Built 4 Success Inc.

Our Story

Lotus Counseling of Connecticut was created in 2016 by Ms. Kait Marcil, LPC with a single mission in mind: to end the cycle and patterns of abuse, violence, and trauma that live on and on in our homes, our communities, and our schools. To that end, Kait and her team have created several programs to begin tackling that mission. In our offices, we have several licensed clinicians, all of whom specialize in treating trauma in children, teens, and adults. We offer individual counseling tailored to each person who walks through our doors. All of our clinicians embrace a holistic, strengths-based approach, versus a traditional medical/diagnosis based approach. Mindfulness, yoga, play therapy, and art therapy are just a few of the unique interventions we use to help those who are struggling.

Kids RISE Up, pictured above, is a pilot program currently being run at Judson and Polk Elementary Schools in Watertown, CT. Kids RISE Up was developed by Kait to help kids become more Resilient, Inspired, Strong, and Empowered through yoga + mindfulness in an after school setting. The Watertown Youth Service Bureau recognized the importance of this program and has funded it for the 2017-2018 school year. To date, more than 80 kids have enrolled for this school year. The 2nd of 4 sessions is almost complete, and so far the reviews are consistently positive. The kids are loving it and Kait and her team are working non-stop to make it the best possible program. Swift Middle School will begin the program in March of 2018, and Kait is hoping to bring Kids RISE Up to the Waterbury School system next school year.

Lotus Counseling has several other projects that stand out in the community and take a different approach to healing. The first is our newest addition, “Holistic Healing Through Art”, led by Emily Reim Ifrach, LPC and Board Certified Registered Art Therapist. Holistic Healing Through Art offers individual therapy utilizing expressive arts therapy, in addition to several new groups beginning this month. Groups include Studio 365: An Open Art Studio for clients ages 4+; Freedom from Fear: Overcoming Trauma for adults ages 18+; and Embracing the Body: Self Esteem + Body Positivity for adolescents ages 11-16. Through art therapy clients are given the space to express difficult, blocked or forgotten memories, feelings, experiences and images. These images are then discussed and processed with the client creating a heightened sense of self-awareness that in turn can open up the block that was stopping the client from experiencing success in therapy. Art therapy create a non-confrontational safe space where individuality, self-expression, creativity, and healing are made possible with minimal talking.

Social justice is a top priority at Lotus Counseling, and to that end, Christina Borel, LCSW is leading another exciting project beginning in the summer of 2018. Christina will be leading a Teen Social Justice Group for 8 weeks where clients will facilitate the healing process by not only healing themselves, but by making a difference in our community. Christina will also be leading our Mindful Life Series: Little Kids/Big Feelings Edition beginning this spring, where both kids and parents will work in their own group settings to learn to recognize and manage big feelings.

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