The Story Behind Mandala House
The original concept for Mandala House started with Dr. Jacks Gilles, who envisioned a place where clinicians could come together to work, learn, and challenge one another in a collaborative way. The usage of “Mandala,” literally meaning circle in Sanskrit, symbolizes unique parts joining to make an organized and balanced whole. Mandalas are ancient and are produced and used throughout the world to represent a cultural concept or identity as well as being a meditative practice in itself. The field of psychology was introduced to the process of mandala-making as a tool for exploring the self by Psychologist Carl Jung. As a design or functional element, mandalas can be found in art, architecture, engineering, and the natural environment.
Using the word House in our name reflects our emphasis on the space in which we work. We hold great reverence for the process of psychotherapy which is why we sought a building with warmth and texture as our physical backdrop. We were intentional in selecting our new location, formerly occupied by the Gilda’s Club of Kentuckiana, which holds a history of healing through creativity and collaboration.
In September of 2016 the idea of Mandala House found a home and became a reality. Located on East Broadway in the Highlands neighborhood of Louisville, Jacks Gilles, Barbara Beauchamp, and Colgan Tyler opened Mandala House as an outpatient mental health center with the mission of providing community-minded, accessible, and informed clinical services, training, and research. Now, after three years of growth, Mandala House has relocated to a nearby home at 633 Baxter Avenue. In this expanded space, we will better be able to meet our mission of offering the most access to a diverse range of compassionate and professional services to our community.
It is a fundamental value of Mandala House, and research supports, that treatment is best for patients who have a relationship with an informed and fully present therapist, who is experienced in the challenging and vulnerable process that is psychotherapy. Our collaborative environment, with weekly treatment teams, training and consultation, provides for optimal support and knowledge for our clinicians to enter into this process with their patients.
Our hope is that patients will come to value themselves and their journey as much as we value our sharing of time and space with all who enter Mandala House.