“We can all use a non-judgmental person in our life to just talk through what we’re feeling and knowing that it’s safe. We have family [and] friends, but it doesn’t always feel non-judgmental,” Elisa Lyons, clinical therapist and owner of Iowa Family Counseling, says.  “I think it’s really important to have something that’s reality based.”

Most everyone has heard of therapy and the services provided by therapists, but not everyone feels comfortable seeking out help when they need it, and delving into the types of therapists and their specialties can make things cloudy and keep people stuck.

But the benefits of finding a good therapist outweigh the trouble of sorting through the terminology and finding the right person for you.

Put simply, therapists are mental health professionals who have a master or doctorate degree to practice. They develop specializations such as psychodynamic therapy, behavioral therapy, cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), dialectical behavioral therapy (DBT), humanistic therapy and holistic therapy, which they use to help their patients.

Therapy takes place in group and individual settings and is most commonly used to help with stress, addiction, anxiety, depression, and trauma. Often the thoughts and feelings people deal with can be classified as any mental illness – AMI – or severe mental illness – SMI – depending on how seriously their daily lives are impacted.

Defining mental health can be challenging; it depends on who defines it.

Lyons, who practices with a holistic perspective, described it as, “Your brain and how you are feeling; what you’re thinking; and how it relates to life, situations, people, and events. [Mental health] is the driving force behind everything [from] our motives, our emotions, everything.”

Latasha Cardenas, a social worker and clinical therapist at Iowa Family Counseling, defined it differently using a DBT concept.

“Mental health is understanding how your brain works with your body and affects your mood and your ability to function,” Cardenas said. “I can see mental health as a spectrum and we’re all on there somewhere. We move around within that.”

“Therapy is a technique to help you better understand that and find more of that balance on the spectrum. That is what we’re trying to achieve,” Cardenas explained. 

The different practices and specializations can make finding the right counselor tricky, but it is worth the effort.

“I’m not going to be the right therapist for everyone. Some people [might] want somebody whose very soft spoken and motherly [instead],” Cardenas said. “Don’t give up on therapy. [You might think] ‘that was awful and didn’t work well for me.’ That doesn’t mean there won’t be somebody who can help you.”

Many Iowans would benefit from therapy, but the state has more residents in need than it does available therapists.  According to the National Alliance of Mental Illness, 473,000 adults in Iowa have a mental health condition; 128,000 have SMI; and 42.2% of adults reported anxiety or depression, with only 25.4% receiving care in 2021.

Additionally, Iowa ranks 44th in mental health workforce availability, 47th in psychiatry services and 51st – this includes the District of Columbia – in state psychiatric beds.

Education, lack of providers, funding, and insurance, especially in small communities, are the main reasons for inadequate mental healthcare in Iowa.

“There seems to be a lot of political advocacy for mental health funding, but in my perception, it’s not always trickling down to small-town Iowa,” Lyons said. “That’s where it’s challenging and hard. These funds seem inaccessible to anyone other than maybe a large mental health organization or state funded hospitals or programs.”

Other external factors have fundamentally transformed the mental health landscape, namely COVID-19, which helped popularize telehealth services.

It also opened minds. 

Suddenly, it seemed everyone needed therapy, leading people to believe we are collectively in the midst of a mental health crisis.

“It appears to be a crisis, but it’s actually an enlightenment,” Cardenas said. “People are coming out of the dark and saying, ‘I struggle, we all struggle, we’re all human.’”

This challenged a pre-existing stigma that suggested seeking help was a sign of weakness or a failure of personal character.

“Our parents and older generations, a lot [say], ‘suck it up,’ ‘don’t cry’ and ‘emotions are not a thing,’” Lyons said. “A silver lining from COVID is that it’s opening people’s eyes a lot to mental health and that it’s impacting everyone.”

Generational divides are just one factor that may prevent some from seeking help, however.

“There are cultural considerations, there’s political or socio-economic considerations, there’s education. I think those all are the bigger contributing factors [than] age,” Cardenas said. “I have clients in their 80s, and it’s an interesting dichotomy because they’re more open than some of my [other clients].”

But the question still persists, why doesn’t Iowa have enough therapists to help those who could benefit from them?

One reason is the education required, something Cardenas believes is justified, yet a challenge to navigate through.

“You have to have a master’s degree to practice. Even working in a private [practice], we’re not rolling in money, it is not a well-paying field,” Cardenas said. “It’s really hard to entice people to stay. ‘Come over here and deal with stressors and help support people when you’re also trying to be human’ [doesn’t necessarily sound appealing].”

However, continuing education means therapists stay up to date on the latest research, which benefits their patients.

“We are constantly reading and learning, because [since] what I [learned] 10 years ago, the science has evolved and we have to be evolving with it,” Cardenas said. “I’m going to teach [patients] the things that you didn’t get a chance to learn. Not because you’re dumb, or because you’re doing it wrong, it’s because this is new. We know punishment does not work as well as positive reinforcement, [for example].”

This continued education helps dismantle the existing stigma that hinders the ability of people to get the help they need.

“I think that the parents are coming on board with understanding the impact and that we’re not some crazy voodoo magic,” Lyons said. “I think once we educate, show and practice some of these things, it [will be] even more understood, incorporated and believed.”

Local providers

There are several therapy providers in our area for those who would benefit from help.  In Kalona, there is Iowa Family Counseling. They can be contacted by stopping in the office, calling (641) 777-2774 or emailing info@iowafamilycounseling.com. They’re located at 409 B. Ave, Kalona, IA.

Riverside has Imagine Therapy Solutions. They can be contacted by stopping in their office, calling (319) 626-2558 or emailing office@imaginetherapysolutions.com. They’re located at 71 W. 1st St, Riverside, IA.

Washington and Iowa City each host various providers as well. All practices offer different services and therapists recommend to keep an open mind; not every service will tailor-fit to your personal needs.