In the fall of 2023, Chuck Xander, an Iowa native and combat veteran, began working in a newly created embedded counselor position that was established to help provide mental health support for Veterans and military-connected students (MCS) on campus.

In his first year as an embedded counselor with Iowa Veteran Education, Transition, and Support (IVETS), Xander ended up logging hundreds of hours and providing counseling services for hundreds of Veterans in the University of Iowa community. 

“During my first semester, I spent a lot of time completing outreach to current students, alumni, and other entities on campus that engage with Veterans and military-connected students,” says Xander. “With over 2,200 MCS who are enrolled in all 12 academic colleges within the University of Iowa, this meant that I needed to get my face and name recognized across campus.” 

This outreach and enhanced visibility paid off.

“Veterans and military-connected students are a tight-knit community. Trust, respect, camaraderie, and consistency are extremely important to building a stable rapport,” says Xander. “Once word spread throughout the Veteran and MCS community that I was someone they could trust, my services became more widely utilized. So far, I’ve provided more than 200 therapy sessions.”

As a result of his trustworthy reputation, Xander also began to receive several referrals from individuals who had already utilized and benefited from his services. 

Students were seen for a wide variety of concerns—from PTSD, addiction, and anxiety to adjustment disorder, family and school-life balance, and more. 

Most students were offered the choice of an in-person or telehealth session within 1-2 days of requesting services. Through quick access or walk-in appointments, however, many students were able to be seen the same day services were requested. Many of those walk-in students became long-term clients.

“For the 2024-25 school year, some of my goals are to expand services to build a broader mental health community for MCS and to also create one or two smaller treatment groups specific to Veteran concerns. I would also like to increase the total amount of MCS served and the total number of therapy sessions completed by 50%,” says Xander.

Historical Need  

Matthew Miller, IVETS director of student support services, says discussions about an embedded counselor for Veterans began around 2017.

“The need for counseling services has been constant,” he says. “A lot of students didn’t know where to turn in a crisis. They didn’t know who to talk to.”

The breakthrough that finally made the position a reality came in 2022, when the Scanlan Family Foundation gave $15 million to the UI College of Education—the largest gift in the college’s history—to expand support for school mental health and Veterans. Following the gift, the college’s Iowa Center for School Mental Health was renamed the Scanlan Center for School Mental Health.

Patrick Scanlan, a Veteran himself, and his wife, Mary Bucksbaum Scanlan, say it was important to them to support the mental health needs of all Iowans, but especially Veterans, those serving in the military, and their families.

“Pat Scanlan and the Scanlan Family Foundation have been very involved this year. They’re always asking what we need to make the IVETS center and the University of Iowa a top destination for Veterans and MCS,” says Xander. 

The embedded counselor position within IVETS was created with the combined efforts of the Scanlan Center, College of Education, Division of Student Life, University Counseling Service, and University College. Miller says it is the only embedded counselor for Veterans within the Big Ten and likely one of few such positions across the country.

To set up time to meet with Chuck Xander, call 319-335-1439 or email charles-xander@uiowa.edu. Appointments also can be scheduled online at veterans.uiowa.edu.

As of fall 2023, there were 143 Veterans and military-connected (VMC) individuals in the College of Education. This includes active members, Veterans, and military-connected spouses or family-members.

Mental health support and crisis services are available to UI students 24/7, 365 days a year. Call or text 844-461-5420.