Routley Lowell Ph. D. P C Ph. D.

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In The Visit with Your Routley Center Counselor. . .
. . . You will find solutions that work and are consistent with your values.

What is "solution-focused" counseling?
Remember the TV Show with Dr. Hartley played by Bob Newhart? Which view of counseling did you take from the show?

Counselors only listen and repeat back to you what you said.
Counselors are insecure people who need their clients to be their friends.
Counselors make clients dependent so they stay in counseling for years.
Counselors are clueless about real world problems.

Would you feel comfortable with or even confident in a counselor like Dr. Hartley? Dr. Routley found that people like you want a counselor to be a person that you can trust; one with like values. You want someone who will quickly grasp your dilemma and provide tools that will work for you.

How will the counselor see me?
You want someone who sees you as a competent person; not one who is sick! Counseling has been stigmatized by its association with the medical community. Mental health services, as provided by the medical community, operate on the premise that any problems with life stress have a medical basis. Identified as disorders of mood, thought, or attention, psychiatry attributes your problem to a chemical imbalance in the brain. Therefore to resolve your problem, a medication is prescribed to "fix" the problem. The Routley Center counselors provide faith-based counseling to address the range of real life problems. You will not receive a "diagnosis" for what is supposedly wrong with you. (NOTE: If you desire to use health care insurance or employee assistance benefits, your counselor is required to assign a diagnosis for you to receive reimbursement.)

The Routley Center counselors know that life can be hard. What you are feeling about your circumstances indicates that a problem needs to be addressed. To ignore the feelings is to ignore the problem. To recognize and address the problem is to experience relief. After a number of past attempts, either on your own or even with the help of others, to varying degrees of success, you may be stumped on how to resolve the problem. At that point, you might even believe the problem defines you or others in negative ways. Don't go there! This is the time to seek help from experienced, compassionate professionals.

The Routley Center counselors realize that everyone gets stuck at times and needs a fresh perspective. Perhaps the old cliche describes it best - one is "not able to see the forest for the trees." The solution-focused or narrative approaches we use, help you to step back, examine, and redefine the problem from a different perspective. Foundational to this approach is the philosophical stance that our Creator endowed each individual with the ability to understand, the capacity to cope, and a source of hope to empower us as we face life stressors. In some cases, levels of stress may be such that medication may be part of the solution. If that will help you move more effectively toward your goals, your counselor will refer you for medical support.
You are a story-in-progress, and while you can't re-write your past, you create a new future. Let our counselors (with almost 50 years of combined experience) help you confidently become the author of the next chapters of your life story.

A confidential, respectful conversation about your problem.
A skilled listener with extensive training and experience in helping people just like you.

How do I start? Call Now! (563) 588-4476.
Debbie, our office manager is eager to assist with scheduling. The office manager's hours are 9AM & 4PM Tuesday through Thursday and every other Monday(Summer Hours are 9AM to 4PM, Monday through Wednesday.)

The Routley Center counselors are Iowa licensed mental health counselors. (LMHC)
Lowell Routley, Ph.D., LMHC Karin Anderson, M.S., LMHC.

How are spiritual issues addressed?
To suggest a spiritual perspective as a component of counseling can bring comfort or unease. You have the freedom to include the spiritual perspective in counseling. If you desire, your counselor will share inspirational material, scriptural ideas, and/or prayer to empower you in your search for solutions. If you are uncomfortable with spiritual input, your counselor will respect your desire and focus strictly on the immediate thoughts and actions that are keeping you stuck.

At the Routley Center, we believes that each human being is endowed by our Creator with a unique soul. That spiritual aspect of self seeks hope in life and beyond. We believe that the Creator came to Earth, took on human form, and in the person of Jesus Christ died to reconcile humanity back to God. One's personal belief in that act of redemption by the resurrected Christ brings peace with God and gives hope in life and after. One's faith then becomes the means of empowerment to live life because God can be experienced as an active part of one's life. Through that faith, one can find answers and strength to address the troubles encountered.

Session Preparation Forms -
Please download these forms and bring them completed to the first session. This is a means by which you may best use your time and financial resources during your visits with your counselor.