Trisha Maulson Dean, LMFT, RPT

Based in our North Liberty office.

Pronouns: she/hers

Introduction

All of us are shaped and molded by our families and early communities—they are some of the most powerful and influential forces on us. They shape our ideas of who we are, the ways we manage the challenges of life, and our self-esteem. So, when a family is struggling, every member is affected, with the youngest members often having the fewest skills to cope.

Trisha Dean is a licensed marriage and family therapist who works with individuals and groups, particularly with children, adolescents, and couples. She helps people cope with a wide range of challenges, including anxiety, depression, ADHD, ODD, conduct disorder, bipolar disorder, adjustment disorder, autism spectrum disorder, and behavioral concerns. For just about any behavioral health challenge, exploring how family history and our everyday environment shape us can illuminate a path toward new coping strategies and improved health.

The work Trisha does with families takes many forms:

• For young people living at home, Trisha can work with other family members to strengthen relationships and develop healthy communication, conflict resolution, and boundary management skills.

• College students and young adults developing their independent lives and identities may explore how to separate healthily from their families, care for their mental health, and deepen their interpersonal skills.

• Couples may explore how their individual family histories affect their work to create a new partnership and family system with one another.  

No matter what challenges a client wishes to address, Trisha takes a collaborative and individualized approach that makes the most of each person’s unique strengths. She works with each person to discover the therapeutic approach that works best for them, drawing on her training and experience with narrative, mindfulness, cognitive behavior therapy, play therapy, solution-focused, trauma-informed, and other approaches.

Play Therapy Specialization

Trisha’s early career focused on working with teens. She often found herself wishing her adolescent clients could have had the opportunity to learn certain skills much earlier in their lives, believing that doing so could have lessened many of the difficulties they came to face as teens. This led her to seek opportunities to work with younger children and their families.

She says, “Play is the language kids use. They show us rather than tell us about their feelings and experiences.”  When Trisha and her younger clients communicate via play therapy, it provides an effective, age-appropriate way for her to teach them skills that help them navigate their challenges.

Since there are not many preventative behavioral health programs for young people, Trisha believes it can be helpful to start therapy and learning earlier in life, to encourage resiliency and help children learn to cope better with trauma.

License, Education & Memberships

• Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, licensed to practice in the state of Iowa

• Registered Play Therapist (RPT) through the Association for Play Therapy, and trained under Terry Kottman, PhD

• Master of Arts in Marriage and Family Therapy from Saint Mary's University of Minnesota

• Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Loras College, in Dubuque, Iowa

• AAMFT (American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy) Member

Insurance Accepted

• UIChoice, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Veterans Affairs Community Care Network (VACCN), Medicare