About Us

At the Adoption and Attachment Treatment Center of Iowa we treat parents and children with respect, dignity, and professionalism. We are here to help the entire family heal, as we know that often by the time a family arrives on our doorstep, one parent is often exhausted and perhaps depressed, the other parent is feeling conflicted and ineffective and the child is attempting to be in control of everything and everyone. We utilize a comprehensive approach by collaborating with other community treatment facilities to treat the entire family.

We have earned certification as "Registered Attachment Clinicians" and as a Registered Attachment Organization (only one in Iowa, 1 of 19 in the United States) by ATTACh (national organization: Association for Treatment & Training in the Attachment of Children); this means that we have received over 150 hours of specialized training in the treatment of Reactive Attachment Disorder and we use an approved treatment protocol. We are committed to continuing training and education to assure that each individual within the family receives the most effective treatment interventions to help your family heal. We remain closely affiliated with other RAD Clinics in the United States and with ATTACh, so that we are up-to-date on research and efficacy of treatment for this difficult disorder.

We also work collaboratively with other clinicians to augment treatment with Sensory Integration (very common in these children), Physical, Occupational Therapy, & Psychiatry to assure all dimensions of the child's treatment needs to heal are met.

We utilize an evidence-based treatment protocol for children who have experienced trauma, maltreatment, and neglect. AATC of Iowa is also conducting research on treatment efficacy. We are experiencing approximately a 50% reduction in symptoms by 3-6 months of weekly outpatient treatment. We have trained with Dr. Bill Goble (over 20 years in the RAD field) and Dawn Precour - Therapeutic Parenting Specialist/ Therapeutic Foster Parent, the Attachment & Bonding Center of Ohio - Dr. Gregory Keck & Regina Kupecky (authors of "Adopting the Hurt Child", "Parenting the Hurt Child"), and the Family Attachment Center - Dr. Joanne May, Denise Lacher (authors of "Connecting with Kids Through Stories: Using Narratives To Facilitate Attachment in Adopted Children" by Denise Lacher, M.A., Todd Nichols, M.A., MPAff, and Joanne May, Ph.D. (where our Psychologist interned). We are participating members of ATTACh and attend the national conference annually to assure our skills continue to be state-of-the-art.

Peer Review: ATTACh requires peer review of our Treatment Protocol and by the Board of Directors prior to accreditation as a "Registered Attachment Organization". Our Clinic Policies and Procedures have been approved by the State of Iowa and Magellan Behavioral Health as a licensed Organization.

We adhere to ATTACh's (Association for the Treatment & Training in the Attachment of Children, the national organization for Attachment Disorder) Safety Principles and Position on the ineffectiveness of coercive therapy and the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry's practice parameters for Attachment Treatment.

We DO NOT utilize any form of coercive therapy interventions at AATC of Iowa (Therapist holding, rebirthing, enticing anger, etc.).

We have achieved Accreditation as a Chapter 24 Organization through the State of Iowa Department Of Human Services. This means that we meet stringent guidelines in the operation and delivery of service as an outpatient Mental Health Clinic. We proudly received the highest level of Accreditation, and were approved for the full 3 years! This means that we are required to have paperwork on EVERYTHING we do – it is imperative that you complete all paperwork in entirety as required for this level of Accreditation.