Northwest Iowa Counseling

02/15/2026

Our hearts are truly heavy as we hold the Iowa Lakes Community College baseball team, their families, and the entire ILCC community in our thoughts following the recent bus accident.

Estherville is more than just the location of one of our offices- it is a community we care deeply about. Moments like this remind us how closely connected small communities are, and how quickly grief, fear, and uncertainty can ripple through students, families, faculty, and neighbors alike.

To everyone impacted- directly or indirectly- you are seen, and this community stands with you. In hard moments, communities take care of each other.

02/05/2026

A great opportunity for local families! Special service conferences available to schedule next week when you’re scheduling regular conferences with your student’s teacher. Thank you Spencer Community Schools!

We are looking forward to welcoming families for parent-teacher conferences on February 11 and 12! This round of conferences includes new, expanded options designed to better support students and families. 🌟

Along with classroom check-ins, families can schedule optional private support meetings to connect with staff in these areas:

➡️ Disability resources
➡️ Food and community resources
➡️ Healthcare resources
➡️ Mental health resources

If any of these supports would be helpful for your family, please be sure to sign up for a support meeting in addition to your student’s academic conference.

To schedule parent-teacher conferences and optional support meetings, visit the Spencer Community Schools conference sign-up page: https://ptcfast.com/schools/Spencer_Community_Schools

01/16/2026

Happy TWO YEAR Anniversary, Melissa!

Today we’re celebrating two years with Melissa, and what a gift she has been to our team and to the clients she serves.

Melissa brings such specialized, thoughtful training into her work, using targeted therapeutic modalities that truly meet clients where they are. Pair that expertise with her laid-back, easy-to-talk-to presence, and it’s no surprise that clients feel safe, supported, and understood in her space.

She carries a calm, grounded energy that feels full of zen- the kind that helps people exhale a little easier the moment they walk into the room. Above all, Melissa cares deeply about her clients and the work she does, and it shows in every session, every interaction, every step of the therapeutic process.

We’re so grateful for the compassion, skill, and steady presence you bring to Northwest Iowa Counseling. Happy two years, Melissa! To many more.

01/07/2026

🎉 Happy Birthday, Amy! 🎉

Today we’re celebrating one of the hearts behind Northwest Iowa Counseling. Amy’s loyalty to this practice, her steady calm in even the most high-stress moments, and her genuine care and compassion for our clients, our team, and the business as a whole are truly unmatched.

She leads with intention, integrity, and a quiet strength that keeps everything moving forward- often behind the scenes, always with others in mind. These are exactly the qualities you hope for in someone helping lead a private practice, and we’re incredibly grateful to do this work alongside her.

Wishing you a birthday filled with the same care, support, and appreciation you give so freely to others. Happy Birthday Amy!

01/06/2026

If you’ve been waiting for a sign, this is it!

We have immediate openings for therapy in both office locations - Spencer and Estherville - and via telehealth. We have therapists available to see children, adolescents, adults, couples, or families with little to no wait time. This is a rarity, and we anticipate these spots will fill quickly, so if you’ve considered reaching out for therapy services, now is the time!

Give us a call at 712-262-6111 or visit our website at www.nwiac.com.

*Specific providers and/or treatment modalities (ex EMDR, etc) may still have a wait time

01/05/2026

✨ Welcome Back, Jaime! ✨

We’re excited to officially welcome Jaime Lair back to Northwest Iowa Counseling as our Billing & Credentialing Specialist.

Jaime is a familiar and much-loved face around here- she served as our Office Manager from 2022–2024, right as we stepped into ownership, and played a key role in helping the practice grow and stay grounded during that time. In 2024, she stepped away to pour her heart into her beautiful blooms at Double Feature Flower Farm, and we’ve loved cheering her on from afar.

With the continued growth of our practice, we’re thrilled to welcome Jaime back in a part-time capacity (don't worry, the flower farm isn't going anywhere!) and she will be supporting billing and credentialing behind the scenes. Her knowledge, steadiness, and attention to detail make her such a gift to our team.

So glad to have you back, Jaime- we’ve missed you!

01/04/2026

Calling all Breast Cancer Survivors! 💕

Join us for our next Strong in Sisterhood: Breast Cancer Support Group on Wednesday, January 7th at 10 AM at Medlar Coffee Co.

Northwest Iowa Counseling will be joining us as our guest speakers this month to talk about mental health.

For more information or to sign up for our Breast Cancer Support Newsletter, email Darcie Follon at dfollon@spencerhospital.org or call 712-264-6380.

01/01/2026

✨ 2025 HIGHLIGHTS - NORTHWEST IOWA COUNSELING ✨

As we look back on 2025, we’re filled with gratitude for the moments, relationships, and quiet courage that shaped this year.

Throughout the year, our therapists had the honor of sitting with countless moments of courage- first sessions, hard conversations, small steps forward, and meaningful change. We walked alongside children, teens, adults, couples, and families as they showed up for themselves, often on the hardest days, in our offices, in schools, and through telehealth.

We welcomed three new therapists to our clinical team and now have 10 incredible clinicians on staff. With the growth, Heather and Kristen stepped into new clinical leadership roles, and we expanded how and where we serve- moving into a larger Spencer office, relocating to a new Estherville space, and growing our school-based therapy program into a third district (Cherokee, HMS, and Spencer).

Community remained at the heart of our work. We welcomed hundreds of families through Cider, Sweets & Smiles in October for a fall celebration, delivered 450+ stockings to local children this Christmas, and were honored to be voted Gold in the Spencer Radio Group People’s Choice Awards- for the third year in a row. We also proudly expanded services to include spanish speaking clients this year.

At the heart of it all was a shared commitment to showing up with care, presence, and compassion.

Thank you for being part of our 2025.

12/25/2025

Happy Holidays from Northwest Iowa Counseling!

We know the holidays can bring joy for some, and grief, stress, or exhaustion for others (and sometimes all of it at once). Wherever you’re at this season, you are seen.

A holiday permission slip from us to you: You don’t have to feel any certain way right now. It’s okay to take breaks, say no, rest, or keep things simple. Caring for yourself is not something to earn- it’s something you deserve.

Thank you for allowing us to walk alongside you this year. We’re wishing you compassion, comfort, and care- especially for yourself.

12/23/2025

12/19/2025

As we close the chapter on The Stocking Project, we are overwhelmed with gratitude.
Because of this community, 450 stockings made their way out our doors and into the hands of local children. Every single stocking represented care, intention, and a whole lot of heart.
To those who gave through monetary donations or physical items - thank you.
To those who spent hours thoughtfully filling stockings based on age and gender - thank you.
To those who helped sort, group, and label stockings by family - thank you.
To those who showed up for stocking pick-ups, making sure families felt welcomed and supported - thank you.
And to everyone who shared posts, spread the word, and helped this project reach those who needed it most - we see you, and we appreciate you more than you know.
And a very special thank you to our kind-hearted and passion-driven therapist, Hannah, who had a single idea about bringing Christmas to not just one local child—but all the children. And look at that… she did.
To the families who reached out and accepted a stocking for your child—thank you for trusting us. We recognize the vulnerability it can take to put yourself out there for a program like this, and that does not go unnoticed. It is truly an honor to play even a tiny role if these stockings brought joy, excitement, and a moment of magic to your children.
Every child. Every stocking. Every smile.
From the bottom of our hearts—thank you for making this possible. Merry Christmas from The Stocking Project.

12/17/2025

Last week, our Northwest Iowa Counseling team had one of our favorite nights of the year - our holiday party!

This year we tried something new and went to Vermeer Glass Art, broke glass, and each made our own creation. We then went to The Prime Rib and enjoyed time in their beautiful party room. The food was delicious (as always!) and so many laughs were had.

The goal was to keep the planning simple this year and just enjoy each other's company, and that we did. We say it more often than probably necessary, but it really is incredible to have pieced each of these wonderful humans together to create a team that meshes so beautifully.

"The whole is greater than the sum of its parts."