Category: News & Press Releases

Community raises more than $50,000 to develop new and innovative mental health counseling services

• Media kit: dmpcc.org/Ellery
• Launch printer-friendly version here. 

(Des Moines, Iowa) November 23, 2016 – More than $50,000 has been raised by the community in October and November to support mental health services through the Ellery H. Duke Fund for Hope & Healing. The fund honors Ellery Duke’s 40 years at the Des Moines Pastoral Counseling Center as licensed psychologist and executive director, and provides critical resources to serve children, adolescents and adults who need quality counseling.

The Ellery H. Duke Fund for Hope & Healing will support new innovative programs and services such as:

• groups for survivors of suicide loss
• services for Spanish speaking clients
• support for families of addicted loved ones
• satellite counseling centers in neighborhoods with populations of vulnerable and underserved persons

The Center operates in a culture of continuous learning and consultation, a philosophy cultivated by Duke’s leadership. With 26 licensed counselors who are masters and doctorate level experts in their respective fields, the possibilities for research and development are great.

The community need is also great. Consider these Iowa statistics:

• About 25,000 adolescents aged 12-17 (10.4 percent of all adolescents) experience at least one Major Depressive Episode annually. [Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services (SAMHSA), Behavioral Health Barometer, Iowa, 2015, surveys conducted 2010 – 2014]
• Approximately 60 percent of adults and 50 percent of children who need mental health treatment do not receive the services needed. [The National Alliance on Mental Illness]
• Suicide is the second leading cause of death for 15 – 44 year olds, and the third leading cause of death for 5 – 14 years olds. [Iowa Department of Health]

In addition to implementing new and innovative solutions to urgent mental health issues, The Ellery H. Duke Fund for Hope and Healing may also be used to support existing programs and services such as the Center’s counseling assistance fund and the graduate psychology training program, the Center’s 20-year-old practicum that trains the next generation of psychotherapists.

“Ellery has been a great source of inspiration and professionalism for so many people,” said Mary Gottschalk, President of the Center’s Board of Directors. “We live in a world where mental health still carries negative stigma and is squeezed for resources. Yet Ellery has built a highly-respected organization, and recruited high-level clinicians to provide psychological services for people from all walks of life.”

“Many colleagues have worked together over the years to grow the Center’s mission,” said Duke, who is retiring as executive director in December. “When I think of the people who will be served through this new fund, I am deeply honored and grateful,” said Duke.

The mission of the Des Moines Pastoral Counseling center is to bring understanding, hope and healing to people of all ages through counseling and education.

For more information about Ellery Duke’s tenure please visit: dmpcc.org/Ellery.

More about the Des Moines Pastoral Counseling Center:

The Des Moines Pastoral Counseling Center is a nonprofit, nonsectarian organization serving more than 4,000 individuals annually including up to 800 children and adolescents. Although best known for its 44 years of providing professional mental health therapy, the Center is a multi-faceted organization providing a range of services in psychotherapy and education:

• Counseling, including specialized services for children and adolescents
• Psychiatry
• Psychological testing and assessment
• Training for clinical professionals
• Leadership and spiritual life programming
• Career counseling
• Conflict transformation and strategic planning services for congregations, nonprofits and businesses

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Media contact:

• Terri Speirs, Director of Marketing and Communications
• Des Moines Pastoral Counseling Center
• 8553 Urbandale Ave., Urbandale, IA 50322
• 515-251-6670 (w) / 515-770-5155 (c) / tspeirs@mindspiritcenter.org / dmpcc.org

(Des Moines, Iowa) September 13, 2016 – The Des Moines Pastoral Counseling Center has been awarded Full Accreditation renewal for June 2016 – June 2020, from The Samaritan Institute, located in Denver, Colorado.

“Accreditation is a major accomplishment and demonstrates a Center’s commitment to excellence,” according to Robert Johnson, L.D.S.W., President/CEO for the Samaritan Institute, the headquarters for an international network of Samaritan Centers. “The accreditation process indicates that Centers offer professional services within a framework of quality organizational, administrative, and financial practices,” Johnson said.

The accreditation process is a rigorous four-month self-study to evaluate the quality of clinical services, community support, management processes, educational programs, administrative functioning, financial accountability, marketing and communication efforts, and overall Center effectiveness.

The Samaritan Ministry advocates the concept of interfaith, team-oriented, and cost-efficient counseling, emphasizing the inter-relatedness of mind, body, spirit and community.

“I am so proud of our clinicians and staff for their excellence that makes it possible for us to earn this accreditation, and to serve the community through quality counseling and education,” said Ellery Duke, executive director of the Des Moines Pastoral Counseling. “I am also grateful to our capable board of directors, generous base of support and clients who entrust us with their concerns. This is a team effort.”

Through its affiliation with the Samaritan Institute, the Des Moines Pastoral Counseling Center is part of an international network of 62 Samaritan Centers with 481 offices in 25 states and Japan.

The Des Moines Pastoral Counseling Center was established in 1972 by the First United Methodist Church. Community support has expanded to include a broad band of individual donors and generous corporate and foundation support, including the Dean and Sandra Carlson Foundation, the Fred Maytag Foundation, BWA Foundation, the Gannett Foundation/The Des Moines Register, Polk County Board of Supervisors, the Principal Financial Group Foundation, Westbancorporation Foundation and more.

More about the Des Moines Pastoral Counseling Center:

The Des Moines Pastoral Counseling Center is a nonprofit, nonsectarian organization serving more than 4,000 individuals annually including up to 800 children and adolescents, through 26 licensed clinicians. In 2015, the Center operated with a $2.9 million budget. Although best known for its 44 years of providing professional mental health therapy, the Center is a multi-faceted organization providing a range of services:

• Counseling, including specialized services for children and adolescents
• Psychiatric consultation and care
• Psychological testing and assessment
• Training for clinical professionals
• Leadership and spiritual life programming
• Career Coaching
• Conflict transformation and strategic planning services for congregations, nonprofits and businesses

Mary Gottschalk, 2016 President of the Board of Directors, Des Moines Pastoral Counseling Center

We are pleased to present this brief interview with our 2016 board president, Mary Gottschalk.

What is your connection to the Des Moines Pastoral Counseling Center? 

I have been involved with mental issues for many years. Both my parents were the field of psychology, and I availed myself of mental health services for several years in my early adulthood. In mid-1990’s I was deputy director of Community Access, Inc., a non-profit that provided housing and mental health services to the mentally ill in New York City. I have been a supporter of the Des Moines Pastoral Counseling Center since I came to Des Moines in 2000, but only recently joined the board.

What is your educational background:

I have a BA (history and philosophy) from the University of Chicago, and a MBA (finance and economics) from the University of Cincinnati. However, I am a perpetual student and have audited courses in philosophy at Drake for the last seven to eight years.

What is your employment background?

I have more than three decades experience in strategic financial management, both as a line manager and a consultant. Consulting clients included the boards and executive management of Fortune 500 firms in the U.S. and overseas; non-profit consulting targeted social service agencies in New York, Melbourne (Australia) and Des Moines. I came to Des Moines in January 2001 as Chief Financial Officer of the Federal Home Loan Bank to implement three key structural changes in the Bank’s mission and operations. After completing my engagement at the Bank, I elected to remain in Des Moines as an independent consultant (MCG Strategic Services) to provide financial and strategic planning for the non-profit sector. Strategic planning clients in Des Moines included the Drake School of Journalism and the College of Business and Public Administration. My teaching experience includes five years (2009–2014) as an adjunct instructor in the College of Business and Public Administration at Drake University and two years in the Senior College of Greater Des Moines. I am currently an adjunct instructor in the Department of Philosophy and Religion at Drake University.

What are your hobbies?

I am an avid reader and love to write. I also have a passion for gardening. At the top of my list these days, however, is traveling, preferably renting an apartment or house in someplace I’ve never been, and spending long enough to get to know it.

How did you get involved with the Center’s board of directors?

I have known Ellery for most of my time in Des Moines, although I cannot quite remember where we first met. In early 2014, I realized I would soon complete my board and committee commitments to several large non-profits in Des Moines, and was looking for another agency to which I might make a commitment. The Center came immediately to mind … I approached Ellery, and was thrilled when he recommended me for the term starting in early 2015.

What do you find most inspiring about the Center’s mission?

I have been aware of the Center since arriving in Des Moines more than 15 years ago. In that time, I have come to know the Center directly through counseling relationships. I have also been aware of the Center through friendships with staff as well as from its reputation in the community. The Center goes far beyond a traditional mental health counseling facility, with its innovative and diverse programs for spiritual and personal support. It is a unique organization, and a gem in our midst.

Thank you, Mary!

By Sara Miller, intern at Des Moines Pastoral Counseling Center

February 8, 2016 – Des Moines Pastoral Counseling Center presented Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training (ASIST) on February 1st and 3rd at Aldersgate United Methodist Church, to the community. The trainers were Katie Giusto and Amy Rickelman of the Iowa Army National Guard. The training was attended by various professionals including a nurse, chaplains, and a suicide prevention specialist. Almost all of those in attendance had at least some experience with suicide, whether in their community, professional life, or personal life.

Suicide is a huge problem in the United States. The Center for Disease Control (CDC) reported nearly 43,000 deaths by suicide in the United States alone, according to the most recent numbers, which are from 2014. Unfortunately, according to the ASIST trainers, there is anywhere from five to 25 percent more deaths by suicide that are not reported as suicides either because of inconclusive evidence that the death was caused by suicide or for other reasons.

Attendees at the training learned how to pick up on cues that may indicate suicidal ideations and how to have a conversation with a person thinking about suicide, according to the ASIST Pathway for Assisting Life (PAL) model. These conversations begin by exploring invitations offered by the suicidal individual (invitations could include: words, emotions, actions, physical appearance/health). The full PAL model includes three tiers with two steps in each tier.

One fact highlighted at the end of day one is being able to recognize when the situation is severe enough to warrant professional intervention, as is the case when the threat of suicide is imminent. If there is immediate risk, the police should be called to handle the situation. If there is not a looming threat, then the PAL model can be put into practice. Day two of the training included conversation preparation, where participants in the training practiced using the PAL model.

For more information about the Center’s upcoming suicide prevention opportunities: dmpcc.org/PREVENT.

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February 4, 2016 — The Des Moines Pastoral Counseling Center is seeking a full-time licensed counselor to join our team of multi-disciplinary clinicians who are committed to a mind/body/spirit therapeutic approach. We are seeking a licensed psychologist, social worker, mental health counselor, or marriage and family counselor, experienced in working with adults, couples and families. Computer proficiency is required.

The therapist will work with a team of 26 multi-disciplinary clinicians including an in-house psychiatrist and psychiatry physician assistant. The Center offers robust opportunities for professional development including classes on trauma, substance abuse, and monthly consultation options on topics such as EMDR, case consultation, psychiatric issues and more.

Des Moines Pastoral Counseling Center is a nonprofit, nonsectarian organization offering a broad range of mental health services, serving 2,450 individuals annually including 700 children. Although best known for its 43 years of quality, professional mental health therapy, the Center provides multi-faceted services, programs and classes:

• Counseling, including specialized services for children and adolescents
• Psychological testing and assessment
• Psychiatric consultation and care
• Training for clinical professionals
• Leadership and spiritual life programming
• Conflict transformation and strategic planning services for congregations, nonprofits and businesses

Please send a letter of interest and resume to:

Kelli Hill, Ph.D., Director of Clinical Services, Des Moines Pastoral Counseling Center, 8553 Urbandale Ave., Urbandale, IA 50322, or email khill@mindspiritcenter.org

For more information about the Center, visit our website dmpcc.org.

by Sara Miller, Intern at Des Moines Pastoral Counseling Center

Laura Nydam (R) Laura Nydam, L.I.S.W., C.A.D.C., M.S.W., a therapist at the Center, teaches as class for therapists to better understand the impact of addiction, “Understanding Substance Abuse 101.” Also pictured here, Andrea Severson, a graduate student conducing her practicum at the Center.

Brady Carney, Senior Police Officer at the Des Moines Police Department came to the Center on Friday, January 15, 2016, as a guest presenter for the “Understanding Substance Abuse Class 101.” The class is part of the curriculum for the Center’s graduate student training program, and is also offered as a professional development for clinicians in the community. Laura Nydam (photo right), L.I.S.W., C.A.D.C., M.S.W., a therapist at the Center, teaches the class and arranged for Officer Carney’s visit.

Officer Carney is an investigator with the Vice Narcotics Unit and he came to give a presentation to educate the staff about current issues in his field. He discussed stimulant drugs, depressant drugs, and how the use of various substances can affect the behavior of the user. Officer Carney educated the staff about signs that indicate potential drug use and which drugs are more common than others. He also spoke briefly about the human trafficking going on in the United States and how young girls find themselves far from home in Des Moines.

Officer Carney brought with him examples of items used to conceal illicit substances. Such containers could look like a can of Arizona tea but contain a secret compartment inside. Officer Carney also brought packaging from substances that used to be sold illegally in gas stations in order to show the ways these drugs were marketed. Along with these other items he also brought some of the substances themselves so the staff could learn exactly what the drugs look like. 

This information is important for staff to know. Being able to recognize when a client has erratic behavior consistent with drug abuse could be the catalyst to helping that client change their lifestyle. Knowing how certain substances can affect a person physically and emotionally may help staff to recognize a potentially dangerous situation before it occurs. Also, being able to recognize the terminology and paraphernalia associated with drug use can help staff realize that there is a potential problem. ~