Biography
Bill Fitzgerald holds a Master’s Degree in Mental Health Counseling from Upper Iowa University along with an MBA from Southern Methodist is Dallas and a Master’s in Engineering from Iowa State University. He holds a temporary license in Mental Health Counseling.
Prior to entering the counseling field, Bill spent 45 years working as an engineer and business leader for Fisher Controls in Marshalltown, Iowa. He has traveled extensively and speaks French fluently.
Bill’s areas of interest include:
- Relationships: Marriage and couples, singleness, infidelity, pre-marital counseling)
- Growth and fulfillment: Self-image, life transitions, work and career, goal setting, and personal growth
- Family and parenting, including blended families
- Addiction: Substance abuse, pornography, and gambling
Therapist’s Statement
After retiring from that career, I felt the need to find a way to give back to my community and, because of my life experiences and background, counseling was a natural fit to bring my calm and pragmatic approach into my counseling relationships.
I have naturally gravitated towards Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) coupled with mindfulness, but utilize other approaches to best fit the needs of the clients I serve. I have found that CBT can be beneficial in dealing with many issues including addiction, depression, and anxiety. I also frequently utilize Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) with CBT, which has a significant body of research providing evidence of benefiting those who struggling with depressed mood, pain disorders, and anxiety.
I focus much of my work on couples, including betrayal of trust, and I rely on CBT and the Gottman approach. I believe these tools will provide great benefit, along with my own experience and wisdom in understanding the ups and downs of relationships with kids, grandkids, and blended families. Lastly, because of my past management experience, I have been able to assist some of my clients and couples with career planning, financial planning, addiction, and other common challenges that commonly confront individuals and couples.
I live with my wife outside of Des Moines, and we are fortunate to have children and grandchildren who live close so that we can be part of their lives. I enjoy music of all kinds, travel and sports, including tennis and racquetball.