Jennifer Jividen Jackson has been at Heartland since 2012. She is a Siouxland native, growing up in South Sioux City and graduating college from Briar Cliff in 1999 majoring in psychology and art. Jennifer graduated with her master’s in art therapy from the University of Louisville in 2001. She stayed there for ten years working at the state hospital and co-founded an arts based day program for adults with mental illness and intellectual disabilities called Mariposa Place that is still going today. Jennifer is an advocate of behavioral health and has served as past president of the Kentucky Art Therapy Association, past president of the Iowa Art Therapy Association, past chair for the Education Programs Approval Board for the American Art Therapy Association and is currently Secretary for the American Art Therapy Association. At the local level, Jennifer serves as a chamber of commerce ambassador, board member for Growing Community Connections, and committee member for Leadership Dakota County. Jennifer and husband Rory have three wonderful children, Lochlin, Ireland, and Magdelyn and reside in Sioux City. If Jennifer is not in the office, she’s on the golf course or at a sports event watching her children have fun.

Jessica Barnes is Heartland's Community Based Services Administrator. Jessica started at Heartland in 2012 as an outpatient therapist and was promoted to administrator in 2014. Jessica continues to provide therapy to all ages and specializes in trauma, specifically Trauma Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. Jessica is passionate about working with individuals with complex trauma as well as educating others about Trauma-informed care. Jessica also focuses on working with people with Severe and Persistent Mental Illness and Personality Disorders. Furthermore, Jessica oversees the mobile crisis response team, peer support program, community support program, and The Life Center, our day rehab program. Jessica was born and raised in Siouxland and lives with her husband and two children. She enjoys spending time with family & friends, running, watching all kinds of sports, and spending time in Okoboji during the summer.

Michelle is a Nebraska native, growing up in Wakefield and graduating college from Wayne State College in 2003 with a major in psychology. Michelle graduated with her master’s in Community Counseling from the University of Nebraska Omaha in 2003. She worked as a school based mentoring coordinator at Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Midlands also spending time as a mentor with the program for over ten years. She started her therapy career at a dual diagnosis treatment group home for adolescence in Omaha, Nebraska where she worked for six years. Michelle and her family then moved to the Siouxland area where she worked as an Office of Juvenile Services caseworker for one year. She then began as a therapist at Heartland Counseling Services, Inc., a 501 (c)3, non-profit, community behavioral health center for 11 counties in northern Nebraska and all of Siouxland. She has filled the role of internship coordinator, mental health administrator and is current filling the role of Clinical Director, supervising all mental health and substance use therapy programs. Michelle is trained as an adoption competent counselor and also specializes in trauma. Michelle has been a graduate of Leadership Dakota County and has helped create a program within the community, Trees of Hope, providing families in need with a Christmas tree. Michelle was recognized in 2018 by Women Aware as an individual in the community who is taking risks. Michelle and her husband Kelly have two children Mason and Kinsey and reside in Salix, Iowa. If not at work, Michelle can be found watching baseball or crafting.

Michelle started working at Heartland in 2015. She is Heartland's Business Administrator, she oversees billing, payroll, and finance.

Jennifer Hart joined the Heartland Counseling Services staff in November 2019. Prior to moving back to Akron IA in 2016 to work as the Development Director at the Food Bank of Siouxland, Jennifer had spent 20 years living in the Boston MA area where she spent 12 years as the Executive Director of an art, music & theatre school. She graduated from the University of South Dakota in 1996 with a BSBA focusing on management. While working in Boston, Jennifer completed her MBA with an Organizational Management concentration in 2004. Jennifer is community focused and driven to helping others fulfill their potential of making a difference in the world. In addition to assisting Heartland in carrying out their mission, Jennifer also runs her own home-based business as a Marketing Executive with Melaleuca: The Wellness Company and assists her husband with his graphic design, fine art, and marketing business, Hart Studios. Jennifer and her husband, Dennis, are always on the go with their three children - Aidan, Quinton, and Ellie.

Shannon Arens joined the Heartland Counseling Services staff in October of 2020 as Human Resources Director. Prior to working at Heartland, Shannon spent 25 years in various Human Resources and Benefits roles at Terra Industries and CF Industries in Sioux City. She has a business degree from Morningside College. Shannon and her husband, Dave have two teenage daughters, Cali and Casee. Shannon loves watching her girls at their various sporting events and other school activities, watching sports on tv, exercising, reading and spending time with family and friends.

Virginia has been providing therapy to clients for over 30 years, and joined the Heartland team in July of 2015. Her expertise is working with individuals who struggle with substance abuse issues and working towards recovery. Virginia co-facilitates our PRIME Solutions Intensive Outpatient Program, provides individual and group therapy, and teaches DUI classes at Heartland. She is also an approved registered service provider with Nebraska Probation.

Brenda has worked at Heartland since 2012. She is a licensed clinical social worker. She works with youth through adults who are struggling with their mental health. Brenda is trained in Trauma Focused-Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT). She has a passion for working with those who struggle with ADHD, anxiety and depression as well as those with chronic physical health issues. She is currently a Medicare provider.

Marti has worked at Heartland as mental health practitioner and substance use counselor since 2014. Marti co-facilitates the Intensive Outpatient Program, provides individuals and group therapy, and teaches DUI classes. Marti works with adults who struggle with co-occurring mental health and substance abuse issues. She is also an approved registered service provider with Nebraska Probation.

Jamie is a mental health practitioner who works with all ages of individuals. She provides therapy in several rural school districts that include Bancroft-Rosalie, Oakland-Craig, Lyons-Decatur, and Wakefield. Jamie also works with District 6 Probation office providing group therapy and is also an approved registered service provider with Nebraska Probation. Jamie joined the Heartland team in September 2017.

Emily has worked at Heartland since 2012. She is currently a School Based Mental Health Therapist for the South Sioux City Middle School. Emily specializes in Dialectical Behavioral Therapy and co-occurring diagnoses. She has experience working with all ages of individuals and is the past Substance Abuse Administrator for Heartland. Emily is an approved registered service provider with Nebraska Probation.

Nick is a bilingual English/Spanish mental health and substance abuse practitioner. He works with all ages of individuals that struggle with mental health and/or substance abuse issues. Nick specializes in Parent Child Interactive Therapy (PCIT) and facilitates an anger management group. He started at Heartland in March 2018.

Aaron is a school based mental health therapist who works in the South Sioux City High School. He provides individual and group therapy in the schools. Aaron is trained in The Cognitive Behavioral Intervention for Trauma in Schools (CBITS). This program is school-based and provides group and individual intervention. Aaron started at Heartland in August 2018.

Lisa is a school based mental health therapist for the elementary schools in the South Sioux City School District. Lisa has over 30 years experience and began working at Heartland in August of 2018. She provides individual therapy to children struggling with all different issues ranging from divorce, death of a loved one, to past trauma.

Jewel is a school based mental health therapist in the O'Neill Schools ranging from kindergarten through 12th grade. Jewel recently became certified as a play therapist and is excited to share her expertise with the children she works with. Jewel began working at Heartland in August of 2018.

Jill works part time for Heartland as a mental health practitioner, she works full time as a teacher. Jill has several years experience working with children and recently received her masters in counseling. Jill has been working with all ages at Heartland since August 2018, and is always excited to take on new clients.

Dr. Stachowitz is a clinical psychologist who works at Heartland part time (beginning January 2019) providing disability evaluations for the State of Nebraska.

Natalie graduated from Northern State University in Aberdeen, South Dakota with a bachelor’s degree in Psychology in 2006 and subsequently from The Sioux Falls Seminary in Sioux Falls, South Dakota in 2010 with a master’s degree in Marriage and Family Therapy. Prior to joining Heartland Counseling Services in March of 2020, Ms. Storm volunteered and worked in various outpatient community and mental health agencies in South Dakota and Iowa. Natalie has experience working with school-aged children, adolescents, and adults as well as couples and families. She is passionate about what she does and takes much pride in her work as a therapist. Natalie stated, "It is an honor and privilege, as a therapist to walk alongside and help individuals, couples and families as they navigate through life’s difficulties. It is my goal as a therapist to facilitate and be an agent of change and to empower individuals to lead their best lives." Natalie has a special interest in working with couples who are struggling with relationship issues, divorce and remarriage, family problems, family of origin issues, victims of domestic violence and sexual abuse, grief and loss and anxiety disorders. When she is not working, Natalie enjoys spending time with her family, exercising and being outdoors. Natalie currently hold licenses in Nebraska (PLMHP) and Iowa (LMFT).

Charlette Bowens Kissi Afare is from from Wayne, Nebraska which has been her home since 2002. Charlotte has 3 grown children and 15 grandchildren whom she loves and adores! Charlotte graduated from Wayne State College in 2018 with a Master of Science degree in Mental Health Counseling. She is certified as both a provisionally Licensed Mental Health Practitioner (PLMHP) and provisionally Licensed Alcohol & Drug Counselor (PLADC). Charlotte started working with Heartland Counseling Services in March 2020, and stated "I am certainly excited and looking forward to working closely with all of the faculty and staff as well as the new clientele I'll be seeing." When she is not working, Charlotte's favorite things are spending time with family, cooking, and attending family events and activities within our communities.

Abigail is joining the Heartland Counseling Services team as a Mental Health Practitioner and Substance Abuse Therapist full-time as of September 2020 after having completed an internship at Heartland. She graduated from the University of Denver in August 2020 with Masters in Social Work, and has recently become provisionally licensed to work with individuals with substance abuse issues. Abigail facilitates the Relapse Prevention Groups, while also providing individual and group therapies. Her education continues on to becoming trained in Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing (EMDR) trauma therapy, while also working to become registered as a service provider with Nebraska Probation. Abigail is passionate about advocating against the stigmas surrounding the mental health sector and ready to guide clientele to develop supportive strategies to seek relief from complex issues. Abigail is a Northeast Nebraska native, with a diverse background encompassing rural families, multiple age groups, and those from all walks of life.

Kendra has been working at Heartland since 2014. She works as our Crisis Responder & Community Support Provider in the six western counties that Heartland covers.

Nicole has worked at Heartland since October 2013 as one of our Crisis Responders for the five counties near South Sioux City. In 2020, Nicole became our Permanent Supported Housing Case Manager.

Brock is our Youth Crisis Responder in the South Sioux City Office. He began at Heartland in September 2017.

Jake has worked at Heartland since 2012. He is our Community Support Provider that covers five counties near the South Sioux City Office.

Madalen has worked at Heartland since 2014 and is the Certified Peer Support Specialist for the South Sioux City office.

Sarah has been at Heartland since 2019 as the Community Project Leader for the South Sioux City School District’s School-Based Mental Health services. She coordinates the referral process for the families in the school-based program, is a trainer for the Youth Mental Health First Aid course, and tracks grant data for the AWARE Grant. Sarah is a Sioux City native and graduated from Morningside College with a degree in Counseling Psychology. She is currently working on her Masters in Social Work through the University of Iowa.

Vera Ludwig is the Case Manager at Heartland Counseling Center’s Life Center. She started at The Life Center in September of 2019. Prior to working at The Life Center, she was the Community Integration Activity Coordinator for PAMHC’s The Meeting Place. Vera has always lived and worked in NW Iowa and NE Nebraska. She was born in the Ice Cream Capital of the World and moved to Hawarden, Iowa before the end of her elementary school years. She considers NW Iowa home as she has lived, worked and has family connections in several towns in the area. She has lived in Sioux City the longest, having lived there for over 30 years. Vera’s undergraduate degree is in Art Therapy and Art Education and she has a Master’s in Pastoral Ministries. Her first connection with Heartland Counseling Services was when she was doing an internship for a second Master’s in Art Therapy.
Vera enjoys visiting family and friends, doodling to destress, attending retreats and hanging out with her fostered kittens that are now cats because they never found a home. She enjoys working with the HCS staff and all the members who attend The Life Center and is grateful to be able to work with each of them as we travel this journey called life.

Kathy Carr joined Heartland Counseling Services staff in August 2020. Kathy worked as a Paraprofessional at Valentine Community Schools for 2 years prior to joining Heartland. She has a MA in Mental Health Counseling and a BA in Psychology with an emphasis in Alcohol and Drug Abuse Counseling, graduating from Chadron State College in 1992. Kathy has several years’ experience in working with individuals to better their lives and enhance their personal growth through support in overcoming life’s problems. Kathy enjoys a variety of outdoor activities – canoeing the river, camping and gardening to name a few. She also enjoys playing guitar and singing, crocheting and doing genealogy research. She and her husband, Russ, are busy daily with their fur babies, Killer and Casper.

Haley has been with Heartland since 2015. She is the Tele-Psychiatry Care Coordinator for Medication Management. Our clients that are in need of Medication Management work with a provider based out of The Richard Young Outpatient Clinic located in Kearney, NE.

Sandy has been with Heartland since 2012. She is one of three Mental Health Substance Abuse office clerks, receptionists and shares these duties at the front desk at the South Sioux City location. We initiate new clients who are in need of services and appointments are established for current clients. Office duties include electronic record keeping and other miscellaneous duties. Sandy is the proud Gramma of 5 Grandchildren.

Marcy is our Administrative Assistant. She has been with Heartland since May of 2006. Marcy wears many hats at Heartland including administrative duties, business office duties, as well as being a SSC Chamber Ambassador and a recent graduate of Leadership Dakota County. She is married to Scott and they reside in SSC. They have two adult children and recently two new grandchildren.

Jamie has been with Heartland Counseling since May 2011. She started as a front desk clerk and moved into her current role of billing clerk after receiving her degree in Medical Coding and Billing. Jamie is a Le Mars, Iowa native but now calls Sioux City home with her husband Eddie, 3 children including a set of twins, Karsyn, Kashton and Quinn and 2 dogs, Sophie and Scottie.

Jessica is our bilingual mental health and substance abuse Office Clerk at our South Sioux City location. She has been at Heartland since February of 2018. She is one of the three receptionist upfront that shares many office duties.

Kelly has worked at Heartland Counseling since November, 2017. She is the Office Clerk for our O’Neill and Ainsworth offices. Kelly graduated from Wayne State College with a degree in Human Services Counseling. She and her husband Ryan have 2 daughters, Paisley and Jaiya. When she’s not attending her daughters’ sporting events and activities, Kelly enjoys camping, boating, traveling, and attending concerts.

Amanda started as a part-time Office Clerk with Heartland in May 2019 and moved to full-time in November 2019. She shares in many of the office duties for substance abuse and mental health in our South Sioux City office. Amanda has a respiratory therapist degree from St. Luke's College. She has lived her whole life in the Siouxland area and continues to reside in the area with her husband and three beautiful daughters. When not working or spending time with family, you will find Amanda enjoying the outdoors and reading.

Executive Committee Member
F&M Bank, Vice President

Executive Committee Member
Retired Teacher, South Sioux City Community Schools

Chair of Finance Committee, Executive Committee Member
Wells Enterprises, Product Data Director

Governance Committee Member
Aventure Staffing, Cheif Risk Officer

Chair of Fund Development Committee
IMKO Workforce Solutions, Staffing Coordinator

Governance Committee Member
Growing Community Connections, Executive Director

Fund Development Committee Member
RN

Finance Committee Member
Great West Casualty Company, Underwriting Support

Governance Committee Member
Tyson Foods, Dakota City, NE, Community Liaison

Fund Development Committee Member
Securus Insurance Group, Assistant Vice President/Agent

Fund Development Committee Member
South Sioux City Police Department, Master Patrolman

Board Member
Great West Casualty Company, Account Representative

Board Member
Northeast Nebraska Telephone Company, Administrative Assistant

Board Member
City of Dakota City, Administrator/Clerk/Treasurer

Board Member
Marriott South Sioux City Riverfront, Sales & Marketing Manager

Board Member
Olsson, Civil Engineer

Board Member
SIMPCO, Housing Manager