Rein Center

Amy Rein, PhD, is a psychologist and the founder of Rein Center, an integrative psychiatry center based in Iowa City, Iowa. She has been practicing psychology for over 25 years in Vancouver, Miami, the Virgin Islands, and, most recently, Iowa City. She has offered a holistic approach to psychotherapy in both Canada and the US. Dr. Rein trained in many modalities of therapy, including psychodynamic and cognitive behavioral, but she also uses more experiential treatments, such as EMDR, for releasing patterns and traumas that are stuck and resistant to talk therapy. She has had many clients express a "WOW" when an issue that has haunted them for decades is released in a matter of hours. She also incorporates other modalities, including yoga, meditation, mindfulness, and a strong understanding of functional medicine, nutrition, naturopathy, and Chinese medicine, into her approach. In doing so, her clients tend to feel relief that they are receiving an integrated point of view that truly looks at them as a whole person rather than just their symptoms. Dr. Rein offers counseling and psychotherapy for treating depression, anxiety, insomnia, stress, trauma, PTSD, and stress-related illness, as well as couples counseling, marital therapy, and family therapy. She is trained as both an adult psychologist and a child / adolescent psychologist. Her approach to therapy is goal oriented and slightly directive. This means that it is rare to hear her just say, "hmm." She provides you with lots of psycho-educational information, feedback, and coping tools. She can help you to identify the root causes of your distress and heal them. She can also explain to you, from a psychological theoretical framework, what is going on, and she will also help you to understand from a more holistic viewpoint. Within the first couple of sessions, Dr. Rein provides insight into why you are feeling distressed and a treatment plan for how you will work together to bring about meaningful and lasting change. During therapy, she encourages clients to have a say in the work they will do together, and she guides them to be active in-between sessions to continue their therapeutic work through meditation, reading, or other activities such as yoga, exercise, journaling, and healthy eating. Dr. Rein also has some meditations recorded that will be available to you to help with anxiety, relaxation, mindfulness, chronic pain, and insomnia. Although the work they may do may be difficult at times, she enjoys having a laugh with her patients as they work on finding joy, happiness, and deeper meaning in their lives.

Thomas Mack, PhD, is a licensed psychologist at the Rein Center, an integrative psychiatry practice based in Iowa City, Iowa. He is a licensed clinical psychologist with a passion for mind-body wellness. Clinically, Dr. Mack is especially interested in working with patients experiencing anxiety, depression, learning differences, and relationship issues. He also enjoys teaching and will be offering mindfulness meditation in a group setting to help you tackle academic anxiety, performance anxiety, general anxiety, and mood concerns. Dr. Mack enjoys working with a wide range of ages and concerns. Although he specializes in working with adolescents and young adults, he also enjoys working with adults and families. His approach to individual therapy is integrative, but he is heavily influenced by mind-body, psychodynamic, and systems theories. In practice, this means Dr. Mack strives to understand your difficulties, concerns, and questions as you see them and work hard to move you toward your goals in a safe, collaborative, and egalitarian environment.

Sandra (she/her) has a Bachelors Degree in Child Development at Central Michigan University and a Masters of Clinical Mental Health Counseling from Capella University. Sandra engages in attachment therapy, trauma healing, family systems & parts work, somatic reprocessing, integration through play and subtle shifts. She has over a decade of experience working in nature based settings orienting people back to play and connection with the natural world, using these as a pathway toward symbiosis, resilience through hardship, and attachment to love and belonging. Her outlook is to find wonderment in the simple nuances of life, to notice the interplay of light and shadow, and to explore metaphorical wisdom unlocked by the medicine. She hopes this teaches all of us how we can rest at home in our bodies, be at peace with ourselves while also moving our energy out into the world to create the life we want.

Christina Couch, PsyD, is a licensed psychologist practicing at Rein Center, an integrativepsychiatry practice based in Iowa City, Iowa. She has been a clinical psychologist for 23 years, and her focus has been on working with women with depression, anxiety, trauma, life transition issues, relationship issues, and individuals of the LGBTQIA+ community. Dr. Couch earned her Bachelor of Arts from Luther College, where she majored in psychology and business. She then earned a Master of Arts degree in rehabilitative counseling from the University of Iowa before earning a Master of Arts in clinical psychology and a Doctor of Psychology from the Illinois School of Professional Psychology. Dr. Couch uses Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and the therapeutic relationship to assist clients with improving their mental health, making positive changes, healing, and striving to be their most authentic selves. She values the mind-body-spiritual connection and incorporates this into her practice. She is a Certified Daring Way™ Facilitator (CDWF) trained in the work/research of Brene Brown, PhD. Her pronouns are she, her, and hers.

Kari Finnegan, PhD, is a licensed psychologist at the Rein Center, an integrative psychiatry practice based in Iowa City, Iowa. She is also an avid yogi who is excited to practice in a setting that embraces the mind-body connection. Dr. Finnegan strives to create a safe, transparent, and empowering environment in which you and her work towards making changes that will bring you closer to a satisfying and fulfilling life. She uses a strengths-based, collaborative approach to help each client feel empowered, develop insight and improve their quality of life. Dr. Finnegan enjoys working with various clients and needs, including those experiencing depression, anxiety, gender, sexuality, grief/loss, trauma, and more. She prefers to view the therapy relationship as collaborative and egalitarian. Being from a military family, Dr. Finnegan has always enjoyed working with veterans and their families. She is personally interested and invested in physical health and well-being, and as much as clients are interested, she likes to incorporate such a focus into her therapeutic work. Dr. Finnegan received clinical training primarily through VA clinics, medical centers, universities, and private practice. Her practice includes both individual therapy and cognitive assessment (e.g., ADHD and learning disorder evaluations, DDS evaluations, etc.) for adolescents and adults.

Shannon Breitenstein, LMHC, is a licensed mental health counselor at Rein Center, an integrative psychiatry practice based in Iowa City, Iowa. Feeling heard and understood is an important part of relationships, including the relationship with your therapist. Being supported and connected while navigating difficulties and/or life choices will be a part of improving your emotional health, healing, and empowerment. Shannon enjoys being a part of this process while someone is finding their way through life events and believe in working collaboratively on solving challenges. She works with adults, children (ages 5+), couples, and families. She is very familiar with working with those in the LGBTQ+ community. She has worked with children and families for 25 years, returning to school to become a therapist in 2016. Shannon routinely uses treatment modalities that include MBCBT, CBT, DBT, EFT, and ACT techniques, all within a person-centered context. Her areas of focus include anxiety, depression, ADHD, self-esteem issues, relationship challenges, life transitions, grief counseling, stress, anger management, parenting difficulties, and coping skills. She loves her work and life outside of work which includes spending time with her family, enjoying outdoor activities, baking, and nurturing her many plants.

Tonya Boots, LMHC, is a licensed mental health counselor at Rein Center, an integrative psychiatry practice based in Iowa City, Iowa. Tonya decided to become a therapist because she enjoys helping people and has a natural ability to listen and empathize with others. Tonya graduated with her bachelor's degree from St. Ambrose University and earned her master's degree in clinical mental health counseling at Loyola University Chicago. During her studies, she assisted with published research projects that addressed social justice issues and became very passionate about helping adolescents who experienced chronic and big "T" traumas. She completed her clinical training at an inpatient psychiatric hospital in Chicago that specialized in treating PTSD. After graduating from Loyola, she worked at an adolescent group home in Indianapolis, where she gained valuable experience with crisis de-escalation and helping children and families involved in the welfare system. Many of her early experiences pushed her toward utilizing somatic psychotherapy interventions such as yoga, meditation, guided imagery, and deep breathing to effectively release tension and stress in the body caused by trauma. Inviting her clients to move intuitively and genuinely do what feels good tends to increase awareness of their feelings and bodily sensations and gain a sense of control and ownership over their physical bodies.

Tabatha Sik, LISW, is a licensed independent social worker at the Rein Center, an integrative psychiatry practice based in Iowa City, Iowa. She has a passion for learning and incorporating various techniques into her treatment approach. Ever since childhood, Tabatha has enjoyed helping others. As she grew older, she became fascinated by people's stories and loved hearing about their life experiences. She soon realized that her heart was leading her to become a therapist. Tabatha earned her Bachelor of Arts in social work and English. She then pursued her Master of Social Work at Baylor University. Since her time at Baylor, she's worked at a community health center and in private practice, seeing clients with all sorts of different life experiences. Tabatha has also received her teaching certification and was a teacher before joining Rein Center. Tabatha specializes in helping patients who are experiencing adjustment difficulties, adoption-related issues, anxiety, depression, grief and loss, job-related stress, chronic medical conditions, and trauma and PTSD. Tabatha is trained in cognitive behavioral therapy, cognitive processing therapy (for trauma), dialectical behavioral therapy, motivational interviewing, solution-focused therapy, and trauma-informed care.

Kara Whalen, PA-C, is a certified physician assistant at the Rein Center, an integrative psychiatry practice based in Iowa City, Iowa. Kara graduated from the University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine with a Master of Science in Physician Assistant Studies in 2013. Afterward, she completed a 12-month psychiatry fellowship at the University of Iowa Hospital and Clinics. Throughout her career, Kara has had the opportunity to work in a variety of settings, including inpatient, emergency psychiatry, crisis stabilization, outpatient clinic, and developmental disabilities programming. She has eagerly worked with family practice providers and therapists to improve patient outcomes. Kara was first introduced to psychiatry while spending a year abroad as an exchange student in France. Her host father was a psychiatrist and gave her a tour of an inpatient facility. He explained that his primary goal was to reduce the patient's disabling symptoms in order to obtain a life worth living. She was instantly intrigued and has been inspired ever since.

Kate Freese, LISW, is a licensed independent social worker at the Rein Center, an integrative psychiatry practice based in Iowa City, Iowa. She has been a social worker for 26 years and a psychotherapist for the last five years. She has practiced her whole career in Iowa and has been fortunate to work with diverse populations practicing primarily in the Storm Lake, Iowa, area. Kate finished her coursework for her Ph.D. in psychoanalytic psychotherapy and will be starting work on her dissertation in the fall of 2020. Kate has four years of intensive training in psychoanalytic psychotherapy from The Institute for Clinical Social Work in Chicago, Illinois. She is trained in other modalities of therapy, including dialectical behavioral therapy (DBT), eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR), cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), seeking safety, and motivational interviewing (MI). She also incorporates mindfulness, nutrition, spirituality, and exercise into her treatment approach. Kate views people as whole beings who must be treated as such. Her psychoanalytic perspective means that she is very interested in early life and how it impacts current relationships and daily functioning. She believes that the insights gained by one individual are much more powerful than those given by another. Kate offers psychotherapy for treating trauma, anxiety, depression, stress, PTSD, and personality disorders. She is highly skilled in the treatment of personality disorders, both for those diagnosed and for family members navigating how to best support their loved ones. Her psychoanalytic perspective allows her to understand past relationship patterns and how those patterns affect the now.

Shelly Hsiao, PA-C, CAQ-Psych, is a certified physician assistant at the Rein Center, an integrative psychiatry practice based in Iowa City, Iowa. She is passionate about incorporating both the client's mind and body (through nutrition, exercise, and mindfulness) wellness into her psychiatry practice. Shelly earned her Bachelor of Arts in Biochemistry from Mount Holyoke College in South Hadley, Massachusetts. She then went on to earn her Master of Physician Assistant Studies at the University of Iowa. She completed her Psychiatry fellowship at the University of Iowa. Shelly has experience treating depression, anxiety, ADHD, insomnia, OCD, bipolar disorder, borderline personality disorder, and perinatal mental health. She treats adults, children, and adolescent populations. She has taught STEPPS (Systems Training for Emotional Predictability and Problem Solving), which is a highly effective treatment for individuals with borderline personality disorder. Shelly is originally from California but now lives in Iowa City with her family. Outside of the office, she enjoys gardening, traveling, playing in the community string orchestra, visiting her large family, and eating different cuisines

We as humans need relief from feeling separate in our experiences. The simple truth is that for therapy to work you have to feel safe with me (in terms of being honest and open) to allow me into your process. We will be a great fit if you are wanting to look inward and learn to create safety with yourself and if you are open to challenging your discomfort, growing esteem in SELF, and finding healing. Bring your honesty because the plan is for you to integrate what you learn in the session into your life. I offer a safe space and patience for healing. From 10-plus years of experience with therapy, I have found that we can build a gentler, more tolerant way of residing with conflict and pain. We can also re-learn practices that get us back to fully living rather than feeling like we are stuck in our trauma. I work with individuals and couples struggling with strong self-critical narratives, some need help with self-harm (cutting, binge/purge cycles, addictions), others with difficulty regulating emotions, as well as relational infidelity and healing thereafter. Most of us have internal conflicts that are difficult to sort out and difficult to understand how to navigate. Areas of expertise include Women’s and Men’s issues, Couples/ Family/Individual therapy (LGBTQ inclusive in all categories of therapy). Trauma in many forms, Depression and anxiety, ADHD, Bipolar disorder, acute stress and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, and personality disorders. I am well versed in Emotionally Focused Couples Therapy and Internal Family Systems and find these approaches to be incredibly powerful for unleashing the full potential of one's being.

Kim Kinnaird, PsyD, is a licensed clinical psychologist at Rein Center, an integrative psychiatry practice based in Iowa City, Iowa. She works with patients of all ages. Dr. Kinnaird earned her Bachelor of Arts in music therapy from East Carolina University in Greenville, North Carolina. She then earned her Master of Arts in clinical psychology and Doctor of Clinical Psychiatry from the Wright Institute in Berkeley, California. She completed her pre-doctoral internship at the Psychological Service Center in Fresno, California, and her postdoctoral fellowship at Napa State Hospital in Napa, California. She encourages clients to express themselves in a variety of ways and to think differently about themselves and their thoughts. Doing so can enhance the therapeutic process as well as expand problem-solving skills. As influential psychologist, Dr. Donald Winnicott put it, "It is only in being creative that the individual discovers the self and uses the whole personality." Dr. Kinnaird particularly enjoys helping those experiencing symptoms of depression and/or anxiety. She deeply believes in the importance of a client's individual freedom and values, as well as the importance of understanding those values in a social context. In her practice, she fosters an environment of trust where clients can safely discuss difficult thoughts and feelings. With this solid foundation in place, she helps patients identify problem patterns and guide them to changes that will make them feel better.

I am a mental health counselor working with clients who want to improve their understanding of themselves and the world around them. I work with individuals 18 years old or older experiencing, but not limited to, anxiety, relationship challenges, life balance, self-esteem, and personality disorders. I provide an explorative and skillful space to learn how to regulate emotions, reduce negative self-talk, identify and express emotions, maintain and improve relationships, and incorporate balance and meaning into everyday life. I am trained to approach these topics using CBT, DBT, Art Therapy, and Strength-Based exploration to enhance client's understanding of themself, find healing, and reduce conflict. Beginning therapy can be a daunting journey, and I commend you for taking the first step. Seeking therapy is a sign of courage and strength to take charge and create the life that you deserve. So consider this your permission to try therapy, even if your life is going okay. Your future self may just thank you.