Online therapy for farm stress and rural Iowa

Help that fits farm life

Sessions are by video, so you can meet from the kitchen table, the shop or a truck at the edge of a field, and schedule around planting and harvest.

For legal or financial questions, Iowa Concern, run by Iowa State University Extension and Outreach, offers free, confidential help 24 hours a day at 800-447-1985, including stress counselors. Therapy can work alongside it.

You might be looking for help with

• stress that doesn’t let up between seasons
• worry about money, the weather or the future of the farm
• short temper, poor sleep or drinking more
• family conflict over the operation, succession or roles
• feeling like you can’t tell anyone how hard it is
• grief after a loss in the family or the community

This is individual psychotherapy with a licensed clinician. It isn’t coaching. Couples and family sessions are a different format that insurance may treat differently, so ask before you book if you’re interested in a joint session.

If you need help now: If you’re thinking about suicide or harming yourself, call or text 988 now, or call 911. Iowa Concern’s free 24-hour line is 800-447-1985. If drinking or drugs have become hard to control, SAMHSA’s National Helpline is 1-800-662-4357.

What we might work on

• What’s driving the stress, and what’s actually in your control
• Sleep, temper and drinking habits that make everything harder
• Hard family conversations about roles and the future
• Decisions you’ve been putting off
• Grief and loss
• Finding support, even in a small community

How sessions work

Sessions combine a standard clinical assessment with the Care Map Method™, the framework I use to look at your sleep and health, your feelings, your relationships and your daily demands, then build one practical change at a time. More about therapy in Iowa.

Name the top three

Write down the three worries taking up the most room in your head right now. Next to each, write one thing you can do about it this week, or “nothing yet.” Then pick one action and do it. Getting worries out of your head and onto paper makes them easier to carry.

Sessions, licenses and insurance

Sessions are online by video for adults who are physically located in Iowa, or another state where I’m licensed, during each session. I’m licensed in Iowa (LISW #141693), and also in California, New Jersey, Oregon and Maine.

Through Alma, I’m in network with Aetna, Cigna, Carelon, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts, and Optum plans including UnitedHealthcare, Oscar and Oxford. Coverage depends on your specific plan, not only the insurance company’s name. Alma checks it before your first session, including any copay or deductible, and handles the billing. How using insurance works.

Check Insurance and Availability on Alma →

Questions people ask

I’m not sure therapy is for people like me.

Therapy isn’t only for people in crisis. Sessions are practical: we figure out what’s going on and what you can do about it, and you leave each one with something specific to try.

Can my spouse and I come together?

These pages describe individual therapy. Couples sessions are a different format; ask before you book.

What about money and legal questions?

Those belong with the right professional. Iowa Concern (800-447-1985) offers free legal and financial information and referrals.

What if I can’t keep a regular time during harvest?

We can plan around the seasons: more sessions when you have time, fewer when you don’t.

Do you take my insurance?

I see clients through Alma, and through Alma I’m in network with Aetna, Cigna, Carelon, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts, and Optum plans including UnitedHealthcare, Oscar and Oxford. Coverage still depends on your specific plan. Alma checks it before your first appointment, including any copay or deductible. Please share plan and health details through Alma’s secure intake, not by text or email.

Do I need to be in Iowa for sessions?

Yes, or in another state where I’m licensed. Sessions are online by video, and you need to be physically in Iowa, California, New Jersey, Oregon or Maine during each one. If you’ll be traveling, tell me ahead of time so we can plan around it.

Sources and resources

• Iowa Concern, Iowa State University Extension and Outreach
• SAMHSA National Helpline
• 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline

More for Iowa