Leaders identified growing need in the community for spiritual support.
A local Mississauga Buddhist temple is now branching out into providing free mental wellness counselling services. The Fo Guang Shan Temple, located just off of Erin Mills Parkway on Millcreek Drive in Meadowvale, first launched Spiritual Care Projects during the pandemic in 2020. But in recent months they have expanded into Spiritual and Wellbeing Counselling.
“The program was developed to support individuals in navigating life’s challenges with greater dignity, resilience, and awareness, including the realities of illness, loss, and death,” says Stephanie Hong, manager of the program, in comments provided to MPulse Mississauga.
While the program is grounded in the principles of Humanistic Buddhism, the counselling services is available to people of all faiths and backgrounds. What is provided is individual counselling sessions of 50 minutes each, for up to 8 sessions per person. The program is not designed for crisis intervention or emergency mental health scenarios.
“It is designed for those who may be seeking emotional support, spiritual guidance, or a compassionate space to explore personal challenges and life transitions,” explains Hong.
The sessions are provided by registered psychotherapists and spiritual care practitioners, along side graduate students engaging in practicum training.
The Fo Guang Shan Temple was founded by Venerable Master Hsiung Yin as one of hundreds of such temples around the world, with construction in Mississauga completed in 1997.
The counselling program can be reached by email at spiritualcare@fgs.ca.
