Welcome to Nurture Family Therapy!
We’re a mental health therapy practice in Urbandale, Iowa, supporting children, teens, adults, and families throughout the Des Moines metro. Our first goal is simple: to nurture everyone who walks through our doors.
Whether you’re looking for play therapy, parenting support, or therapy for yourself, we want you to feel welcome and understood. We lead with curiosity, helping you understand the hard parts, build connection, and find tools that fit your life.
The History of Nurture Family Therapy
Nurture Family Therapy began with a simple idea: create a place where taking care of people comes first. A place where families feel welcome, kids have room to be themselves, and parents feel supported as they figure out what their family needs.
We lead with curiosity. When a child is struggling or a family feels stuck, we take time to understand what’s happening underneath. We work alongside you to make sense of the hard parts, build connection, and find ways forward that fit your family.
Taking care of our clinicians is part of that vision, too. We want them to have support, opportunities to learn from one another, and room to think for themselves. We value people who bring warmth, thoughtful questions, and a willingness to respond to each family’s unique needs.
That’s the kind of practice we’re building here in Urbandale: a place where caring for our team helps us care for your family.
Hi, I’m Kara! I’m a licensed independant social worker, Registered Play Therapist-Supervisor, and the founder of Nurture Family Therapy.
I enjoy helping children and families better understand themselves and each other, especially when trauma or neurodivergence is part of their story. I’m also EMDR trained and AutPlay certified. I bring curiosity to my work and want families to feel comfortable sharing the messy, complicated parts of life.
These days, I see a small number of clients while supervising our clinicians and managing the practice. I love helping our team think through challenges, grow their skills, and find their own ways of connecting with families. Sometimes my job involves talking through a tough case, sometimes it involves moving furniture, and sometimes it means taking out the trash. It all counts as taking care of our people and our space!
Outside the office, I love spending time with my husband and our three boys, reading, cooking, and fostering cats. Helping a kitten feel safe and cared for is one of my favorite things, and I’m always happy to tell you about the latest one.
I’m not currently accepting new clients, but I’d love for you to meet our team and find someone who feels like a good fit for your family.