Services

Lighthouse Counseling & Sand Play Training Center is an outpatient facility providing support through scheduled appointments only for families, children, couples, and individuals. We also offer workshops and groups for individuals seeking community and support.

SAND PLAY THERAPY

Often, when people have a history of trauma, the coping skills that function to help them survive Some of the common defenses that hinder the process of healing in adults are intellectualization, rationalization, projection, and even dissociation. With children, trauma or stress may present as impulsivity, hyperactivity, poor social skills and poor school performance.

Sand Play therapy allows the person to tap into the psyche. Through the use of symbolic figures, a person is able to create in the sand tray stories which examine their wounds, the effects from those wounds, and the possibilities for resolution. The practitioner is then able to help a person to connect insights to feelings and begin the journey toward healing. Through Sand Play, the adult client is able to build the skills necessary to avoid the problematic patterns of the past. Children’s thoughts and feelings are given a voice through symbolic play, enabling them to resolve their issues in a language they understand.

Offered: In person or through telehealth.

EMDR

“Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) integrates elements of many effective psychotherapies in structured protocols that are designed to maximize treatment effects. These include psychodynamic, cognitive behavioral, interpersonal, experiential, and body-centered therapies. EMDR is an information processing therapy and uses an eight phase approach ….After EMDR processing, clients generally report that the emotional distress related to the memory has been eliminated, or greatly decreased and that they have gained important cognitive insights.

Importantly, these emotional and cognitive changes usually result in spontaneous behavioral and personal change, which are further enhanced with standard EMDR procedures.”

—Francine Shapiro

GROUP THERAPY

Many issues such as grief, parenting, illness, divorce, and death may make one feel alone. Facilitated group therapy can help focus on goals and effective behaviors that can alter the overwhelming stress of dealing with major life events.

COUPLES COUNSELING

Every couple can experience challenges in their relationship. Differences in parenting philosophies, interference from extended family, illness, grief, addictions, economic hardship, difficulties with intimacy and adultery can all negatively impact a relationship. Psychotherapy can provide a safe container to process wounds and establish new communication patterns that facilitate trust. Partners can learn to appreciate and respect one another again, opening the door for a renewed sense of passion and commitment.

ADDICTIONS

The development of the addictive personality is not an overnight event. Often times, an addicted person will have a history of trauma and grief. It is critical to have a comprehensive treatment plan with a therapist who specializes in addictions work in order to make a full recovery. We treat addictions to illegal drugs, alcohol and prescription medications as well as sexual addictions.

SOCIAL SKILLS TRAINING

Perhaps you have a son who becomes anxious and refuses to participate in team sports. You may have a daughter who has difficulty making or keeping friends and plays alone at recess. Perhaps the school has contacted you to report that your child is bullying other children on the bus, and is in danger of being expelled. Social skills training can help children learn appropriate behaviors for a variety of situations. With supportive guidance, children can feel more confident when interacting with their peers and begin to make better choices in their daily lives.

In addition to individual and family therapy to address these issues, we are one of the few Centers to offer social skills groups for children with Aspergers Syndrome and ADHD.

AUTISM

Autism rates in New Jersey are now the highest in America, impacting almost 3% of the population. Treatment of Autism Spectrum Diagnoses requires an understanding of not only the symptomology, but the culture of Autism. In addition to families who are desperate to understand the cause of Autism in their children as well as strategies to enhance quality of life, there are also those who believe that Autism is a unique way of being and not a disease to be cured. Lighthouse staff are committed to understanding the whole person, and making collaborative treatment plans that include family members, school officials and other wellness professionals. 

COACHING

Over the past 10 years there has been a global paradigm shift in communication fueled by exponential growth in access to technology.  Coaching recognizes the benefits of  “meeting the client where they are” by offering sessions via video, telephone, email or text.  Coaching can be a stand alone service, or used in conjunction with traditional psychotherapy. Coaching clients are accepted internationally.  

 

An article about the differences between coaching and therapy topic was published by the APA https://www.apa.org/pubs/journals/features/cpb-1061-4087-53-4-229.pdf

Offered: In person or online 

Frequently Asked Questions

  • The initial session lasts 60 minutes to allow for a comprehensive social history. Treatment sessions are booked in increments of 45, 60, 75, 90 or 120 minutes. Fees are assessed based on the length of each session.

  • An Affiliate is a licensed clinician who shares space at the Center, but is not an employee or owner of the Center.  All affiliates are private practitioners and carry their own liability insurance. Affiliates must meet certain training standards in order to see clients at the center and receive weekly individual clinical supervision from Mary Pat McGeehin, MSW, LCSW.

  • YES! The Center is an “out-of-network” provider and can not obtain pre-authorization/pre-certification for your treatment. We are also unable to find out deductible, co-insurance or “usual and customary” reimbursement amounts. In fact, the insurance companies will not release any client information to the Billing Manager except a confirmation that a claim was received.

  • NO! Billing on a day you were not at the office is insurance fraud.

  • Your session time is reserved for you, and if you do not cancel with enough notice, your therapist will be unable to fill the time slot.  If the therapist can not fill the appointment time it results in a significant financial loss, and the client is responsible to cover that loss.

    Insurance will not reimburse for failed sessions.

  • Lighthouse and its affiliates are all “out-of-network” providers, which means we can submit claims for your sessions but the insurance companies will only send reimbursement checks to your home address. We submit sessions as a courtesy to our clients, but the fees are the responsibility of the client.  To assist with budgeting, we accept Mastercard, Visa and Discover Card.

  • Our Billing Manager electronically submits all sessions once per week. We have no control over the reimbursement process after we submit each claim. Historically, it takes 4-6 weeks for each check to be sent home.

    If you have not received a reimbursement check six weeks after your initial session, contact your insurance company immediately. Our Billing Manager does not know whether or not you receive a reimbursement check, so it is your responsibility to inform her if there is a problem.

    If you are more comfortable being in control of the billing process, please ask your therapist for a weekly receipt for services and you can submit on your own.

  • Sadly, we have encountered this issue several times. Our recommendation is that you contact your lawyer and discuss legal options. There is nothing the Center can do to change the reimbursement process.

  • Our Billing Manager is only in the office once a week. At that time, she checks all her voicemail and email messages. If she has a question, or if you request a call back for a specific reason, she will contact you. If you request something that is simple (billing statement, resubmit a claim, receipt, etc.) she will complete the task without calling you back.

  • The purpose of psychotherapy for your child is to provide a free and protected space for the processing of trauma. If the child believes his/her sessions are being recorded, evaluated or used in any legal proceeding it damages the fabric of the therapeutic relationship. We will recommend a court appointed evaluation or a Guardian Ad Litem to assist in custody matters.

  • Every client has a unique healing process. Factors including: early life trauma, developmental delays, environmental issues, divorce, grief, addictions and medical illness all impact the length and frequency of therapeutic sessions.