The Wells County Chamber of Commerce staff and ambassadors held a ribbon cutting for Renovate Counseling Services new location at 105 West Cherry Street in Bluffton.
Owner, Lane Sanders, purchased the building in September 2021 and opened doors on Jan. 17, 2022, to allow for additional growth of services.
Sanders had a dream 5 ½ years ago to open Renovate Counseling Services at Sonlight Wesleyan Church.
“As Associate Pastor at Sonlight I felt the need in the community for a private-practice, faith-based counseling ministry,” explained Sanders. “With the church’s blessing and support from Pastor Lyle Breeding and his wife, Pat, the journey has been long; however, I could not have done it without everyone’s ongoing support.”
Sanders said the counseling was only going to be part-time; however, the needs continued to grow.
“God kept sending people and additional staff our way. Eventually we were outgrowing the space at the church and had to look at other options.”
The hospital sold the building, that had been empty for many years to Sanders; therefore, a lot of work had to be done in order for Renovate Counseling to open their doors.
“Everyone has come together to open our own dedicated space to serve even more individuals, couples, and families in the community,” said Sanders. “God has provided in incredible ways. I also thank my wife, Jennifer, who has been a huge support from the beginning, coming along for the ride.”
The 2,600 sq. ft. building had to be gutted and renovated from floor to ceiling. “I want to thank Matt Kress, our contractor, for turning everything around in a few short months for us to open, as there was a lot to be done,” Sanders said.
Since opening Renovate Counseling in September 2016, the mission is to offer faith-based services to people, regardless of their backgrounds and beliefs.
“The church board believed in us from the beginning and our staff have done excellent work. It is neat to not only see us serve our local community, but the surrounding area and throughout the state with tele-help services,” said Sanders.
Sanders explained that there were so many local people that helped get Renovate to the place they are today with the expansion. “I want to thank Three Rivers Federal Credit Union, Premier Signs, Lin’s Lock & Key, Wells County Chamber of Commerce, AdamsWells Internet-Telecom-TV, and Bluffton Regional for their help with our new facility.”
“Our growth is because of the folks that trusted us from the very beginning with their concerns, marriages, and kids,” stated Sanders. “Without that support, we would not have been able to grow to the degree that we have today. I am very grateful for the local doctors and churches that have referred people to us and the word-of-mouth from clients. The trust that the community has placed in us is overwhelming.”
Renovate Counseling Services offers individual, couples, and family counseling. “We serve a wide variety of folks with problems, issues, or concerns with depression, anxiety, grief, trauma, addictions, various mood disorders, family counseling, and behavioral issues with kids and teens,” said Sanders. “The beauty of having the variety of staff on hand is we can work and specialize in different areas that can serve a variety of folks.”
Renovate Counseling hours are Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. with several Therapists offering evening hours by appointment. Medicare, Medicaid, all commercial insurance, and private pay (with a sliding scale) are accepted.
