Melissa Bass, LMHC, C-DBT & Peer Support for Telehealth Services and Marengo Office
About Melissa
Melissa is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor born in rural Iowa. Melissa enjoys horseback riding, camping, nature photography as well as doing anything that involves being outdoors or with animals. She has always had the desire to help people, even since she was young. Her future consists of plans to continue to travel the world, as she has seen some of Europe and Australia already. Also plans of continued education in her profession and knowledge with new techniques/approaches to always continue to adapt services to growing populations as well as areas of leadership.
Training
Currently she has LMHC licensure through the state of Iowa and is accredited by the NBCC. Melissa is a well rounded therapist, working with a wide variety of different client populations including adults, children, families, couples, various group settings, the aging population, sensitive populations including LGBTQ+ and disabled, etc. Melissa has plans to continue to get her certifications with new techniques/approaches to help better serve clients and populations in need. She has her professional certification in dialectical behavioral therapy and also in play therapy based approaches.
Education
Melissa spent seven years with Upper Iowa University obtaining her Bachelors in Psychology and also Human Services and her Masters in Counseling. Before graduating she spent five years being an apprentice for a private therapy practice near her hometown. This allowed her to spend a lot of time learning and gaining experience in her field before graduating, this is also where she completed her supervised training post-graduation, for her LMHC licensure. Melissa also spent two years working for a mental health residential care facility here in Cedar Rapids, providing 24-hour care for individuals with varying mental illness and functioning. Melissa has plans of continuing her education and wants to continue on to get her Doctorate as well.
License and Certifications
Licensed Mental Health Counselor through the state of Iowa (LMHC)
Certified by the National Board for Certified Counselors (NBCC)
Certified Professional: C-DBT by Evergreen Certifications (EG)
Availability
Melissa is available in the Telehealth, Cedar Rapids, and Marengo locations, Monday through Friday, by appointment and is accepting new clients.
View Melissa's profile on Psychology Today
Dr. Patricia Gilbaugh, Ph.D., LISW, RPT-S, CAS -- Executive Director
Ph.D., LISW-S, Certification in Play Therapy, AutPlay instructor, CAS, Clinical Supervisor, Founder & Executive Director of Grace C Mae Advocate Center and a Mental Health First Aid Instructor
About Patricia
Dr. Gilbaugh's minor at Mount Mercy College was in photography. She continues to photograph people as a hobby and a source of relieving stress. Her passion for black-and-white photography earned her several awards for amateur competitions. Due to her love of the ocean and nature, her favorite times are when she can photograph nature. Just "being" is her favorite thing to do. She loves spending time with her family, and she lives for road trips! She enjoys traveling to new places and hopes to travel to all 195 countries in her lifetime. She hopes to travel in ways that allow her to immerse herself in different cultures. Her lifelong dream is to expand her clinical services into equine therapy programs.
Training
Patricia is trained in all play therapy techniques, including non-directive, filial, sand tray, Animal Assisted Play Therapy®, and Theraplay®. She completed her certification course work at MNU under the supervision of Dr. Marlo Winstead. Patricia’s specialty area is treatment of trauma, reactive attachment disorder, and childhood developmental disorders. Patricia has developed a strength in understanding brain development and human growth. Patricia’s training has included numerous years studying the effects of drugs, alcohol, and trauma on the developing brain of a child. Patricia is also trained as a forensic social worker and is a consultant to several law enforcement agencies in Iowa. She is an experienced social worker, therapist, trainer, and organizational consultant. She is a highly trained crisis counselor, and typically responds to such crises as natural disasters, school crisis intervention, sudden deaths, and violent crimes.
Education
Ph.D. - Social Work, University of Iowa
MSW - Social Work, University of Iowa
MPP - Public Policy, University of Northern Iowa
BA - Criminal Justice Administration & Psychology, Mt. Mercy College
License and Certifications
Licensed Independent Social Worker.
She is certified in Play Therapy thru Mid America Nazarene University (since 2010).
State of Iowa approved to supervise provisionally licensed providers.
Mental Health First Aid Instructor certification
AutPlay Instructor certification
Animal Assisted Play Therapy® certification is in progress
Availability
Due to the high volume of consultation work, Dr. Gilbaugh carries only 5 patients on her caseload at a time.
View Patricia's profile on Psychology Today
Jay Kimball, LMSW
About Jay
Jay grew up in North Dakota and started his career at a social service agency working in both adult and children. Later, he moved to Minnesota and continued his career in the nonprofit sector. Recently. he moved to Iowa to be closer to family. He enjoys family and outdoor activities such as hiking, biking, and camping. Jay is positive and strength-based in his approach.
Education
Jay graduated with a Bachelor of Social Work from Minot State University, North Dakota and Masters in Social Work from Minnesota State University, Mankato.
Training
Jay’s history includes working with children and families who have experienced trauma along with extensive knowledge of working with foster and adoptive children. Jay draws from a variety of approaches such as cognitive behavioral therapy, brief therapy, and person-centered, strength-based and solution focused. He has provided trauma informed and non-violent crisis intervention trainings. He has experience in working with schools and advocating for children with special needs.
License & Certification
LMSW- Iowa
Availability
Jay is available Monday from 8 to 5 in the Cedar Rapids Office. Jay is available in the Washington Office on Tuesday through Thursday from 8 to 5. Jay provides therapy in the following school districts: Washington School District and the WRAP Center. Jay has limited openings.
View Jay's profile on Psychology Today
Jamie Rich, LMHC
About Jamie
When the weather is nice, Jamie enjoys working in her garden, taking walks with her puppy, and exploring events in the community. Some of her favorite hobbies are baking, playing board games, and sitting next to the campfire. Jamie works with clients of all ages, but has a particular passion for teens and young adults working through life transitions. Jamie also specializes in Play Therapy services for children starting at age 3. Jamie helps give a voice to those who cannot advocate for themselves. Jamie uses a variety of therapy approaches including Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Reality Therapy & Choice Theory, and the Person-Centered approach. Jamie enjoys helping people discover choices and opportunities to promote personal growth and development. Jamie also provides therapy services in the surrounding school districts to accommodate family needs.
Training
Jamie completed her counseling internship at Grace C. Mae Advocate Center and has completed the training for Play Therapy.
Education
Jamie received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology from Buena Vista University, and her Master of Science in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from South Dakota State University.
License and Certification
Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC)
Availability
Jamie provides services at the Marshalltown office. She is available for office appointments Monday-Thursday 9:00am-4:30pm and Friday 9:00am-3:00pm. During the school year, Jamie can provide therapy in the local school districts.
Cassandra Forsythe, t-LMHC
About Cassandra
Throughout Cassandra’s life, she has participated in a wide variety of sports. While at Mount Mercy University, she was a collegiate athlete on the women’s bowling team. Cassandra understands the stress that athletes can endure and the positive impact of mental health. She provides a safe and comfortable environment for clients to be themselves and to speak about whatever is on their minds. Cassandra believes in recognizing emotions, thoughts, and behaviors and educates clients about how they are all related to one another.
When not in class or working with clients, Cassandra likes to watch any kind of sports, especially football, and is a big Iowa Hawkeyes fan. She also likes to listen to a wide variety of music and can play multiple instruments. Cassandra is very family-oriented and prefers to spend as much time with family as she can.
Education and Training
Cassandra graduated from Mount Mercy University with her Bachelor’s of Science in Psychology while double minoring in Sport, Health, and Exercise Psychology & Human Resource Management. Cassandra is currently pursuing a master’s degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling at the University of Iowa.
Availability
Cassandra works out of our Cedar Rapids office.
Cassandra is accepting new clients
Jamie Schneider LMSW
About Jamie
Jamie was born and raised in southeast Iowa. She returned to her hometown of Washington,
Iowa, after graduating college with her social work degree and started serving clients in her
community. Jamie enjoys living in a small town and incorporating a community approach to her
personal and professional life. Jamie believes we are stronger individually when we are all
helping each other through life’s obstacles. It takes a village!
Jamie, her husband, and their daughter enjoy spending time with their two miniature dachshunds,
Lucy & Lulu. They also love being in nature, and camping is a big part of their time together.
Jamie also enjoys reading, crafting, sewing, home decorating, traveling, cooking, and baking.
Jamie would describe herself as someone that loves spending time with her family and friends
and is always willing to lend a helping hand to those around her.
Education
Jamie initially graduated from Kirkwood Community College with her Human Services degree
in 2004. She then transferred to the University of Northern Iowa and enrolled in the Bachelor of
Social Work degree program and then graduated in 2006 with her Bachelor of Social Work
degree, BSW.
Jamie then started working in the social work career field and has been a frontline social worker
for the past 17+ years. She has experience working with children, adolescents, and adults. She
has worked in both the community and school settings, serving clients and families, with the
majority of her work being mental health related. Jamie’s professional dream has always been to
go back to school to obtain her graduate degree, and two years ago, Jamie took that leap.
Jamie is currently pursuing a Master’s degree in Social Work through Walden University. She
will graduate in August 2023 with her MSW degree, and she will then become a licensed social
worker, an LMSW. Upon graduation, Jamie plans to transition to a full-time therapy position at
the Grace C Mae Advocate Center Washington office.
Availability
Jamie is working out of the Washington office.
Jamie is accepting new clients.
Abby Jones LISW
About Abby
Abby has worked in the field of human services for more than a decade in a variety of settings. She graduated from the University of Iowa with a Master’s in Social Work in 2018. Most recently, she worked in the role of Behavioral Health Consultant at a clinic and Social Worker in a hospital. She has additional training in Solution Focused Brief Therapy, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Play Therapy, and is certified as a facilitator for Trauma Center Trauma Sensitive Yoga. Abby is happy to see both children (age 4 and older) and adults for individual, family and group sessions.
In her free time, Abby loves spending time with family and friends. She enjoys relaxing by being outdoors, reading, doing yoga, and eating dark chocolate.
Availability
Abby’s availability is Monday and Thursday noon-6PM and Friday 8AM-2PM. She can provide services in the Marshalltown office and via telehealth.
Maira Schneiter t-LMHC
About Maira
Maira was born and raised in Bogota, Colombia. She enjoys making the best of life’s little things such as trying new food, spending time with family, cooking, reading a good book, and hiking or biking surrounded by nature. She recognizes every person as an individual and believes that an understanding and non-judgmental position for their uniqueness is vital.
For the last 7 years, Maira has been working with immigrants experiencing migration-related trauma, marginalized communities living with extreme stress, and children at risk of mental health behavioral diagnoses and emotional challenges. She had a variety of experiences helping clients facing different changes in their lives or desiring to add new skills to be successful in their home, school, work, or in the community.
Maira has a bachelor's and master's degree in psychology and is hoping to get a doctorate in Clinical Psychology. She is fully bilingual in English and Spanish with knowledge of Latinx Mental Health and family therapy.
She knows that every day of life comes with new challenges, some of them more enjoyable than others, while those others can shake our ground to the point that it takes time and effort to find the balance to be back on our feet and that’s when we are here for.
Availability
Maira provides services in the Cedar Rapids office and via telehealth .
She is accepting new clients
Jenissa Peart LMHC
About Jenissa
Jenissa's main focus is to help children, individuals, and families throughout Iowa. She has helped instuct taekwondo classes, volunteered at Goodwill Industries, attended several child abuse prevention events, participated in several Alzhihmer's Association events, and much more. Outside of spending time with her family, Jenissa enjoys art, law, photography, adventure, traveling, sports, volunteering, and growing her professional development. Jenissa believes in creating a loving and non judgemental environment with her clients.
Her Philosophy of counseling involves helping clients explore their issues and increase their knowledge of self-understanding and self-awareness through various therapeutic approaches in a safe environment. She utilizes qualities including (and are not limited to) mutual respect, laughter, authenticity, genuineness, ability to empathize, acceptance, and unconditional positive regard for the client.
Her Values, commitments, and ethical influences include professional identity, self-awareness, cultural diversity, patience, flexibility, genuineness, empathy, acceptance, and amiability.
Her primary therapy approaches include Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) approaches, Person-Centered Therapy, Reality Therapy, Autism Play Therapy, Art Therapy approaches, Mindfulness, and Play Therapy Approaches.
Education and Training
Jenissa has her Associate's Degree in Paralegal Studies, Bachelor's degree in applied science with emphasis in composition form the University of Iowa, and a Master's degree in Mental Health Counseling from Grand Canyon University.
She is certified in Autism Play Therapy and has taken classes in Play Therapy approaches.
She has worked at a community action agency for several years and is knowledgeable in community resources.
Availability
Jenissa works out of the Marshalltown office.
Charlie
About Charlie
Charlie is an energetic Goldendoodle, born December 2019. Charlie loves doing in-person and telehealth sessions with Dr. Patricia Gilbaugh, Ph.D., LISW, RPT-S, CAS and has even learned how to use the computer mouse to draw pictures with clients! When at home, Charlie loves playing with his puppy sister, Cali, and following Mom around the house. Charlie is very affectionate, loves to be hugged, and enjoys having his tummy rubbed. His coat is super soft and he feels like a real-life teddy bear. He is also really good at keeping secrets!
Training
Charlie is currently a therapy-dogs-in-training through the International Institute for Animal Assisted Play Therapy®. They offer Animal Assisted Play Therapy® to children and adults receiving services with their handlers. Both dogs do an outstanding job of sensing human emotions and trying to help the client to feel more relaxed and at-ease. Charlie can help children and adults improve their skills regarding impulse control, listening, and patience, among other valuable skills.
Charlie is currently approved therapy-dogs-in-training through the International Institute for Animal Assisted Play Therapy®.
Availability
Charlie is available in the Cedar Rapids office and through telehealth with his handler. Due to the high volume of consultation work, Charlie and his handler carry only 5 patients on their caseload at a time.
Please call 319-361-6529 to schedule an appointment.