August 23, 2007 in Voices

Business fills community need

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Russell
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RATHDRUM – Lynn Russell measures her clients’ success in baby steps. One can drive a car for the first time in weeks, without paranoia. One landed a job and another passed the eighth grade.

“When they are able to do that on their own, that’s success,” said Russell, a licensed social worker and director of Rathdrum Counseling Center, LLC.

She opened her private mental health business in January and chose Rathdrum as the location because “I knew this was an area that was under-served,” she said.

Russell worked in the public sector as a social worker for the past 15 years in Kootenai and Bonner counties. She lives in Rathdrum with her husband, a firefighter. Through experiences as a child-protection investigator and supervisor, she knew plenty of resources were available for the children of Coeur d’Alene, but in outlying, rural towns, help was less immediate.

“When you are a foster parent or have a transportation problem, it’s a long way to Coeur d’Alene,” she said.

Russell decided to offer services that would help those with mental illnesses blend into her own community. Her staff includes a therapist, Amie Arbogast, a substance abuse specialist and two psychosocial rehabilitation specialists, who promote independent living for those with mental illnesses. A large portion of the center’s clients come from the foster care system and arrive with assorted histories and wounds.

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, conduct disorders, and other behavioral problems often arise in stressed and neglected children. Russell strives to provide them with a secure environment where they can unload their troubles.

A yellow “Safe Place” sign designates her office as somewhere any youngster can find an adult with a listening ear. Groups are offered for teens to talk about concerns, such as peer pressure, eating disorders, date rape and substance abuse. A brown-and-white boxer pup named Sammi guards the door and doles out snuggles, licks and comic relief. She was headed to the pound when Russell redirected her into a career of counseling.

“She’s very soothing,” Russell said. “She lays on people’s feet and is very comforting to the kids.”

Russell has learned what children like. Stuffed animals are popular, so she offers a real one. Art supplies line the therapy room, and kids are encouraged to express themselves creatively.

Much of Russell’s business is providing PSR service, which is reimbursed through Medicaid. Social workers go to the environment of those with mental illnesses and help build skills for independent functioning. The focus is on keeping symptoms in check and clients out of psychiatric hospitals. Links are facilitated with community agencies for vocational skills or job placement.

In addition to psychotherapy, Russell’s office offers court approved substance abuse education groups and “cognitive self change” classes designed to reduce recidivism among people with multiple criminal convictions. “A lot of these offenders come from the foster system,” she said. “You look at past issues that may affect their ability to change behaviors.”

Russell hopes to increase the community’s understanding of counseling as a tool to improve the quality of life.

“Counseling doesn’t mean we’re broken,” she said. “We just want someone to walk with us for a while and show us new directions or different pathways we can take.”

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