About Aileen
Aileen Barnhouse is a licensed mental health counselor in Iowa with 17 years of experience helping people manage stress, anxiety, low self-esteem, depression, life changes, and ADHD. She focuses on practical ways to help people feel more in control and more confident in daily life. Aileen frames therapy around each person’s strengths and supports them in using those strengths to meet goals.
She centers sessions on what matters most to the client.
How Aileen works
Conversations are collaborative and straightforward. Aileen listens, helps identify patterns that get in the way, and offers tools to try between sessions. Her main methods include client-centered work and cognitive behavioral techniques.
Client-centered work means she follows the client’s lead and helps build on their existing strengths. Cognitive behavioral techniques look at thoughts and behaviors and teach ways to change unhelpful patterns. Aileen has worked with adults who struggle with attention deficit disorder and the everyday problems that come with it.
She also supports people dealing with abandonment, caregiver stress, communication problems, guilt and shame, impulsivity, isolation, and challenges related to aging or medical concerns. Sessions can be conversational or structured, depending on what the person needs. Progress often comes from small, steady steps and practicing new skills between meetings.
Aileen aims to be a steady partner while people take those steps toward a more manageable life.
Aileen lists 2 ways of working on the entry:
What Aileen works with
The areas below are the ones Aileen selected when setting up a profile. The first few are listed as the main focus; the rest are also named.
Also listed
- Abandonment
- ADHD
- Aging and geriatric issues
- Avoidant personality
- Cancer
- Caregiver issues and stress
- Co-morbidity
- Codependency
- Communication problems
- Coping with life changes
- Dependent personality
- Disruptive Mood Dysregulation Disorder (DMDD)
- Emptiness
- First responder issues
- Guilt and shame
- Impulsivity
- Isolation / loneliness
- Life purpose
- Midlife crisis
- Mood disorders
- Obsessions, compulsions, and OCD
- Panic disorder and panic attacks
- Personality disorders
- Postpartum depression
- Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)
- Self-love
- Social anxiety and phobia
- Trichotillomania
- Workplace issues
Training and background
| Register | LMHC |
|---|---|
| Years in practice | 17 |
| Languages | English |
| Session format | Online: video, phone, live chat or messaging |
| Country | Iowa |
Memberships and registers are shown as supplied; they are not licences, and this directory does not verify them.
Online support options
How Aileen’s Approaches Work Online
Aileen uses client-centered methods to follow the person’s goals and strengths. This approach focuses on listening, reflecting, and helping clients discover their own solutions. It is useful for building confidence and making changes that fit each person’s life.She also uses cognitive behavioral therapy, which looks at how thoughts and actions influence feelings. CBT offers simple, practical exercises to test unhelpful thoughts and try new behaviors. It can help with anxiety, depression, stress, and patterns related to attention and impulsivity.
Finding the best approach is part of the work. She will collaborate with the client to choose or combine methods based on needs, goals, and what feels comfortable. Together they will track what helps and adjust the plan as needed.
Online sessions are available by video call, phone, live chat, or text-based messaging. Video works well for face-to-face conversation and exercises that use screen sharing, while phone calls can be a good option when bandwidth is limited. Live chat and text messaging offer brief check-ins, quick problem-solving, or support between longer sessions. These formats make it easier to fit therapy into a busy schedule and to keep progress moving forward.
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Common questions
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A practical next step
Write down two things you would want to be different in six months. That is the most useful thing to bring to a first session, whoever it is with. If you would rather start now than keep reading, online sessions are the quickest route.
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