New Hope Healing

02/04/2026

🌟 Meet the Team Spotlight

👋 Meet Karla Vaquerano Willis, LMSW. Karla is one of the compassionate clinicians at New Hope Healing!

Karla is deeply passionate about supporting clients navigating mental health concerns related to immigration and acculturation.

✨ Therapy Philosophy “I believe that therapy is a place where healing can happen.”

👇 A few fun facts about Karla
🌿 How they relax: Getting snug as a bug in a rug while watching a show with family or reading a few chapters of a good book.
📚 Fictional character they relate to most: Princess Leia –– a take-charge baddie who handles business and knows when to ask for help. We love that.
😊 Current joy: Reading Denise Williams, a local DSM author who writes realistic heroines that always make me smile.
📝 Favorite mantra: “The ones who have a voice must speak for those who are voiceless.” — St. Oscar Romero

We’re so grateful to have Karla as part of our team and for the care they bring to our community.

📍 Immediate availability for in-person sessions (Clive office) and telehealth.
🔗 Learn more: https://www.new-hope-healing.com/karla-vaquerano-willis

01/20/2026

🌟 Meet the Team Spotlight

👋 Meet Annie Chuang, LMSW. Annie is one of the compassionate clinicians at New Hope Healing!

Annie is deeply passionate about supporting clients through life transitions, identity exploration (racial/ethnic and gender/sexual identity), anxiety, and depression.

✨ Therapy Philosophy
“I believe that therapy is a place where you can be your authentic self without judgment.”

A few fun facts about Annie 👇
🌿 How they relax: Going on long walks with her dog while listening to a podcast/audio book
😊 Current joy: Discovering new music by Bruno Mars
📝 Favorite mantra: “The curious paradox is that when I accept myself just as I am, then I can change.”

We’re so grateful to have Annie as part of our team and for the care they bring to our community.

📍 Immediate availability for in-person sessions (Clive office) and telehealth.
🔗 Learn more: https://www.new-hope-healing.com/annie-chuang

01/16/2026

This week’s blog explores Polyvagal Theory—how your nervous system shapes the way you experience safety, stress, shutdown, and connection. Through real-life examples, we look at:
• Why internal safety matters more than “doing more”
• The three nervous system states we move through every day
• How compassion (not self-criticism) helps us heal
• Simple practices to befriend your nervous system

Healing isn’t about perfection—it’s about inner safety and attunement.

👉 Read the full blog to explore how your nervous system is always working for you:

Explore Polyvagal Theory through real-life examples, nervous system states, neuroception, co-regulation, and practices for building inner safety and resilience.

01/15/2026

Embracing Winter...Kara Richard, LMSW, shares how her "sun-loving self" is learning to appreciate the season.

Winter can be a difficult season to embrace. Kara Richard, LMSW, leads us into how we might think about winter differently, as a season with its own gifts.

01/15/2026

✨ Now Offering Massage Therapy at New Hope Healing ✨

We’re excited to share that New Hope Healing now offers massage therapy services through New Hope Physical Therapy & Myofascial Release!

This specialized, gentle form of massage therapy focuses on releasing restrictions in the fascia—the connective tissue that can hold physical tension and emotional stress, especially following trauma. Myofascial release supports nervous system regulation, pain reduction, and improved mobility, making it a powerful complement to counseling and mental health therapy.

💆‍♀️ Why Myofascial Release?
✔ Supports healing from trauma and chronic stress
✔ Helps release physical and emotional tension held in the body
✔ Enhances the benefits of counseling and therapy
✔ Promotes nervous system regulation
✔ Gentle, respectful, client-centered care

🌱 Integrated, Whole-Person Healing
As a branch of New Hope Healing, our physical therapy and myofascial release services are designed to work alongside mental health therapy—supporting deeper, more sustainable healing beyond talk therapy alone.

💳 Insurance and private pay available
📄 No referral needed for private insurance

Healing happens in the body and the mind—we’re honored to support both. 💙

Welcome to New Hope Physical Therapy & Myofascial ReleaseComprehensive Physical Therapy Solutions & Myofascial Release Healing the Body, Supporting the Nervous System About us. At New Hope Physical Therapy and Myofascial Release, we provide trauma-informed physical therapy and specialized bodywork f...

01/12/2026

🌟 Meet the Team Spotlight 🌟

Meet Emma Mraz, TLMHC. Emma is one of the compassionate clinicians at New Hope Healing!

Emma is deeply passionate about working with all forms of trauma (racial, complex, emotional, physical, sexual, and more), family concerns, generalized anxiety, and supporting the LGBTQ+ community.

✨ Therapy Philosophy
“I believe that therapy is a place where you can go to gain a deeper understanding of yourself and your lived experiences.”

A few fun facts about Emma 👇
🎬 Fictional character they relate to: Riley (Inside Out)
🌿 How they relax: Puppy cuddles or long walks
😊 Current joy: Reading
📝 Favorite mantra: “You are a human being, not a human doing — your worth is inherent.”

We’re so grateful to have Emma on our team and for the warmth, insight, and care they bring to our community.

📍 Immediate availability for in-person sessions (West Des Moines office) and telehealth.
🔗 Learn more: https://www.new-hope-healing.com/emma-mraz

01/10/2026

As we start this new year, we invite you to think not about resolutions, but about routines that nurture your soul. Kara Richard, our own therapist, shares her own experience with finding her rhythm in a candid and inspiring way.

Learn how routines can nurture your soul and heal your wounds

01/10/2026

The way we talk to our children matters. Learn about how making the subtle shift from praise to encouragement can help our children develop confidence that lasts. Plus, Alyssa Schott is our very own play therapist, and she is a great read.

Learn about the difference between praise and encouragement and why it matters!

01/10/2026

Sometimes our preschoolers need a little extra support learning about emotions and how to cope! Check out our blog by our own child-centered play therapist, Alyssa Schott!

Learn more about how your own preschooler can benefit from child led play therapy

12/31/2025

🧠 Wellness Wednesday: The 5-4-3-2-1 Grounding Technique

When anxiety or stress spikes, your mind runs ahead, but your body is right here. Somatic Grounding uses your five senses to anchor you firmly in the present moment, interrupting the cycle of anxious thoughts.

📌 This week, try the 5-4-3-2-1 Technique whenever you feel overwhelmed, overwhelmed, or distracted:

5️⃣ Name five things you can SEE. (The clock, a crack in the wall, the color of your shirt.)

4️⃣ Name four things you can FEEL. (Your feet on the floor, the texture of your sweater, the chair supporting you.)

3️⃣ Name three things you can HEAR. (A car outside, humming lights, your own breathing.)

2️⃣ Name two things you can SMELL. (Coffee, soap on your hands, clean air.)

1️⃣ Name one thing you can TASTE. (Gum, water, or just the feeling of your mouth.)

12/28/2025

We are excited for a new virtual teen DBT group starting January 21st for 6 weeks on Wednesday afternoons! Peyton Milstead is wonderful with teens (14-18) and will teach a variety of skills for teens to manage and cope with stress and confusing feelings.

12/17/2025

🚨 MYTH VS. FACT: Who is Therapy For?

❌ MYTH: Therapy is only for people with severe trauma or a diagnosed mental illness.

✔️ FACT: Therapy is for anyone seeking growth, clarity, or better coping skills.

Think of it like this: You don't wait for your teeth to rot to see a dentist, and you don't wait for a mental breakdown to see a therapist.

📌 Therapy is preventative, not just reactive. You can benefit from counseling to:
✨ Navigate a tough life transition (new job, moving, breakup).
✨ Improve communication in relationships.
✨ Manage everyday stress and anxiety.
✨ Gain deeper self-awareness.

You are worthy of support, no matter the size of the challenge.