Five years after fire gutted their home, the Bean family are back on their feet but face a new struggle securing a future.

“The entire family needed therapy after the house fire,” recalled mother-of-three Andrene Bean. “I didn’t realise how much it affected me. We lost everything.”

Psychological counselling was key to their recovery, and Ms Bean’s 21-year-old daughter Allanna is set on pursuing it as a career in the corrections system.

But the lingering financial burden after the destruction of their Tills Hill home continues to weigh on the family.

“It’s been a struggle, as a single mother with three girls — but in the same breath, I have stretched every penny I have to make sure my daughter completes her dream,” Ms Bean said.

Sparked by an electrical fault, the blaze on March 1, 2012 quickly consumed their home and possessions.

The house’s insurance policy had not been updated after the residence was renovated, and the family initially feared that they would end up homeless — but an outpouring of help from across the community kept them afloat. Even their pet dog, Avery, rescued from the burning building, was treated by veterinarians for free. Eventually the Beans were able to return home.

“When we first moved back, my baby sister Maya was crying because it didn’t feel like her home; she was scared it would burn up,” Allanna said. “And I’m still skittish about fire.” Thanks to an Appleby scholarship, Allanna was able to pursue her calling after graduating from Berkeley Institute: her ultimate goal is to work as a psychologist with prison inmates.

“Maybe it’s because of the exposure I have had over the years,” she said. “Eventually I want to get certified in forensic psychology. I’ve always wanted to work with people that I feel should get a second chance.”

In 2013, she headed to Johnson & Wales University in Providence, Rhode Island. While studying, she obtained insight into prison life at the nearby men’s medium security prison.

“I had conversations with people in prison, which is what solidified my wanting to work with this population,” she said.

Inmates had committed crimes ranging from sexual assault to murder, but Allanna was able to focus on their common humanity.

“Whether a person feels guilty for their crime or not, I will still try my best to help,” she said.

She also interned at the domestic violence programme at Crossroads Rhode Island, a women’s centre, while she earned her Bachelor’s Degree in counselling psychology.

Bermuda has many vulnerable people in need of counselling and support, she said, but scholarships are difficult to find in psychology, and government scholarships do not cover graduate students.

She has volunteered for the Centre Against Abuse, and at present is able to get about 12 hours a week working at the Nelson Bascome Centre, her mother said — adding: “She’s packing groceries at Lindo’s, doing whatever she can to finish her career — it’s not a matter of her not trying.”

She has been accepted by Argosy University in Phoenix, Arizona — but obtaining her doctorate over the course of five years is estimated to run up a debt of $130,000 in student loans.

Ms Bean, who works as an assistant physiotherapist at the hospital, is determined to support her children’s education regardless.

“In two years, my middle child, Tiffany, is going to be ready for college as well,” she said. “It’s going to be tough. But I don’t want to discourage my children from their dreams because of my finances. That’s where we are kind of stuck in the middle. Getting loans, especially here, is not easy at all.”

• To contact the Beans, e-mail andrenebean@gmail.com or amariebean@hotmail.com