Therapists for Veterans in Iowa

I am a husband of 13 years, a father of a 10 y/o neurodivergent son and a 6 y/o precocious daughter, a veteran of the US Navy with 12 years served, including 1 deployment, and a geek. I am what the Japanese culture describes as an otaku, in that I work to support my passions. In my free time I enjoy video games (mostly on Nintendo Switch), movies (all kinds, although my favorite is the 2005 animated Transformers movie), books (current favorite author is Brandon Sanderson), and spending time with my family.

I create a space where you can show up—no pretense, no performance—just you. I don’t believe people are broken. The emotions and behaviors we judge ourselves for often started as survival strategies, ways we tried to protect ourselves from pain. Therapy with me is collaborative, candid, and built on trust. It’s not about fixing you—it’s about understanding yourself in a way that finally makes sense. With over 20 years of experience, I specialize in supporting clients through burnout, emotional dysregulation, and major life transitions. Many of the people I work with are high-functioning and deeply committed—to their work, their families, or their values—but feel like something inside is fraying. Therapy with me isn’t about performance. It’s about finding the space to set the armor down, even briefly, and begin asking: What do I actually need? What parts of me have I had to silence to survive? You don’t need to have it all figured out to begin. If you feel stuck, overwhelmed, or disconnected from yourself, therapy can be where you start to lay the armor down and reconnect—with your values, your voice, and what truly matters. Growth isn’t about perfection; it’s about self-acceptance and clarity. Healing happens not through judgment, but through genuine understanding.

Fully licensed and accepting new clients in NC, WI, and IA. Do you wish you could lessen the effects of emotional pain without having to relive it? Internal Family Sytems is an evidence-based, intrapsychic approach rooted in the multiplicity of mind, based in systems thinking, and a very psycho-spiritual (not religioous) approach. Using art & journal therapy, EFT & relaxation & meditation, we will work together to calm your mind and free parts of you that are frozen in time. I believe each of us have both a unique set of gifts and a world view shaped by past experiences and present circumstances. Let's get together and chat about how to quiet your mind and make your life more fulfilling. As an evidence-based relaxation and meditaiton trainer, I am uniquely qualified to help you learn to cope with grief, anxiety, past trauma, women's issues, and vicarious trauma experienced by veterans and first responders. My approach is eclectic, using interventions from a broad base of solidly-grounded, accepted theoretical orientations, including Cognitive Processing Therapy, an evidence-based, brief modality for resolving PTSD symptoms. I see clcients for anxiety, trauma, life transitions, and women's issues. Through sessions together, I will collaborate with you to assist you in recognizing your individual strengths and strive to empower you with the self-awareness and self-confidence to pursue your dreams. i also practice Internal Family Systems, a means of healing PTSD without having to revisit the event. this is evidence based and rooted in both Attachment Theory and Family Systems Therapy. I take a person-centered, creative, non-judgmental approach to creating a safe space for counseling sessions, allowing you to unburden yourself and share your goals, while helping you to see how your uniquely shaded lenses of experience have color your perceptions.

My name is Emmanuel Nwala, and I am a Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor and US Army Veteran. I come from a multicultural background. I have a PhD in Psychology, and a Master of Science degree in Counseling. I have a passion for helping people reach their self-actualization, whatever that may be for each person. I enter a counseling relationship with open mind, enthusiasm and hope for healing for whomever I am working with. I provide Christian counseling if and when requested. I look forward to working together, with you.