As mental health needs continue to rise across Siouxland, Heartland Counseling Services is expanding its capacity to serve the community in deeper, more specialized ways. One of the most meaningful steps in that effort came this January, when Dr. Steve Westby joined the Heartland team.
Dr. Westby has worked as a psychologist in Nebraska for more than 20 years, supporting individuals and families through a wide range of emotional, developmental, and behavioral challenges. His approach centers on understanding a person’s whole story—not just assigning a diagnosis—and helping individuals uncover insights, clarity, and the next steps for healing.
Bringing Therapeutic Testing to the Nebraska Side of Siouxland
One of the most significant gaps Dr. Westby helps fill is the lack of a therapeutic approach to psychological testing. While some traditional approaches view testing primarily as gathering information or assigning a diagnosis, Dr. Westby’s approach uses testing to provide a therapeutic or healing experience. When people feel lost, misunderstood, or unsure how to move forward in their therapy, Dr. Westby’s approach uses the evaluation process to help them understand why they feel the way they do and what might be keeping them “stuck.”
This service is especially meaningful for children, teens, and adults who’ve struggled to find answers in traditional care settings. By expanding testing availability, Heartland is helping more families get the clarity and support they’ve long needed — right here in Siouxland.
Supporting Emotional Healing Through Internal Family Systems
Dr. Westby is also Level 3 trained in Internal Family Systems (IFS), a therapy model that helps people explore the different emotional “parts” within themselves. For many Siouxland residents trying to understand intense feelings, internal conflicts, or long-standing patterns, this approach offers a compassionate and effective path toward healing.
Adding IFS to Heartland’s services gives community members access to a well-researched therapeutic model that previously has not been widely available in our region.
Improving Access to Autism Spectrum Evaluations
Across Siouxland, families often face long wait times and limited options when seeking evaluations for an Autism Spectrum Disorder. Heartland is working to change that. With Dr. Westby’s experience in assessing for the presence of autism, the organization is expanding timely access to evaluations — and importantly, Medicaid is accepted, reducing financial barriers that often prevent families from seeking answers.
This addition supports children, adolescents, and adults who may have gone years without understanding their strengths, needs, or the reasons certain challenges have been so complex.
A Community-Focused Approach
What makes Dr. Westby’s arrival meaningful isn’t just his clinical skill — it’s how directly his work responds to real needs in the Siouxland area. From helping individuals who have felt stuck in therapy, to guiding families through the complexities of developmental questions, to offering trauma-informed, compassionate care, his work strengthens the broader community as much as it supports each person who walks through Heartland’s doors.
Heartland Counseling Services remains committed to making mental health support accessible for all. With the addition of Dr. Westby and the expansion of specialized services, Heartland continues to build a network of care that reflects the needs, diversity, and resilience of Siouxland itself.
