Insurance Accepted:
BCBS and UHC
Office Hours:
Monday: 9am-5pm
Tuesday: 8am-4pm
Thursday: 8am-4pm
Call for an appointment:
(515) 727-1338
Office Location:
Waukee
Education:
BA in Social Work, Missouri Western State; MA in Social Work at University of Kansas
Specialties:
Age 5-25. Children, adolescents, individual and family therapy, anxiety and mood disorders, behavior concerns, attachment concerns
Telehealth:
Telehealth Room Link
Biography
Ellen Crozier is a Licensed Independent Social Worker (LISW) who has been working with children and families in a professional setting for 10 years. Ellen earned her Bachelor’s Degree in Social Work at Missouri Western State University. She earned a Master’s Degree in Social Work at University of Kansas. At KU, Ellen participated in research focusing on asset building for low-income families. Ellen attended Gateway College of Evangelism in Florissant, Missouri for two years where she majored in Biblical Studies. She is also a Hope Corps graduate through Wilson University and participated in missionary trainings in New York City and Catania, Italy.
It was Ellen’s role at a community mental health center providing crisis intervention, assessments, and treatment planning with children and adolescents, that encouraged her to develop her clinical knowledge and work towards becoming a therapist. She also taught parenting classes to those developing or updating a custody plan, educating parents on unique developmental considerations for each child. Ellen then had the opportunity to pioneer a school-based therapy role in three rural school districts. Ellen worked with students of all ages and focused on supporting them with challenges such as inattention, anxiety, depression, identity concerns, self-harming, and anger. Ellen has experience using therapeutic modalities such as CBT and DBT and adapting them to various age groups.
Upon moving to Iowa in 2020, Ellen transitioned into a supervisory role at a community mental health agency. This role allowed her to provide clinical support and consultation to staff supporting about 300 children and adolescents and their parents. In this role, Ellen developed a passion for understanding attachment and became a Trust-Based Relational Intervention (TBRI) practitioner. This caregiving model focuses on supporting parents and their children in understanding attachment and developing skills to strengthen their connection. Ellen believes developing a partnership with children and adolescents, as well as their parents, is the best way to provide support for achieving their goals.
Therapist’s statement:
As a young Sunday school teacher and student social worker, I was drawn to work with children and adolescents. It was a blessing to work with children from various backgrounds and they often demonstrated behaviors I did not understand. It challenged me to learn different approaches to connect with them and I developed a desire to be a person who they could trust. I observed the importance of family, church, friends, school, and the community all working together to support the health and resiliency of young people and that informs my collaborative approach to therapy. I want to be a supporter in the treatment process instead of taking the lead. I genuinely appreciate the families who allow me to be a part of their journey.
I enjoy exploring near and far with my husband, beautiful daughter, and adorable son. Alaska is the most amazing place I have seen so far. We love to try new foods, check out festivals, and are on the constant search for the world’s best ice cream. We enjoy listening to history podcasts and playing board games with friends. We are active in our church and Sunday is my favorite day of the week.