About Us

Our Mission is to unleash your potential!

We Believe all people are capable of growth and change — mental health does not define anyone. Every person already has everything they need to be the best version of themselves. We’re here to unlock it.

Our Purpose is to make a real, lasting difference in the mental health of the individuals, families, and communities we serve.

HARD WORK
AND DEDICATION

We put in the time needed to get the job done and aren’t afraid to push ourselves to go above and beyond in order to serve.

CONTINUOUS
IMPROVEMENT

We consider it our responsibility to engage in continuous learning. We focus on improving our clinical skills and personal characteristics.

EXCELLENT CARE
AND SERVICE

We are dedicated to ensuring that all individuals, couples, and families in our care are able to receive the help they need.

SUPPORT
AND UPLIFT

We care about each others' well-being and provide com passionate support and encouragement to all those we meet.

unleashing our potential

We are grateful to be able to serve thousands of individuals throughout Iowa each and every year.

As can be seen though our core values above, we are committed to putting in the hard work to continuously improve upon our ability to serve the mental health needs of our communities. We prioritize providing compassionate support to those in our care as well as to one another. That said, we do not promise that the growth and change you will experience as you navigate your mental health journey will be easy. We DO promise to help you tackle the tough issues that are standing in the way of you living your best life.

Our founding principles

CFS was founded by Dr. Jacob Christenson in 2013 with the purpose of strengthening families. We know that families (by blood or by choice) are important because they provide support, create a sense of belonging, bolster mental and physical health, and teach values. In our society, families are facing challenges that create stress and prevent people from being able to live full lives. Our services at CFS may have evolved as we have grown, but we continue to value the important role family has in mental health.

Mental health in today’s world

While some things change over time, others remain the same. One constant is the reality that mental health concerns among children, adolescents, and adults are forever growing. This makes it harder for people to have the capacity – let alone build – genuine connections and relationships. We believe that healthy individuals contribute to the overall well-being of their families, communities, and even society at-large. For that reason, we strive to help individuals find strength in their mental wellness that they can carry with them back to their families and communities. Every person — no matter their background, culture, race, identity, or religion — is valuable and deserving of love, joy, and fulfillment in life. We are here to help people realize their potential and work towards their goals and potential.

Overcoming barriers

One challenge we face as a society is the stigma that continues to surround mental health. While we can create every service imaginable to support mental wellness, we can only reach those who make the choice to access care. Our goal is to strengthen the lives of everyone we meet. To make that goal a reality, we are committed to fighting the stigma that prevents people from reaching out for support when needed. We work daily to normalize mental health and increase awareness among those who do not feel personally affected by mental health. The more we are able to overcome the invisible barrier to mental healthcare, the faster we will be able to make a real difference in the lives of so many who needlessly suffer. Mental health IS health.

Unleashing Your Potential

Beyond traditional individual counseling and therapy services, we also offer medication management, play therapy, EMDR (eye movement desensitization and reprocessing), and many other mental health therapy techniques to serve your unique needs. We provide care for individuals – including children, teens and adults. In addition, we provide family level services through couples counseling and family therapy to support those we serve.

Get Direction for Your Life!

Find inspiration on your path to mental wellness. Please note, these articles are not a replacement for personal medical advice.

Your brain is doing what it is wired to do: protect you from life-threatening danger. The brain does a marvelous job helping your body to react quickly and know to fight, run, or freeze when needing to escape a threat. The trick is — how often are we in situations where we need to run for our lives? On a day-to-day basis, probably not very often.

In our society, men are frequently taught to be strong and quiet. Often times, men worry that seeking help will be an indication of vulnerability. Suppressing your feelings can make mental health worse.

You may be reading this — now knowing that depression is not as rare as you once thought — and wonder "Do I have depression?" One of the most common misconceptions is the idea that in order to have depression a person must feel sad all of the time or cry frequently. While this can be a symptom of depression, it is certainly not the only one.