Christ-centered counseling and spiritual direction for women and female students in Waterloo, Iowa. Lori Rasmussen, LISW
You Don't Have to Carry It Alone.
Compassionate, Christ-centered counseling for women and female students in Waterloo, Iowa.
Life doesn't have to completely fall apart before you ask for support. Sometimes you simply need a safe place to talk honestly, make sense of what you're carrying, and find your way forward.
Lori Rasmussen, LISW
Maybe you've been carrying this for a while
Have you gotten really good at looking like you're okay?
From the outside, things hold together. Inside, it takes more effort than anyone knows.
- Your mind won't slow down.
- You don't feel like yourself.
- Food or your body takes up too much space in your thoughts.
- You're grieving someone or something that changed your life.
- A relationship is weighing on you.
- You're questioning yourself more than you used to.
- You're entering a new season and aren't sure who you are in it.
- Your faith feels distant, confusing, or different than it did before.
- You are tired of carrying everything by yourself.
Whatever brought you here, you don't have to figure it out alone.
Meet Lori
A Place to Be Real.
The first thing worth knowing about Lori is that you're probably more alike than you think. She wants to do things well, she always wants to keep learning and growing, and she cares deeply about people. And she loves Jesus.
Lori is a Licensed Independent Social Worker (LISW) and a Certified Spiritual Director, with more than 30 years of listening to, counseling and coaching people. She works with women and female students.
She also knows what overwhelm feels like. She's had hard seasons, days when it feels like nothing is going right, and she's learned that life asks us to be brave rather than perfect.
Her favorite things right now: slow mornings with tea on the patio, writing in her journal, road trips, laughing with friends, learning something new, and a front-row seat to watching her young adult daughters build their lives.
Lori knows that trusting someone with the parts of life that hurt takes courage. She doesn't take that lightly.
Counseling that starts with listening
Sometimes you really do just need someone to talk to.
Yes, you do. Everyone needs a listening ear for what they're actually thinking about, and for whatever might be tripping them up or keeping them stuck.
Counseling gives you a private place to say the things that are hard to say anywhere else. Lori listens first. Then, together, you begin to understand what's happening, name what may be keeping you stuck, decide what you want to be different, and find practical steps toward it.
She draws on evidence-based counseling approaches, including cognitive behavioral work, because people genuinely do have the capacity to change. But the work starts with being heard, not with a technique.
Areas where Lori can help
What kinds of concerns do women and students bring in?
Women & Female Students
Counseling for women and female students, roughly ages 13 to 65, in Waterloo and the Cedar Valley.
Eating Disorders & Body Image
When food, eating or your body has started taking up more room in your thoughts than you want it to.
Anxiety & Depression
When worry, sadness, panic, low energy or overthinking start shaping everyday life.
Grief & Life Transitions
For losses and changes that leave life looking different than it used to.
Christian Counseling
Professional counseling where your Christian faith can be part of the conversation, if you want it to be.
Self-Worth & Confidence
For comparison, self-doubt, perfectionism and feeling like you're never quite enough.
Spiritual Direction
What is God doing in this season of your life?
Spiritual direction is a different kind of space than counseling. It is an intentional hour to slow down, pray, listen, and pay attention to where God is already at work in your ordinary life.
Lori is a Certified Spiritual Director. Sessions are available in person or online, and spiritual direction is private pay.
What happens when you reach out
What happens when you reach out?
1
You call or email
A sentence or two is plenty. You don't have to explain everything, or explain it well.
2
Lori gets back to you
Usually within one to two business days. You'll talk briefly about what's going on and whether counseling or spiritual direction fits.
3
You have a first conversation
In person in Waterloo or online. Mostly it's you talking, and Lori listening, so the two of you can figure out where to begin.
Monday – Thursday, 8:30 AM – 4:30 PM · By appointment. Lori typically replies within one to two business days.
Common questions
What questions do people ask before they call?
Does Lori Rasmussen offer Christian counseling?
Yes. Lori offers Christ-centered counseling for women and female students who want their Christian faith to be part of the conversation. Faith is an invitation, never a requirement, and clients decide how much of a role it plays.
Does Lori work with eating disorders and body image?
Yes. Eating disorders, disordered eating, food anxiety and body-image concerns are a significant part of Lori's counseling practice with women and female students. She works within a treatment-team approach when appropriate, collaborating with parents, physicians, dietitians and other providers when authorized.
Does Lori counsel female students?
Yes. Lori's individual counseling practice serves females roughly ages 13 to 65, including middle school, high school and college students.
Does Lori offer online counseling?
Yes. Sessions are available in person at 3356 Kimball Avenue in Waterloo, Iowa, and online. Online sessions are available to clients physically located in Iowa.
What insurance does Lori accept?
Lori is currently in network with Wellmark / Blue Cross Blue Shield, HealthPartners and MultiPlan, and private pay is also available. Insurance participation can change, so please confirm current status by phone at 319-240-5035. EAP sessions are not available. See insurance and practical information.
Where is the office located?
The office is at 3356 Kimball Avenue, Waterloo, IA 50702, and it serves Waterloo, Cedar Falls, Hudson and the surrounding Cedar Valley. You can reach Lori by phone at 319-240-5035 or by email at rasmussencounselingandsd@gmail.com.
Reaching out can be the first step.
You don't need to know exactly what to say, or have anything figured out, before you contact Lori.
Or email rasmussencounselingandsd@gmail.com