Anna Murphy, LMHC

Anna Murphy is a licensed mental health counselor (LMHC) based in Iowa. She helps people facing stress, anxiety, trauma, grief, addictions, and relationship or intimacy concerns. Her style is warm and interactive, and she focuses on practical strategies that fit each person’s life.

Anna draws on about nine years of clinical experience across hospitals, schools, community mental health centers, and private agencies. She has worked with people from early childhood through older adulthood and with a range of concerns including mood disorders, substance use, grief, and challenges managing strong emotions.

She believes clients are the experts on their own stories and aims to create a collaborative space for problem solving. Sessions typically focus on learning coping skills, building routine practices, and trying approaches that match personal goals and strengths.

Her approach integrates client-centered listening with cognitive and behavioral techniques. She also uses trauma-informed practices and elements of dialectical behavior strategies. When appropriate, Anna can introduce expressive or art-based methods for people who find that helpful.

Anna earned a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and Studio Arts with a Sociology minor from the University of Iowa and a Master of Science in Art Therapy and Counseling from The College of New Rochelle. She uses those training experiences to blend talk-based and creative options as fits each person.

How Anna’s Approaches Translate to Online Work

Anna uses Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) in ways that help people notice unhelpful habits and choose actions that matter to them. ACT focuses on values and small steps toward a more meaningful life, which can be useful for anxiety, depression, and life transitions.

She also works with Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) techniques to identify patterns of thought and behavior and to practice new responses. CBT is often helpful for stress, mood concerns, and managing symptoms day to day. When trauma is a central concern, elements of Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) may be considered to address distressing memories and reduce their intensity.

Finding the right approach is a collaborative process. The therapist will talk with each person about goals and preferences and will adapt methods over time. Together they decide whether to emphasize values work, skills training, trauma processing, or a mix tailored to the situation.

For practical matters, confirm the session options before booking since formats were not specified. Online therapy can make it easier to fit sessions into daily life, reduce travel time, and allow shorter check-ins when schedules are tight. Clients can discuss what works best for them and plan sessions around work, caregiving, or other routines.