Nishna Valley Mental Health

04/02/2026

It’s Counseling Awareness Month 🧠✨

A few reminders:

You’re not “crazy.”
You’re dysregulated.

You’re not “dramatic”.
You’re triggered.

You don’t have “anger issues.”
You have unprocessed hurt.

Unfortunately, ignoring it is not a coping skill.🥴

Therapy isn’t just lying on a couch with your feet kicked up in my office blaming your childhood and everyone else who wronged you.
It’s about finally seeing how the past still sneaks into your day… and deciding you’re taking that power back.

It’s where we:
• unpack trauma without romanticizing it
• call out your self-sabotaging
• build boundaries that make people uncomfortable (personal fave)
• stop texting people back who clearly don’t like us
• learn that peace is not boring — it’s necessary

Also…👀

You’ll deep-dive someone’s entire Facebook at 1am.
You’ll Google “why am I like this?” 47 times.
You’ll re-read old text messages like it’s forensic evidence.

But therapy?
“That’s expensive.”
“That’s scary.”
“I don’t have time.”

Avoidance, please meet my friend, Excuses🤝🏼

You can either do the work, or keep repeating the same lesson in different situations.

Ready to stop letting your past run the show? I’ll save you a seat!

📱(712) 249-7054

03/23/2026

I wish people could sit in my office for just ONE day and hear what teenagers are carrying. Bullying isn’t harmless. It’s not “just part of growing up.” It is creating lifelong issues for many.

It follows them home.
It shows up in how they see themselves.
It becomes the voice in their head.

Bullying doesn’t just create bad days. It creates beliefs.

“I’m not good enough.”
“I don’t fit in anywhere.”
“Something must be wrong with me.”
“I am ugly, fat, and weird.”

By the time they get to me, those beliefs feel like facts.

From a therapist’s perspective, this is what I’m actually working through with teens every day:

•We’re untangling the lies they’ve started to believe about themselves.
•We’re rebuilding self-worth that got chipped away piece by piece.
•We’re challenging that inner voice that sounds a lot like the people who hurt them.
•We’re working on boundaries, confidence, and learning how to feel safe being themselves again.

Bullying doesn’t just hurt in the moment—it rewires how they see themselves and the world around them.

I sit with teens who overthink every interaction, who assume they’re the problem, who avoid places or people, who shrink themselves so they aren’t targeted again. That doesn’t just disappear with age.

It follows them into relationships.
Into how they communicate.
Into what they tolerate.
Into how they show up in their own lives.
Into how they see themselves.

If you’re a parent, teacher, or a decent human .. pay attention. Say something. Step in. Teach your kids how to treat people. Making the world a better place starts with us, as adults, being better examples for our children.

03/18/2026

03/16/2026

Rumor has it being healed and emotionally stable is trending … see for yourself😎🪑🧠✨

(712) 249-7054

02/04/2026

With the recent news that has shaken up our community, my heart goes out to the students who were brave enough to come forward and speak up. A school counselor is supposed to be a safe outlet—someone students can trust, confide in, and feel supported by … not someone who puts them in uncomfortable or inappropriate situations.

While this situation is still under investigation, the emotional impact on students is already very real. Many are left feeling confused, unsafe, and betrayed—the exact opposite of how school should feel. This has been difficult for our community to process, and it’s important to acknowledge the conflicting emotions our students may be carrying.

If you know a student who has been directly affected by this and needs a safe and unbiased place to share thoughts, feelings, or emotions outside of school and family, I’m here and I want to help by offering no-cost sessions—individually or as a group with peers.

Please reach out via text message to get scheduled.
(712) 249-7054

•Parental consent required•
•This offer is independent of the school and intended solely to support teen mental health•
•This post does not establish a counseling relationship•

01/10/2026

🍿🍿🍿🍿🍿

17 teams stepping into our house for the Rollin Dyer tournament tomorrow 1/10/26
Nishna Valley mental health stepped in and is giving all you FREE popcorn for the day.
Thank you to Jessica Richter and Nishna Valley mental health center for fixing us up for the day. Concessions tomorrow will be run by the prom parent group.
Thank you Mistie Catherine for continuing to dominate the concession season, and being the driving force to support the after prom efforts.

01/01/2026

✨Policy Update✨ Happy New Year!

11/20/2025

Hi everyone - just wanted to reintroduce myself to those who are new around here. I’m Jessica Richter, LMHC — a mental health therapist who believes therapy should feel real, safe, and yes… even fun😏

I earned my Master’s in Clinical Counseling in 2021 and have been working in private practice ever since. I’m known for being outgoing, warm, empathetic, and adding *plenty* of humor and excitement into my sessions. Mental health work is serious, but the space we do it in doesn’t have to feel intimidating.

My goal is to create an environment where you feel safe, validated, supported, and comfortable being yourself. Whether you’re navigating anxiety, depression, life transitions, or just need a space to breathe and process — I’m here for you and can’t wait to have you in my chair!

Let’s see what changes you can make✨

Call or text (712) 249-7054 to be added to the waiting list!

11/05/2025

Rules I break as a Therapist🤗

09/13/2025

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐥 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐭𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐩𝐢𝐬𝐭 𝐚𝐜𝐫𝐨𝐬𝐬 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐲 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐭𝐨 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐧𝐨𝐰.

Early intervention = more lives saved💔

09/02/2025

The shirts are here and they are CUUUUUTE!! I have a few more left if you want one🥳

I’ll reach out today to coordinate pickup with those who ordered!

08/25/2025

𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟓-𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟔 𝐬𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐥 𝐲𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐢𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐟𝐮𝐥𝐥 𝐬𝐰𝐢𝐧𝐠🍎📚✏️

Please don’t forget the most important thing this school year - 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐝𝐫𝐞𝐧’𝐬 𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐥 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐭𝐡. Although some of their issues might not seem big to you, they may be big to them.

Let’s show these sweet kiddos of ours all of the love, acceptance, compassion, and encouragement and make it the BEST year!

Share this post, drop your back-to-school first day pictures, and be entered to win a $25 Udderly Delicious Ice Cream-Atlantic, IA gift certificate to kick off this school year!🍦