Stories, laughter and tributes flowed as we celebrated 20 years of Laidlaw’s Counselling programme in Auckland last Saturday. Alumni spanning two decades gathered over dinner at the Henderson campus to catch up and reminisce. 

Special tribute was paid to Joyce Carswell, the first Head of Counselling, who worked tirelessly to get a counsellor education programme started at then BCNZ in Auckland. Current Head of Counselling Lisa Spriggens noted that over 61,000 practicum hours have been gifted to the community by our counselling students over this period, with our 270 graduates making a significant impact through counselling agencies, schools, prisons, and workplaces across New Zealand, and in overseas mission. Some of those graduates now give back to the programme as lecturers, tutors, group process leaders and practicum supervisors. 

As we continue to pursue the vision of integrating Christian theology with counselling psychology, we look forward to the next 20 years and beyond!