Moeller, Myers and Associates marks 25 years of counseling in Sterling
The practice opened in 2001 when Margo Myers took over employee assistance services after the Community Employee Assistance Agency closed its local office.
By Aiko Sato ·
Moeller, Myers and Associates in Sterling is observing its 25th year in business. The practice provides counseling for children, adolescents, adults, couples, and families, along with trauma treatment and employee assistance services. Margo Myers opened the firm in 2001, establishing a long-term resource for the community.
The practice grew out of the Community Employee Assistance Agency, which opened a Sterling office in January 1993. That office provided substance abuse treatment and employee assistance to workers at major local employers, including Northwestern Steel and Wire and Wahl Clipper. When the agency closed its Sterling branch in 2001, Myers, then the program director, opened Margo Myers and Associates to keep the services available.
Myers made that decision as Northwestern Steel and Wire shut down, leaving many local workers unemployed. Natalie Moeller, the current executive director, noted that Myers had the foresight to continue the work. Moeller said, “She saw a need with all of those workers being displaced and unemployed.. She had the foresight to continue, and we’re just happy to keep the legacy alive.”
The team now includes therapists with diverse specialties. Mary Alice Wentling, who has 28 years of experience, is the only registered play therapist in the Sauk Valley. She uses toys, drawings, and sand trays to help children express emotions. Wentling said, “We use play as their form of language,” explaining that she helps children process experiences through metaphors.
The practice also offers specialized trauma treatments, including Reconsolidation of Traumatic Memories, or RTM. Four providers at the practice are certified in RTM, a technique originally developed for first responders and veterans. Wentling noted that RTM has a success rate of about 90 percent in treating PTSD. Treatment generally takes three or four sessions, totaling about five hours.
Jenna Harris joined the practice less than a year ago as a psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner. She provides medication management alongside therapy, allowing clients to receive both in the same location. Harris said, “With me doing medications and therapy together, we can look at a person holistically a whole lot easier, in the same office.”
The practice continued operating during the 2020 pandemic, shifting many sessions online. Moeller said the team had to learn new technology quickly while maintaining client care. The practice now offers virtual sessions for clients who cannot attend in person due to work, family, or illness constraints.
