SOUTHWESTERN COMMUNITY COLLEGE
ONLINE COUNSELING WITH SYNERGY ETHERAPY
Synergy eTherapy Welcomes SWCC Students!
Thank you for taking the first steps towards improving your overall mental health and well-being!
We are delighted that you are taking advantage of 6 sessions paid for by SWCC.
We have three amazing Iowa therapists here to help you achieve your goals! You can receive a 45-min phone or video eTherapy session with one of our eTherapists:
**Emili Lair is licensed in IA and MN as a mental health counselor. She has extensive experience working with college students in counseling centers in the past and has expertise in anxiety/stress, grief/loss and emotional regulation. She has a variety of daytime options during the week. *EMILI IS CURRENTLY NOT TAKING NEW CLIENTS*
**Jonathan Levin is a licensed social worker in IA and PA. He has worked with teens and young adults for decades to help build coping skills for anxiety/depression and other life stressors. He has a variety of daytime options during the week and also offers weekend/Sunday options.
**Nikki Arthur is a marriage and family therapist and licensed in MN and IA. She also has extensive expertise working with the college-aged population and helps students find ways to cope with anxiety/depression or other life circumstances that are causing distress at this time. She has a variety of daytime options during the week.
**Please complete the contact form below and the calendar will pop up for you to schedule. Please make sure you are scheduling with the therapist of your choosing (Emili Lair, Jonathan Levin, or Nikki Arthur).
IS ONLINE THERAPY RIGHT FOR ME?
Are you struggling with a negative mood, feeling overwhelmed, irritable or anxious, or just having a hard time adjusting to college life? Are your relationships suffering? Has work and/or family life become so stressful and you wonder how you’ll manage?
It’s very stressful to be a college student these days. So much is happening in your world! Together, you and your therapist with Synergy eTherapy will address how you can feel better in your body, have balance in your thoughts, & wellness in your spirit. We will give you space to address what is important to you and help you learn effective skills to cope so you can feel more empowered in your everyday life.
Learn more about our therapists ready to support you!!
ABOUT EMILI LAIR
Emili is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC) in the state of Iowa and a Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor (LPCC) in the state of Minnesota. Emili received her Bachelor of Arts Degree in Art with a minor in Religion from Cornell College in Mount Vernon, Iowa. Emili went on to complete her Master of Education degree (M.Ed.) in Educational Leadership and Policy Studies, as well as a Community College Teaching Certificate, from Iowa State University in Ames, Iowa.
She worked with college students at a private university for three years as a student affairs professional. During that time, Emili found her passion for working with individuals in one-on-one and small group interactions during this transitional stage of life, as well as through high stress and crisis situations.
The importance of mental health and wellness was very apparent working in the university setting with students at various stages of their college careers and coming from diverse backgrounds. During this stage of her professional career, she was a member of the Iowa Student Personnel Association (ISPA) and served as the chairperson one year for the ISPA Annual Conference. She was trained in Fierce Conversations and became certified as the highest level Fierce Conversations facilitator.
Emili paused her professional career in higher education to return to complete her Master of Arts degree (M.A.) in Clinical Mental Health Counseling at The University of South Dakota in Vermillion, South Dakota (CACREP accredited).
She completed her counseling internship in a faith-based, college counseling center. Emili’s first professional experience was through SAMSA’s Project AWARE grant providing therapy in a school-based setting. She has gained experience teaching as an adjunct professor at a community college.
Most recently, Emili worked in a community mental health agency providing therapy to adolescents, adults of all ages, and couples for nearly five years. In addition to her work as a therapist, Emili has worked part-time providing crisis services to individuals and families struggling with mental health crises. Agriculture has been part of Emili’s life since childhood, and she is also passionate about providing access to mental health care in rural, agricultural communities.
She has experience treating individuals struggling with anxiety disorders, all severities of depression, employment issues, chronic health issues, relationship distress, as well post-traumatic stress disorder.
Emili is most passionate about helping individuals struggling to cope with the complexities of grief and loss of all forms, including those struggling to understand the most unimaginable tragedies in life. Emili has also uncovered her interest in the challenge of providing couple’s counseling to partners wanting to improve communication, addressing ongoing conflict and/or betrayal in relationships, and experiencing new stages of life together.
When you work with Emili, you will find that she utilizes an integrative approach to therapy that starts and ends with person-centered care. Influenced by Carl Rogers, Emili strives to utilize the person-centered approach by focusing on unconditional positive regard, congruence, and empathy. Emili is interested in getting to know you and understanding life through your perspective.
She will often incorporate psychoeducation, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Motivational Interviewing (MI), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), and/or Gottman Methods for couples. She is in the process of completing the first two levels of Gottman Training. Emili has additional training in Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACES), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Seeking Safety, and Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT). She also values the use of mindfulness, humor, creativity and music in therapy.
Beyond her professional work, Emili can be found investing into her family relationships, playing with her dog, going to the beach (or dreaming of it all winter long), practicing her cooking skills, reading to unwind her mind, working on passion projects, listening to music or podcasts, and laughing.
Emili is currently a member of the American Counseling Association (ACA) and the Iowa Mental Health Counselors Association (IMHCA).
ACA Code of Ethics https://www.counseling.org/resources/aca-code-of-ethics.pdf
ABOUT JONATHAN LEVIN
Jonathan Levin is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) in the state of Pennsylvania and Iowa. Jonathan received his Bachelor’s Degree from The University of Michigan in 1991. He later went on to get his Masters of Social Work from The University of Illinois at Chicago in 1998.
Jonathan has a wide variety of clinical experiences and works with all ages from children to adults. Jonathan has over 20 years of experience in a variety of settings including online, schools, and mental health agencies. He has worked with the elderly in poverty-stricken areas of Chicago to a School Social Worker with students struggling from emotional dysregulation. He has broad training using a combination of CBT (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy), Mindfulness, Psychodynamic, Narrative Therapy and Family Systems. He uses these counseling approaches to better his client’s positive outcomes throughout therapy.
Jonathan has had his own private practice for the last 14 years. And, he has been exclusively seeing clients online for the last six years. He works online in private practice with students who attend online schools in Pennsylvania. He provides students with emotional and behavioral support. His clinical style with teens and families has been widely recognized by his medical colleagues. Because he takes a unique approach and has the ability to engage with them with compassion and empathy. Ultimately, he works with them to help them achieve their mental wellness goals.
ABOUT NIKKI ARTHUR
Nikki Arthur holds a Master’s degree in Professional Counseling & Marriage and Family Therapy from The Minnesota School of Professional Psychology at Argosy University. She has over two decades of experience in the mental health field; the last fifteen years providing therapeutic services to individuals & couples. Nikki is licensed in both Iowa and Minnesota.
Nikki works most effectively with people who are open to increasing their connection with mind and body and a willingness to address this connection through mindfulness practices. Mindfulness is defined by Jon Kabat Zinn as “paying attention in a particular way: on purpose, in the present moment, and non-judgmentally.”
Nikki believes utilizing mindfulness can allow clients to fully explore their emotions through the lenses of curiosity and compassion which can lead to decreased suffering and ease in dealing with the stressors that life inevitably brings. Mindfulness also appeals to Nikki’s background in research as mindfulness continues to show effectiveness in treating a variety of clinical concerns including, but not limited to, anxiety, recurrent depression, chronic pain, and ADHD.
Nikki’s approach to therapy is systemic, collaborative and strength-based. In addition to mindfulness, her work is informed by Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), Polyvagal Theory and the latest neuroscience research. Nikki utilizes these methods to increase her clients’ ability to experience their thoughts and feelings with openness and non-judgment, while practicing self-compassion.
Nikki’s special interests include working with individuals & couples struggling with depression, anxiety, parenting concerns, family/couple conflict and wellness/stress management. She provides her clients with a safe and supportive space to explore their concerns, while working collaboratively with clients so they feel the empowerment that comes from accessing their best self.
In her free time, Nikki enjoys spending time with her husband, her children and their dog, Bella. She also loves to read, meditate, bake with her daughters, go for walks, and listen to music.
Nikki Arthur, LMFT: Minnesota License#: 1611, Iowa License#: 091101
“The healing comes from letting there be room for all of this to happen; room for grief, for relief, for misery, for joy.” – Pema Chodron
Professional Membership: American Association of Marriage and Family Therapy – Clinical Member
Marriage and Family Therapy Bill of Rights Bill of Rights Download
OTHER MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES AT SYNERGY ETHERAPY
As an eTherapy practice, our mission is to offer a variety of online therapy services to help you focus on you. We take the stress out of getting the treatment you deserve with our flexible, convenient, and easy to use counseling services. We offer online therapy in several states including Iowa, Wisconsin, New York, South Carolina, Kansas, California, Maine, Colorado, Illinois, Florida, and Georgia, and we new states added to our list on a regular basis. Depending on the therapist you see, we can offer help with anxiety, trauma, depression, substance abuse, medical conditions, and more. Our therapists help teens, college students, adults, and couples. Also, our online psychiatrists are able to offer psychiatric medication management in some locations. Learn more about the cost of online therapy from our cost of investment page. Getting mental health support doesn’t have to be hard. Online therapy may be the answer you’ve been looking for.
