We are a community counselling service, based in Gravesend, Kent, offering counselling to individuals and couples. All our counsellors hold professional qualifications and are registered with national accrediting bodies, such as the BACP or ACC. You can also find us on the Counselling Directory here.
Something that makes us different to many other counselling services is that all our counsellors are Christians who have experience of working with issues relating to spirituality.
Our counselling service is not just for Christians. Counselling is open to all – church members, those from other churches, people of other faiths and those with no faith. We are motivated by our faith to provide a professional, ethical service to the whole community.
Our Partners
Find out more about some of the projects we’re involved in and the partners we work with here.
Find out more
History
Lighthouse Counselling Trust was set up by Kate Mendez and Donna King in 2018 in response to the mental health needs of our local community. It is estimated that in Kent, only a small proportion of people who need it are able to access NHS counselling services.
We wanted to be able to provide affordable and accessible counselling for our community.
Initially Lighthouse was part of Eastgate church, who supported us in getting started, but it grew rapidly and in 2022 we decided it was time to establish the service as an independent charity.
The name “Lighthouse” represents our desire to be a place of safety and emotional support for those who are experiencing stressful, difficult or distressing circumstances.
We are delighted to have partnered with several local organisations, such as Gravesham Council who have provided us with a grant to work with rough sleepers and Eastgate church who provided a grant for health care workers following the Covid crisis. Both of these projects are still ongoing. We also work with a local primary school providing counselling and support for their staff team.
We offer reduced rates for those in financial need which is partly funded from bursaries and donations. If you feel you could partner with us in making counselling more affordable and accessible for those who need it please get in touch or use the ‘donate’ button to make your contribution. All donations are very gratefully received and will make a real difference to the number of people our team are able to help.
Thanks for taking the time to read this.
Kate and Donna.
Testimonials
“I have strategies in place to help me control my issues and not the other way round. I can deal with the things that happened when I want to, without it being a burden.”
“I have started to build trust with my counsellor, giving me the reassurance that whatever I had to deal with between sessions I could take to her the next time I saw her. This has reduced my feelings of isolation and given me hope of finally finding freedom and of being accepting of myself.”
“Counselling has helped me and my wife work through a very difficult and challenging time.”
“When I began counselling, I was exhausted, regularly in tears and didn’t have a good handle on why I was in such bad shape. Three months of counselling later (plus a few other positive factors) I feel like a different person! Very early into the counselling I discovered what was really going on and was consequently able to begin making the necessary changes. It wasn’t long before my energy levels picked up and my tears dried up!
Thank you!”