Biography
Dr. Jeff Kerber has been a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist in Iowa since 1995. He earned a PhD in Human Development and Family Studies with a clinical specialization in Marriage and Family Therapy from Iowa State University. He holds a Master’s of Science degree in Marriage and Family Therapy from the University of Wisconsin–Stout and a Bachelor of Arts degree from St. Olaf College majoring in both psychology and religion.
Jeff has lived in the Des Moines area since 1993. He has experience in clinical settings which include private practice, employee assistance work (3M, UnityPoint Health), in-home family therapy, and residential therapy with youth/families, in addition to his decades of practice in hospital based mental health care. Following five years of inpatient and outpatient clinical work at Broadlawns Medical Center, he joined UnityPoint Health Des Moines as a Senior Therapist with their Counseling Centers behavioral health team. Jeff remained at UnityPoint for 21 years as a clinician and then during the last half of his tenure he managed their outpatient mental health clinic and services. During his time with UnityPoint, he led their efforts to develop improved access to mental health care in schools and the integration of behavioral health within primary care clinics. More recently, Jeff served as the Director for the Division of Behavioral Health at the Iowa Department of Public Health.
Dr. Kerber was the first Executive Director for the Iowa Association for Marriage and Family Therapy. He served in that role for nine years from 1996-2005, supporting the development of the MFT profession. He continued to support the profession through a Governor’s appointment to the Board of Behavioral Science Examiners, serving two terms on the professional licensure board for Mental Health Counselors and Marriage and Family Therapists. Jeff was also appointed by the Iowa Board of Medicine to serve as a committee member of the Iowa Physician Health Committee, supporting physicians struggling with personal impairments that could compromise their ability to safely practice medicine.
Therapist Statement
In my view, effective therapy is about relationships and results. From the beginning we know ourselves through the lens of our relationships: we are someone’s son or daughter, a sibling, a friend, a parent, a spouse. Our health in physical, emotional and spiritual terms is powerfully influenced by the quality of our connections with others. Those connections literally impact the development of our brain, our perspective and our growth as individuals, couples, and families.
While counseling must start with a trusting, clear, and comfortable relationship with the therapist, that is only the start. Results matter. People enter counseling for a variety of reasons, and the therapist uses his or her personal and professional resources (training, experience and judgment) to help, heal, and improve their clients’ lives. In fact, over years of clinical experience, I have learned some of the most meaningful lessons about therapy from my clients. My approach is respectful, relational, and focused on results. It is a privilege to be a therapist, to be a witness to people’s lives, and to be a part of their journey.
You also have every right to know about me and/or my journey. The short version, I’ve been married for over 20 years, have three children (two sons and a daughter), two dogs (a black lab and yellow lab), played baseball through college, love to exercise, and begin everyday with prayer. If and when we meet, I will be happy to share more and answer questions if you have them.