A beacon of hope for structure and guidance has been brought to the City of Clearlake with the opening of Lake County Mental Health”s Lighthouse Drop-in Center.
Those with mental stress may find relief at 14147 Lakeshore Drive where a team of advisors, who themselves are enjoying recovery from mental health ailments, are available to help others find a healthy life. Currently, facility hours are 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday through Friday; but hours may be expanded in the future.
Lighthouse offers guidance in several areas such as medical, legal, housing, education, social and more. “We kind of look at all of life”s domains,” said Jennie Guzman, center coordinator. “Peer support, counseling and medication all go together. We are here to give all components for a successful life.”
Lighthouse operates as a drop-in center where people can come and just hang out if they so choose. The facility provides a clean, safe, serene and welcoming atmosphere where clients can wash their clothes, take a shower, socialize or take part in the many activities the program has to offer. Activities and services include, but are not limited to peer counseling, life skills classes, money management, community resource information exchange, medication management, dual diagnosis treatment, nutritional guidance plus fun activities like bingo, arts and crafts, pot-luck dinners, dancing, oil painting and more. The program includes access to emergency, short-term housing as well.
A primary goal of Lighthouse is to break down the walls of isolation that people dealing with mental stress so often find themselves confined within. The program intends to achieve this goal by providing counselors who have personally been affected by and have recovered from mental illness. “The best thing is that it is a recovery-based system,” said Guzman. “Our leadership team consists of consumers who have been through the mental health system.”
Walton Dow is one such consumer who has changed his life around through guidance and support and is now anxious to help others. “The cycle can be broken,” Dow said. “It takes a lot of work but it can be done.”
Dow reported that he has been a part of the mental health system since he was 8-years-old. He has been through the mental health system as well as the prison system. He said that everything has changed for him thanks to the support he”s received and that he is currently working toward a Bachelor”s degree in social services.
“I can”t say anything bad about the services I”ve had here in Lake County,” Dow said. “I came here and they just wrapped their arms around me. I”m just one of the many I”ve seen grow.”
Situated on the shores of beautiful Clear Lake, Lighthouse offers a clubhouse for its activities, private conference rooms for counseling and laundry and bathing facilities. It also has a wide, country-style back porch with beach access and a refreshing view of the lake where people can relax, share, confide in and help one another through their trials.
For more information about Lighthouse Drop-In Center in Clearlake, call the facility at 995-0893. You do not have to be a client of Lake County Mental Health Services to enjoy the benefits of Lighthouse services.
Contact Denise Rockenstein at drockenstein@clearlakeobserver.com.
