Group Counseling
Group counseling is an effective way to work on most mental health and relationship concerns that cause people to seek help. Although people can feel hesitant to join a group, most people find the group setting to be supportive, engaging, and ultimately quite helpful.
Our counseling groups are not theme-based, meaning we bring people together with different problems and backgrounds. People dealing with anxiety, loneliness, isolation, grief, depression, lack of assertiveness, and other other mental pain have all benefitted from our groups.
In addition, we spend time looking at the interactions among the members of the group. We call this the group “process” and have found that understanding what goes on in the group is a great way to learn how we relate to others outside the group as well.
Individual Counseling
Our primary focus and mode of treatment is group counseling, but we also have some availability for individual counseling sessions. Individual counselors work with clients on their specific concerns and may make referrals to group if that is deemed appropriate for the specific client.
Who We Serve
People Seeking Counseling
Our first priority is to provide counseling for those in need. Any adults dealing with a mental, emotional, or relational concern are potentially appropriate for our services. This includes (but is not limited to) concerns such as depression, grief, anxiety, separation/divorce, substance abuse, life adjustments (such as job loss), and relationship problems.
People Seeking Training
Network also serves those who are interested in learning more about counseling. The program is a primary training site for doctoral students in counseling psychology at Iowa State University and also conducts continuing education for licensed mental health practitioners.
Our Mission
To provide affordable group counseling services to adults with a variety of mental health concerns
The intake process
Meet individually with one of our intake counselors. This meeting is designed to assess whether the groups would be beneficial to you and to allow you to ask any questions you might have before beginning.
Pre-group screening
Prior to joining a group, you would meet individually with the co-leaders in a pre-group screening session. They would provide information about the specific group, and answer questions you might have.
Joining a group
We have found that coming to the group for the first time can be the single hardest step.
After the initial session, however, most people look forward to coming and miss very few sessions. We suspect that you will as well.
Counseling fees
Initial Consultation and Individual* Sessions
Group Counseling
Session
$10 (ISU Students)
$20 (All Others)
$5 (ISU Students)
$10 (All Others)
Fees are expected at the time of service. We accept cash and checks, but not credit/debit cards.
*Individual counseling sessions are not always available. Please contact us to check availability.
Insurance: We do not accept insurance reimbursement.
Meet Our Team
Nathaniel Wade, PhD (He/Him)
Director and Clinical Supervisor
Nathaniel is a licensed psychologist in Iowa (#01000) and a Health Service Provider in Psychology. He is also a Professor of Psychology at Iowa State University. Nathaniel has been leading counseling groups for over 25 years. He uses an interpersonal approach in counseling. He is also the primary supervisor for the clinic, providing support to the other staff at Network.
Anna Lall-Alvarez, BA (She/Her)
Associate Director, Monday Group Leader
Anna is currently a third-year doctoral student in Counseling Psychology at Iowa State University. She graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from the University of North Florida and is currently working to complete her Masters of Science in Counseling Psychology. Her approach to counseling includes humanistic, person-centered, and ACT focused elements.
Riley Harper, MS (He/Him)
Friday Group Leader
Riley received a BS in Psychology at BYU–Idaho, and a MS in Counseling from Cal State–Fullerton. He is a fourth-year doctoral student at Iowa State where his clinical interests include meaning making, recovery, trauma, relationships, personal empowerment, and identity development. His approach to counseling incorporates attachment theory, emotion-focused therapy and interpersonal therapy with a touch of cognitive behavioral therapy techniques.
Ashley Macbeth, MS (They/she)
Tuesday Group Leader
Ashley (They/She) received a MS in Psychology at Iowa State University. They are a third-year doctoral student in the Counseling Psychology program. Their interests lie mainly in queer issues such as gender identity development and religious stigma. Ashley's philosophy of therapy is mainly humanistic, with influences from feminist and liberation psychologies. They practice from a queer-affirming lens, and incorporate alternative therapy methods, such as artistic expression into their counseling work.
Corrine Schwarting, MS (She/Her)
Tuesday Group Leader
Corrine received a BS in Human Development and Family Studies and a BS and MS in Psychology at Iowa State University. She is a third year doctoral student at Iowa State where her clinical interests include habit building, meaning of life, relationships, alcohol and cannabis use within a college environment, and personal narratives. Her approach in counseling is a mixture of person-centered cognitive behavioral therapy with splashes of existential theory.
Haley Williamson, BS (She/Her)
Monday Group Leader
Haley is a second year doctoral student in Counseling Psychology at Iowa State University. She graduated with a BS in Biomedical Science and a minor in Neuroscience from Texas A&M University. She is currently work-ing to complete her Masters degree in Counseling Psychology. Haley's counseling work is informed by humanistic, interpersonal, and cognitive-behavioral approaches.
Administrative Assistants
We also have several part-time administrative assistants who help with answering phones, scheduling, and other administrative duties. These are undergraduate psychology students at Iowa State who are trained and supervised by Network staff. They understand the importance of confidentiality and work hard to make the counseling experience safe and comfortable for our clients.
Network is located on Iowa State University campus.
On the basement floor of Science Hall I, the clinic is in Room 56.
Clinic Address:
Science Hall I
Room 56
Iowa State University
Contact Us
Mailing Address:
901 Stange Road
Department of Psychology
Ames, IA 50011
(515) 294 - 1898
groups@iastate.edu
