Building Strong Families in Marshalltown...
At Guiding Star Marshalltown, we believe that strong families start with support, care, and guidance at every stage of life. Our Family Life Services are designed to nurture your emotional, physical, and spiritual well-being, whether you’re navigating parenthood, coping with loss, focusing on personal health, or capturing life’s precious moments.
From compassionate counseling and peer support to wellness coaching, CPR training, and photography, our dedicated team is here to walk alongside you. Every service is offered with care, expertise, and a commitment to helping you and your family thrive.
Explore our services below to find the support that’s right for you.
Christian Mental Health Counseling
Support for your emotional well-being. Our licensed faith-based counselor provides guidance for trauma and abuse recovery, infertility and postpartum support, anxiety and depression management, and marriage and relationship guidance. Sessions are tailored to help you navigate challenges, build resilience, and find hope in a safe, confidential environment.
Meet Our Counselor: Brooke has her Master’s in Christian Counseling and specializes in trauma-informed care. With experience in pastoral counseling and behavioral health, she is passionate about supporting individuals from all walks of life.
Brooke Bensema, MA
Infant Loss & Misscarriage Support
Jenny Butler, MAE
Holly Erbes, MAE
Healing through shared experience
Holly Erbes and Jenny Butler are educators, wives, and mothers who have personally experienced miscarriage and infant loss. Through their own healing journeys, they now provide compassionate, peer-to-peer support by appointment for women and couples grieving the loss of a child.
Support Beyond Appointments
Together, Holly and Jenny lead Too Beautiful for Earth, an annual community shared burial and memorial service honoring babies lost in pregnancy and infancy. They also coordinate the Tree of Remembrance display, where families can add an ornament in memory of a little one gone too soon.
Life After Abortion Peer Counseling
Compassionate support for your healing journey
We offer a safe, confidential space for women and men who have experienced abortion. With compassion, understanding, and faith-informed guidance, Carrie helps individuals navigate grief, find hope, and begin their journey toward healing and restoration.
About Carrie:
Carrie is a wife and mother from State Center, with grown children and nine grandchildren. Inspired by speakers at her church and guided by her faith, she felt called to support others walking a similar path. Carrie provides peer support sessions, offering encouragement and understanding to those in need.
Carrie Lippencott
Nutrition Coaching
Jenny English, MS
Empowering women to take charge of their health
Jenny English offers personalized nutrition coaching and education to help women improve their relationship with food, create sustainable healthy habits, and elevate their overall well-being. She also teaches Harnessing Your Hormones for Health and Weight Loss, guiding women to understand their bodies and achieve wellness goals through knowledge and practical strategies.
About Jenny:
Jenny is a health and wellness coach and the owner of A Well + Fed Life. Her mission is to help women gain freedom with food and take ownership of their health through personal coaching, education, and community support.
Child CPR Classes
Preparedness for every parent
Learn essential life-saving skills in our hands-on CPR classes for infants and children. Parents and caregivers gain confidence and knowledge to respond effectively in emergencies.
Meet Our Instructor:
Julie is a Registered Nurse, Certified Health & Wellness Coach, and FertilityCare Practitioner. She teaches CPR classes and wellness programs, helping families feel prepared and empowered.
Julie Grunklee, RN, MCH
Photography
Amy Snyder, BSHRM
Capture life’s precious moments
Our photography service preserves family milestones, maternity and newborn moments, and special events.
Meet Our Photographer:
Amy has a lifelong passion for photography and over a decade of experience, including awards for Photographer of the Year and display at the Iowa State Fair. She enjoys capturing memories that will last a lifetime.