of these clinicians
From left: Mary Pat McGeehin, Charlotte Stant and Gretchen Morgan
contributed articles on different topics for the Telehealth Guide. Users
and usable in the situations they are encountering from the effects of the
quarantine.
Lighthouse specializes in trauma, Sand Play Therapy, EMDR, yoga, addictions
and coaching, and serves individuals, couples, families and children.
Lighthouse is a Continuing Education Provider, and they have trained
more than 3,000 clinicians in Sand Play Therapy. Sand Play therapy invites
clients to work with a sand box palette to create scenes using sand shaping,
patterns and the addition of numerous objects to the sand tray which serve
as symbols that help clients express their feelings and allow the client to
interpret their messaging.
in Fair Haven since 1999.
She is a cheerful and curious
student of the current
set of challenges.
“We, as a community,
nation and planet
have never experienced
anything like this,” she
said. “We are dealing
with effects of the pandemic
while collecting
the essential data we
need to understand it
all, kind of like working
back to the beginning. I
believe that the lessons
of this shared pandemic
experience will continue
to reveal themselves for
many months to come,
yet therapists are a dedicated
to our patients. We
continue our work as our
collective knowledge expands.
It is a fascinating
time to live through.”
In addition to helping
clients through this
time, the industry is
also working through administrative issues like insurance billing and
regulations, the shift to a work-at-home setting from an industry that
is traditionally conducted face to face, and guiding patients through
those new developments.
“So of course, with all this going on, we decided to write a manual,”
Morgan laughed.
Morgan also works in Costa Rica as a trainer and workshop leader.
Among her greatest pleasures is the work she and Sally Nilsson, LLB,
CPC do with their Equine Facilitated Sand Play Therapy, a technique in
their Healing the Healers workshop held annually. Nilsson contributed
a coaching section to the telehealth guide as well.
Stant, a junior at Rumson-Fair Haven High School, also contributed
a section of the guide.
McGeehin, a 20-year resident of Fair Haven, worked on the editing
of guide. Rounding out the family practice is Jenn Morris, also
of Fair Haven, who has served as the Lighthouse’s photographer and
billing manager since 2002.
All are invited to read and download a free copy of the guide at
lcsnj.com. Lighthouse is accepting clients for telehealth counseling,
coaching and clinical supervision.
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