Our History
Est. 2000Lighthouse Counseling &
Sand Play Training Center
was conceived in 2000 by Gretchen Morgan and Mary Pat McGeehin. At that time, they opened a small psychotherapy practice in Point Pleasant Beach, New Jersey, that operated under the name, Lighthouse Counseling. The primary focus of the practice was psychotherapy, specializing in children and trauma. Their search for effective treatment led them to include their use of both Sand Play Therapy and EMDR. This evolution was in response to the expanding body of research which illustrated that the mind-body connection was integral to the healing of mental health issues. In 2004, they expanded their practice to include like-minded affiliate clinicians and moved to a larger facility in Eatontown, New Jersey.
In 2005, after hearing many fellow clinicians discuss a lack of Sand Play Therapy Training courses in New Jersey, Mary Pat
In 2018, Lighthouse added two new trainers to teach the Lighthouse Sand Play Therapy technique (Heather Koenigsfest, LPC, Toni-Zachos Kaplan, LCSW), and began offering their comprehensive Certificate in Sand Play Training curriculum.
Mary Pat and Gretchen have been adjunct faculty of undergraduate or graduate level classes, have had advanced Sand Play Therapy training and are members of the Association for Play Therapy, Inc., the Sand Play Therapists of America and The East Coast Sand Play Association. In addition, all facilitators are Level I or II EMDR