Changes ... and a huge step in a good direction!

New owners, retirement and fresh ideas coming...

They say all good things must come to an end ... or at least a bend in the road. And all of us feel the call in our lives to move on, move up, move forward.

It’s our time at Sanctuary Christian Counseling to transition to new leadership. Nothing dramatic will change – at least for now -- but with the new owners comes some forward thinking ideas, so look out in the future (in this space!) for good things to come.

But first, a little history ...

One question that I – Ellen Gigliotti - get asked often is why our name is Sanctuary Christian Counseling, and how we arrived at that. It's actually a God story, and I think some of you might be interested in it.

This is me, back in the day, Sanctuary Christian Counseling's opening in 2016.

I was practicing marriage and family therapy in the prayer room at King Street Church, in Chambersburg, PA. I was pretty new at the job and hadn't given any thought to an "alternative" name for my practice. After all, I was practicing alone at the time, and it seemed like "Ellen J.W. Gigliotti LMFT" was enough. However, the former senior pastor of King Street Church, Dr. John Beukema, didn't think so.

He challenged me to find another name -- a name representative of what I envisioned my practice to be. I was puzzled, and not a little chagrined. It's tough to think through what exactly your passion is.

Finding words to describe it - finding ONE word to describe it! - is darn near impossible.

I thought and thought. My thoughts took me next door. At that time, next to my therapy room was the sanctuary at KSC. As soon as I sat down and began to pray about this, God made it clear that Sanctuary was to be it.

And Sanctuary it has been since then, whether located in King Street Church, in the King Street Community Center (where we were for several years), in the Scotland Campus or at our current – and long-term location at 9974 Molly Pitcher Highway, in the West End Office Complex in Shippensburg.

Sanctuary embodies what I have always wanted our clients to experience - a sanctuary from the challenges they face and a place where they can rest, be accepted, loved, understood and helped back to health.

And now ... a glimpse toward the future ...

Aryn and Jess Hundley, who have been working with me for some years, are the new owners of Sanctuary Christian Counseling. They are both dynamic individuals with a heart for God, great ability as therapists and a love for community and people. They will do great things with Sanctuary and in Shippensburg!

I will let them introduce themselves to you in our next article.

As for me, I’m working on a passion project – Retire + Thrive (www.retire-and-thrive.com). My aim is to help women therapists, entrepreneurs, business owners and professionals dream, plan and enjoy amazing and fulfilling retirements.

This is me today, ready for new, fun adventures.

I have stumbled my way through the retirement jungle, finally finding my footing, and seeing an optimal future for my life. I help others do the same – without the stumbling! Although financial planning is NOT part of what I do (I’m not at all qualified for that) planning for an amazing retirement means so much more than money. I provide personalized guidance and support to help women nearing retirement create a future that unlocks their unique vision and helps them create fulfilling lives.

But back to Sanctuary Christian Counseling and my final farewell to my readers.

As we move forward, Sanctuary’s mission will always be to help our clients live our best lives. We will continue to help grieving individuals, distressed kids and teens and couples in conflict find peace, solutions and connection.

May our Sanctuary be a blessing to you in the midst of life's craziness. May you find the vision God has for your life. May we be able to help you do that.

Ellen

Ellen J.W. Gigliotti LMFT

CEO Retire + Thrive, www.retire-and-thrive.com

For – Sanctuary Christian Counseling

9974 Molly Pitcher Highway, Suite 4

Shippensburg, PA 17257

www.sanctuarychristiancounseling.com

717-200-3158

info@sanctuarychristiancounseling.com