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Welcome to Steve Kalber

News | October 21, 2024

Steve Kalber has been named the new St. Paul counselor. Steve and his wife K.D. joined St. Paul in the spring of 2021 and since that time, the two have been active in multiple St. Paul ministries. Steve has worked closely with the mental health awareness team, participates in small groups, and often provides rides to other members.

Tell us about your background. 
My wife K.D. and I are originally from Pennsylvania. We came to the Quad Cities 35 years ago for K.D.’s work with Alcoa (now Arconic). With a background in nursing, I began working at the former Mercy Hospital, now part of Genesis Health System. We have two adult sons. Max lives in North Liberty, Iowa, and Peter lives in San Fransico.
I worked in psychiatric intensive care at Genesis for twelve years. In 2000, an opportunity became available at Vera French in the partial hospital program. In this position, my role was to work with patients who were either transitioning out of inpatient care or trying to prevent entering inpatient care.
In 2007, I was hired as a temporary faculty member in the St. Ambrose nursing program. After a few years, I moved into a full-time position to work with students during their behavioral health clinical rotations. I’m still on the St. Ambrose staff in an adjunct capacity, but I’ve temporarily put that on hold while transitioning into my work here at St. Paul.

What makes you, you?  
I thrive on relationships. Everything I am or have become is partially the result of interactions I’ve had with other people. What they’ve seen in me, how they’ve motivated me, and the feedback I’ve received, have all shaped who I am. I’ve always believed that any time two people sit down and have a conversation, those two people are changed. It doesn’t matter the role. God is always in the mix in those conversations.

What inspired you to go into the mental health and nursing fields?  
My mom was a nurse. We lived in a small town so it wouldn’t be uncommon for us to be in the grocery store and people would approach us and recognize the care she had given them. I saw how satisfying that was for her. Ironically, 40 years later, I’ve had the same experience. I’ll be out in public and sometimes patients thank me for the care they received. I’ve had training in healthcare coaching aimed at helping people shift mindsets and behaviors to take an active role in their healthcare. The basic premise of that is equality. I want people to know that a therapist/client relationship is one of equal status. It’s not one person with all the answers and the other person receiving those answers. It’s a matter of two people working together to empower and find solutions.

Steve is currently available for appointments. His service to St. Paul members and the community is free of charge and assists those who may be going through a difficult transition, struggling in relationships, experiencing depression or anxiety, working through some trauma, or in need of a listening ear. To schedule an appointment with Steve, please contact him at steve@stpaulqc.org or (563) 326-3547 ext. 312.

3 Comments on “Welcome to Steve Kalber”

  • Anke Maass

    November 1, 2024 at 7:56 am

    I love seeing your smile in church every week. Thx for taking on this role

  • Jean Klinkenberg

    October 25, 2024 at 2:54 am

    Wow! What a great gift to the St Paul community. Great article! What makes you you??!? Power of conversation! Thank you, Steve & Staff, for honoring & enhancing the quality of life with love & caring! . Jean & Bill
    Members from The Villages, Florida

  • Charlotte Monical

    October 24, 2024 at 5:19 pm

    So happy for St. Paul. Steve, you are a perfect person for this position! St. Paul is so blessed to have you! Blessinds!

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