Elisa Lyons, MA, LMHC

Elisa chose to become a Licensed Mental Health Counselor out of a desire to help children and families of Iowa. As a native of rural Southeast Iowa, she recognized the need to make quality mental health care more accessible to the people of this area. People may not always need this service, but she believes that it is important for all people to have access to mental health services when they are needed. This belief led her to found Iowa Family Counseling in early 2019. 

 

Elisa was awarded her Master’s Degree in Rehabilitation and Mental Health Counseling from the University of Iowa and has continued to receive advanced training and education. Elisa has many years of experience providing behavioral health and mental health counseling services in a variety of settings and with a variety of populations. She has worked with children as young as 3, adolescents, teens, and adults of all ages. 

 

​Elisa has a special interest in working with children and adolescents and in treating survivors of trauma and abuse. She also offers a wide variety of treatment plans for individuals experiencing anxiety, depression, anger, grief, or those struggling with the stresses associated with major life changes. She identifies as a person-center therapist on both a clinical and soul level, yet also draws from a wide-base of psychotherapeutic techniques in her practice to best serve the needs of each individual client. These techniques include cognitive-behavioral therapy, internal family systems (IFS), art/play/sand tray therapy & EMDR (eye movement desensitization and reprocessing). With those interested, Elisa enjoys exploring symbolism with her clients by looking at their remembered dreams, oracle cards, Internal Family Systems (IFS) inner active cards, or tarot cards to explore how the symbolism and projections might relate to what they are experiencing in their life.

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​In her downtime, Elisa is always moving! She loves to travel, spend time with her family and friends, thrift for a good bargain and participate in any activity that brings her outdoors and in nature. 

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