Our goal is to take the lead in the further development, coordination and management of the telephone and face-to-face counselling services of the Cornerstone Counselling Service. This involves close liaison with the Family Ministries Director and the Cornerstone Counselling Services Management Team and staff. We encourage our workers to take the lead in obtaining accreditation with the Association for Christian Counsellors (ACC). However, all our counsellors are trained volunteers and the minimum entry level to the service is a Diploma in Christian Counselling.
The Cornerstone Counselling Service (CCS) operates a telephone and face-to-face counselling service from our dedicated counselling suite at the Advent Centre in central London. The telephone service is open for live conversations on Monday evening 6:30 – 9:00 and on Tuesday mornings 9:00 – 12:00. At other times clients are able to leave an answer-phone message that is normally responded to within 24 hours. We also offer the option of emailing us for setting up appointments and answering queries.
Face-to-face counselling sessions are currently conducted on a Monday evening from 7:00 to 9:15 and Sunday afternoons from 2:00pm to 5:30 pm at the Advent Centre and Milton Keynes on Mondays from 9 to 1pm
The counselling service has been in operation for almost 12 years now and is well established within the Church. It is also becoming known outside the Church and we are seeing more and more clients who are of other faiths and sometimes without a faith but who respect Christian values. We welcome clients from all backgrounds and have worked with people from many different religions and cultures and do not discriminate on the basis of age, gender, ethnicity, sexuality, religion or income.
We call ourselves a Christian counselling service, in that we are all practicing Seventh-day Adventists who, when appropriate are able to include a spiritual perspective and pray with clients. However, we will not impose religious perspectives on clients, but are always sensitive to their wishes.
Issues that clients have discussed with us include: family and marital difficulties, relationships in general, abuse (adult and childhood), loneliness, bereavement, depression and prayer requests.
Call us if you would like to talk to a caring counsellor and arrange an appointment if you would like a face-to-face session. Thembie Mapingire works with both Bernie and Karen Holford in this department, please feel free to contact any of them in reference to our Counselling service.
tmapingire@secadventist.org.uk
lackie@secadventist.org.uk
kholford@secadventist.org.uk
Why did you decide to start working for the church?
I had actually never had the inclination to work for the Church! I come from Zimbabwe and for years the Family Life Department over there had asked me to work with them, however, I was happily working as a teacher and said I didn’t want to work for the church. I had wanted to work in counselling for over 10 years, my school had sent me to do an introduction to counselling course to work with struggling children, I did that for a year and returned back to the classroom.
What would you say are the challenges of your job?
I think the hardest aspect of my job is deciding how to handle the information I get regarding the church family including pastors, elders and their families; especially when it comes to violence and abuse issues. For example, how am I going to be able to help the family that is hurting? How do I reach some of the people, and make them aware that it’s not a weakness to go to counselling, it does in fact strengthen you. We could all do with going to counselling!
What are the highlights of your time working in the Counselling department?
My position as coordinator! I enjoy being there for people and working with them through their obstacles. I have the opportunity to pray and counsel people and that is an enjoyment for me. As I like organising things and making sure what people need is there, I feel that God has really guided me into the ideal position to use my strengths for Him.
