By Richard L. Gaw
Staff Writer

The conceptual philosophy that has become one of the most profound and sustainable miracles in the Landenberg community is a story that deserves to be told.

In 2017, Dr. Katie Bowman, a clinical psychologist, had just moved to Chester County with her husband, Kevin, and their family from Florida, where she was raised. West Grove, Lincoln University, Oxford and Landenberg - this was Kevin’s home turf – and while Bowman adjusted to her new surroundings, she thought about how she could best apply her professional skills in the area.

During a conversation with former Christian Life Center Pastor Josh Roberts, Bowman learned that there was very few mental health care providers in the immediate area, and that those seeking counseling services were forced to drive as much as an hour away.

Further, many were being placed on a wait list that kept them away from care for as long as two to three years, but the worst barrier was that many could not afford the cost of mental health care to pay for services.

“I have never had this happen before in my life, but a lightbulb went off and I knew at that exact moment without a shadow of a doubt that I was going to open a counseling center in New London,” Bowman said. “It was never in my purview, and I never thought in my life that this was where I would land, but it all made sense when I moved here.”

Quite simply, the miracle of the idea was this: that the counseling center would provide quality, compassionate mental health services that would be accessible and affordable to everyone in the community, from age five and older. In addition, it would operate as a non-profit entity, not accept insurance payments from its clients, and generate its income through contributions from individuals, corporations, grants fundraising and service fees to subsidize their therapy services.

Together with early board members Joshua Roberts, Michael Woodin, Bill Hostettor, Lisa Owens and Joyce Ross and assisted by start-up funding from the church and the strength of her faith, Bowman launched New London Counseling Center at the church on April 1, 2019, and serves as its executive director.

“During that first year, there were a lot of times when we barely made payroll, but from my perspective, God provided exactly what we needed when we needed it,” she said. “We would be scraping by, and then we would receive a private or corporate donation that would get us through.”

“My faith is my grounding point, and I have learned over the past years to trust in God. We’re moving in the right direction, and we’re doing great things. While we do offer faith based mental health care, we are committed to caring for everyone, regardless of their religion or faith, and welcome all who seek our support.”

Now celebrating its fifth anniversary, New London Counseling Center (NLCC) currently has 15 counselors who provide individual, family, group and couples therapy – as well as grief and parenting support group therapy -- to more than 350 clients, as well as educational workshops and presentations – all energized by the power of outreach.

“One of the many great things about NLCC is that we are present in the communities we serve throughout Southern Chester County,” said Office Manager Michelle Sapp. “We are involved in the local business chambers. We are involved in the local school districts and our local organizations. We live here, we worship here. We all carry what we do with us, everywhere we go.

“We want to have longevity here so that we can serve the community for many years to come.”

Creating a culture of comfort and confidentiality

Perhaps the most impactful imprint of New London Counseling Center’s mission is seen in its commitment to meet the client where they are, not the other way around. In addition to its comfortable and confidential location on State Road in Lincoln University, NLCC’s tendrils reach to a local school district, area agencies and in the privacy of homes through telehealth services.

NLCC has developed a partnership with the Avon Grove School District that provides free individual and group counseling by three full-time therapists to students in all four of the district’s schools. In 2022, it began a partnership with the Garage Community & Youth Center in Avondale to provide free mental health education and therapy to the Garage’s students. Most recently, the Center initiated its third partnership with the Lighthouse Youth Center in Oxford and continues to hold support group sessions at local churches.

“As we started to receive patients, we saw that transportation became an issue, exacerbated by the reality that families have little time to fit one more thing in their evenings,” said Development Director Megann Graf. “Our partnership with the Avon Grove School District has enabled us to remove the barriers of transportation and provide mental health care in the school setting.

“As we build connections and relationships at Avon Grove School District, The Garage and The Lighthouse, we begin to create a comfortable environment where kids feel confident enough to say, ‘I think I would like to talk with someone.’”

“There is no reason why counseling needs to be defined by four walls because it doesn’t work for everybody to sit in a sterile office and talk with somebody,” Bowman said. “We have several acres, so some of our clients toss the football around with their clients and we have a new garden we’re building with a pavilion. It’s all part of the reason why we prefer going to them.”

Communication, outreach, events

If the front-line definition of New London Counseling Center is seen in the wide array of counseling services it offers, its other purpose is to share the importance of mental health throughout the communities it serves.

In celebration of May as Mental Health Awareness Month, the center launched its first Walk For Wellness on May 18 at the Glenroy Preserve in Nottingham that saw nearly 70 attendees enjoy a three-mile walk and a five-mile trail run through the preserve.

The income generated from public and private events – as well as generous contributions from public and private donations -- are not only directed at operating costs for the center, but to their

clients who seek services. About one-third of NLCC’s clients receive scholarships for services and in the first six months of 2024, NLCC has awarded more than $60,000 in scholarships. One such fundraising event -- the Denim & Diamonds Gala scheduled for Sept. 28 at the Barn of Nottingham – will help fund hundreds of free therapy sessions for those who cannot afford it.

“Our biggest mission is to get people to know more about what we’ve done here for the past five years, and to promote the availability and accessibility of mental health care in our community, regardless of one’s ability to pay and regardless of where they are from,” Graf said. “We want to care for people with regard to their mental health, whether they go for a 5-mile run in the woods or attend our Denim & Diamonds Gala.”

…to see each other in a new light

In the wide spectrum of what it means to be human, perhaps the most difficult words for anyone to utter are, “I need help.” While it is an admission of vulnerability and the opening of a long-shut door, it serves as the frail portal through which the issues that hold us captive can at last be addressed. At New London Counseling Center, these words begin a personal journey for everyone who makes that first phone call from Landenberg to Cochranville and Coatesville to Quarryville.

“Often, it’s the first time they have addressed the reality that something in their life is wrong, and I will sit on the phone with them for many minutes until they are ready to speak,” Sapp said. “They are often the hardest conversations to have but, in the end, they are the most rewarding.”

Bowman, Sapp and Graf shared some of the many breakthroughs they have seen at NLCC.

“There was a beautiful woman in her early twenties and before she came to NLCC, she was on her way in her car to a bridge to jump,’ Bowman said. “A friend happened to call her on the way, and she said that he saved her life in that moment, but once she got connected here, she has said that her therapist has saved her life every day since.”

“There was a couple who came to us for couples counseling, and on a survey, the woman wrote, “I am happy to be married and I love my husband again,’” Sapp said. “That is what everyone who does what we do wishes to see – to experience people come in with cares and concerns and a therapist guides them in a way that enables them to see each other in a new light.”

“Just last week, a scholarship client told me, ‘I had quit life before I came here, and my counselor has given me hope,’” Graf said. “To see him going back to school, secure a new job and regain hope provides me – provides all of us here -- with great joy and great hope.”

New London Counseling Center is located at 1016 State Road in Lincoln University. To learn more about its services or to make a contribution, visit www.newlondoncounselingcenter.com, or call (484) 746-3112.

To contact Staff Writer Richard L. Gaw, email [email protected].