Onward Therapy

09/10/2026

Effective immediately, I will no longer be accepting new referrals with Molina insurance due to their decision to terminate my contact without cause. All current patients with Molina have been notified and will determine future course of services.

I am one of a handful (less than 5) mental health providers in Franklin County. This is not a decision about saturation of mental health therapy services, we do not have enough providers in the area and access is challenging due to waiting lists and transportation issues.

This is a shock and its not. The relationship between a provider and an insurance company is all about power and fear. The amount of conversations I've been in about fear of what an insurance company could do (clawback, extensive audits, denying services, and terminating contracts). Today, I find myself on the end of one of these very big fears. I know I have no control, I know I am just small fish (one provider, one private practice) and I am MASSIVELY disappointed for the individuals who will be traveling 40 miles to receive in person therapy services or who will just give up therapy all together because of the challenges.

08/24/2026

Loading... Level 1 IFS Training: The first of 14 days of training over the next few months. Looking forward to growing as a therapist and offering additional therapeutic intervention, resources, and techniques. Stepping right outside of my comfort zone with this one!

08/17/2026

Continuing this school year, I will be at the Hampton-Dumont-CAL High School on Thursdays. This allows me to serve more students who are seeking mental health therapy services.
School based mental health therapy allows students to stay within the school building, reducing time out of class and transportation for parents as well to and from therapy, which improves access to therapy services.
I have been going into the high school for seven years and continue to be able to provide confidential therapy services to students. This service is not funded by the school, however they have generously provided me with the space and support to be able to continue to offer this service.
Individuals interested in seeking therapy need to have parental consent (under the age of 18) and funding source (primarily insurance). I accept the following types of insurance: Iowa Medicaid companies (Wellsource, Molina, and Iowa Total Care), BC/BS, UHC/UMR, Medica, Cigna, CoreSource, Group Administrators, Oscar, and Aetna. It is not required to go through or have a formal referral from the school, doctor, or another source to seek out mental health therapy. Please contact me directly with any questions, concerns, or to set up an evaluation for the student.

https://onwardtherapyiowa.com/contact

01/22/2026

What kind of screen time parent are you? Take this quiz to assess your parenting style relating to technology: http://bit.ly/ScreenTimeParent

01/21/2026

Last week, I completed the training for Narrative Exposure Therapy, a great option for processing past traumas. Below is a brief description of what it is and it is a great alternative to other trauma processing techniques such as EMDR.

Narrative Exposure Therapy (NET) is a trauma-focused, evidence-based therapy designed to help individuals process overwhelming or complex traumatic experiences. It’s especially helpful for people who have lived through multiple or prolonged traumas.

In NET, clients are supported in telling the story of their life—placing both positive and painful experiences into a clear timeline. By revisiting traumatic memories in a safe, structured way, the brain can begin to reorganize how those memories are stored. Over time, distressing memories become less intense and more integrated, rather than feeling intrusive or overwhelming.

NET helps clients:
• Make sense of their life experiences
• Reduce trauma-related symptoms (like anxiety, flashbacks, or emotional numbness)
• Reclaim a sense of identity, meaning, and resilience

At its core, Narrative Exposure Therapy honors your story—acknowledging what you’ve survived while helping you move forward with greater clarity and emotional relief.

🧠✨ Healing happens when your story is heard, understood, and safely processed. Reach out if you are interested in doing your own healing. You will be added to my waiting list for NET.

for children, adolescents, and adults is an evidence-based, culturally inclusive, trauma-focused, short-term psychotherapeutic intervention that was designed for survivors of multiple and complex trauma.

01/15/2026

She said "My dad is the man who raised me. I met him when I was four." Step-parents share some of their happiest moments: http://bit.ly/proud-stepparents

01/08/2026

A beautiful twist to a blended family wedding: http://bit.ly/a-beautiful-twist

01/05/2026

The 'little things' really do matter in a relationship. http://bit.ly/divorceletgo

01/01/2026

Read about the complexities of stepfamilies and learn how to successfully manage the merge: http://bit.ly/stepfamily-life

12/29/2025

"If marriage means you fell in love, does divorce 💔 mean you climbed out?" - Anonymous