First Lutheran Church provides building space to two of our members who provide counseling services and spiritual direction to members and the community.  Both practitioners consider their practices to be ministries and are grateful to provide their services to others.  You may find more information about the practices and practitioners listed below.  If you are interested in sessions with either practitioner, please contact them directly.

Counselor- Robin Policka, M.A., L.P.C.

Free to Be…

Phone Number:  (231) 638-3055

When you meet with Robin, you can expect to:

• Be Accepted for who you are,
• Be Guided by a caring therapist who will nurture and challenge you to become Free To Be all God created you to be

Individual and Family Counseling

Robin’s practice offers counseling for people of all ages and deals with a variety of topics including:  depression, anxiety, self-esteem, peer relationships, academic problems, grief, sexual abuse recovery, family relationships, and other life issues.

Counseling Hours and Fees

• Robin sees clients on Mondays and Thursdays from 1:00-7:00 p.m.
• $45.00 per 50-minute session
  • As part of her ministry, Robin offers a discounted rate for First Lutheran Church Members
• Regardless of whether you are a member of the church of not, if you have financial hardships, other payment arrangements can be made; please talk with Robin about your situation.  There is no charge for the first visit.

About Robin

Robin Policka is a Licensed Professional Counselor in the state of Michigan.  She holds a Masters of Arts degree in Counseling from Spring Arbor University and is currently counseling individuals and families at First Lutheran and Every Woman’s Place.  Her bachelor’s degree in is Elementary Education from Grand Valley State University; and, after receiving her degree, she taught learning disabled children and adult education students at Orchard View Schools and served as the Youth and Education Director at First Lutheran Church.  In addition to her education degrees and work experience, she has completed additional training in the areas of learning disabilities, grief therapy, play therapy, sexual abuse recovery, and domestic violence.

Spiritual Director- Karen Eichelberger

Telephone Number:  (231) 799-9232

Karen Eichelberger, Certified Spiritual Director and member of First Lutheran Church, is available for individual Spiritual Direction and may be contacted at 231-799-9232.  An initial session, without cost, will provide the opportunity to explore whether Spiritual Direction would be helpful to you in your spiritual journey.  Sessions offer a safe, non-judgemental place of welcome where life’s experiences are held sacred and taken seriously.

Spiritual Direction is a process that invites you to a closer relationship with God.  With an ear to the movement of the Holy Spirit, your are enabled

• to pay attention to God’s personal communication
• to respond to this personal communicating God within one’s sacred story
• to grow in intimacy with God, self and neighbor
• to live out the consequences of the relationship in life, work and love

About Spiritual Direction

“Spiritual direction is specific to your spiritual journey. If you are taking the first steps to learn to pray, or have been meditating for decades, spiritual direction is valuable. Taking into consideration your unique personality and temperament, spiritual direction is a place to reflect on how to pray, your ongoing or unfolding spiritual practices, and the stages of spiritual development in the life of a sincere seeker. Like prayer, contemplation and meditation, spiritual direction nourishes the spiritual aspect of being human, allowing us to serve with authenticity and grateful hearts.” — Taken from the Spiritual Directors International web site, please click here for more information about Spiritual Direction.

You do not need to be Lutheran or a church member to see Karen.