Mind & Spirit Counseling Center receives grant from Variety - the Children’s Charity of Iowa

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE     
September 25, 2025

Mind & Spirit Counseling Center receives grant from Variety - the Children’s Charity of Iowa

(Urbandale, Iowa) – Mind & Spirit Counseling Center has received a grant from Variety - the Children’s Charity of Iowa to fund the purchase of bilateral stimulation bands to use during therapy sessions within our C.O.O.L program (Children Overcoming Obstacles of Life). 
 
Mind & Spirit Counseling Center, formerly the Des Moines Pastoral Counseling Center, is a nonprofit organization serving the greater Des Moines area since 1972 offering counseling for individuals, couples and families, psychiatry and medication management, psychological testing, spiritual direction and leadership programs, as well as a clinical training program for future mental health professionals. We are a non-sectarian welcoming place for those seeking inspiration, hope and healing of body, mind and spirit. We provide services to people from all walks of life, regardless of financial barriers.
 
These innovative bands that this Variety grant will be used to purchase can be combined with art, play and sand tray therapies to enhance EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) treatment, supporting children in their journey of healing from trauma. Our clinicians take a creative, whole-person approach to supporting children and adolescents. By integrating play, art, food, music, literature, time outdoors and physical movement, we help kids find their voice, process difficult emotions and move forward with strength and hope in their journey.

"We're so grateful to Variety for helping us bring more comfort and creativity into therapy; giving children the tools they need to heal and thrive." - Shannon Welch-Groves, Interim Executive Director & Director of Clinical Services

About Variety – the Children’s Charity of Iowa
Variety - the Children’s Charity is dedicated to improving the lives of children who are underprivileged, at-risk, critically ill, or living with special needs. Grant funding is provided to programs and initiatives that directly impact the well-being of children in our community.

For more information on Variety grants and programs please visit varietyiowa.com.
 
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Contact:
Heather Stuyvesant, Director of Development
Mind & Spirit Counseling Center
hstuyvesant@mindspiritcenter.org
515.274.4006