Expanding access to mental health care in rural Northeast Wisconsin

Lori Kaye Lodes

Contributor

August 11, 2025

KIEL – Psychotherapist Kristin Brei said the need for counseling services in the rural Calumet and Manitowoc county area was evident, so setting up Counseling by Kristin in the small city of Kiel made perfect sense.

A native of the nearby “Holylands,” as they’re affectionately called, Brei said through research, she discovered mental health services are no longer readily available within about a 30-mile radius of Kiel, a town of fewer than 4,000 residents. 

“There used to be a Plymouth-based counselor who had a clinic in New Holstein nearby, but not anymore,” she said.

Most recently providing counseling services for two large healthcare organizations, Brei said she didn’t sense a sync between how she wanted to provide therapy services and the organizations’ practices. 

“I couldn’t provide the care I would like to patients,” she said. “I’m very person-centered in my care, so it was a very trying time.”

Prior to working for the large healthcare organizations, Brei said she worked for another therapist’s private practice for about eight years.

“I loved it – it was my dream and what I wanted to be doing,” she said. 

However, when her youngest son was born, Brei said “my family needed better medical insurance and my employer couldn’t provide,” which brought her to the larger healthcare organization.

“When I left my last employer, I looked at my husband, and said, ‘Do you think I can go back to private practice?’” she said. “He said, ‘Why don’t you create your own?’”

Taking the leap

Brei said the idea of starting something in the Kiel area, right in the midst of the small communities she loves, just made sense.

The 632 Fremont St., Suite 104 space in Kiel – which was previously home to a driving school – she said, was a great location and just the right size with a main office and small waiting room.

However, Brei said she wanted to refresh it with comfortable, non-clinical furniture, music and decor inspired by Joanna Gaines.

“I’m not a fan of sound machines to muffle sounds – I prefer music in the background instead,” she said.

While she was cultivating the atmosphere and credentialing with additional insurance companies, Brei said she began seeing clients virtually the week of July 28 – four intake clients she secured by posting about her endeavor on Facebook, all of whom were previous clients.

“One of them is from years ago, and it’s uplifting to see they value the services I provide,” she said.

‘Stories matter’

Brei said she is a big proponent of Rogerian therapy, in which the most important part of therapy is the relationship between the therapist and patient. 

“If you don’t have that, the patient won’t be successful in whatever they’re driving towards,” she said. 

While she works with a broad range of clients, Brei said her specialties include couples therapy, trauma-informed care and treatment of mood disorders.

As she settles in and begins seeing clients in person, she said she hopes to also set up groups for fall and winter focused on living with depression and anxiety through the winter months.

Brei said she has learned many people are looking for connection during those months, especially during winter.

In addition, Brei said she plans to establish a support group or network for women who have lost pregnancies or experienced stillbirths.

“We don’t have anything like that around here, and that’s something I’m passionate about and would like to see,” she said.

Brei said she focuses on serving adults, and believes the most important part of starting therapy is meeting a client exactly where they are – in that moment, just as they are.

“[Their] story matters,” she said. “Everything they’ve experienced has helped shape who they are today.”

After 15 years in the field, Brei said she still finds it extremely rewarding to have a client come in and share, “I did ‘this’ this week’ – something that is a step toward a goal they set for themselves.

“That’s so exciting to me and motivates me,” she said. “The client base I had when I worked in an [on-site employer clinic] was some of the most uplifting people. They always said ‘thank you’ and were appreciative – one even brought me a pot of soup to repay me, so I didn’t have to worry about what to make for dinner at night.”

Brei said she has witnessed a shift in the people who come to see her. 

When COVID-19 started, she said teachers and nurses became a huge part of her client base.

Brei said the pandemic heightened the anxiety of some and created new anxiety for others.

“People who hadn’t experienced anxiety prior to COVID were all of a sudden experiencing it and didn’t know what it was,” she said.

Brei said there is still a stigma associated with mental health.

“Part of my footing here is to help take some of the stigma away from the mental health services available,” she said.

As she looks to open the space full-time, Brei said she’s excited to treat clients in a community where everyone waves when you drive by and the people are genuine.

“There is something about this area of Wisconsin that is different,” she said. “The people are genuine, and I have a heart for it. I have to provide for my family, but I prioritize people over profits.”