About Anna
Anna Murphy works with people facing stress, anxiety, trauma, grief, and life changes. She offers straightforward support for mood concerns, relationship and intimacy questions, addiction, ADHD, and self-worth issues. Anna is an Iowa-licensed mental health counselor with nine years of clinical experience.
She has practiced in psychiatric hospitals, schools, community mental health centers, and personal agencies. That variety shaped a practical style focused on real-life tools and steady support. Sessions are warm and interactive, and she centers each person’s own goals and knowledge about their life.
How Anna works
Anna uses several evidence-based methods to help people manage symptoms and build coping skills. She draws from cognitive behavioral techniques to identify patterns of thought and behavior. Dialectical behavior ideas are used to teach emotion regulation and distress tolerance skills.
For trauma work she incorporates approaches that address painful memories and their effects on daily life. She also invites expressive methods when clients want more creative ways to process experience. The overall aim is to find what fits each person and to practice skills that change day-to-day functioning.
Her background includes a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and Studio Arts from the University of Iowa and a Master of Science in Art Therapy and Counseling from The College of New Rochelle. Anna’s clinical years span many settings and client presentations, which informs a flexible, down-to-earth approach to care.
Anna lists 10 ways of working on the entry:
What Anna works with
The areas below are the ones Anna selected when setting up a profile. The first few are listed as the main focus; the rest are also named.
Also listed
- Abandonment
- Addictions
- ADHD
- Adoption and foster care
- Anger management
- BDSM, kink, and alternative sex culture
- Bipolar disorder
- Blended family issues
- Body image
- Cancer
- Career difficulties
- Caregiver issues and stress
- Co-morbidity
- Codependency
- Communication problems
- Compassion fatigue
- Coping with life changes
- Depression
- Disruptive Mood Dysregulation Disorder (DMDD)
- Dissociation
- Divorce and separation
- Domestic violence
- Drug and alcohol addiction
- Emptiness
- Family conflicts
- Family of origin issues
- Family problems
- First responder issues
- Forgiveness
- Guilt and shame
- Hospice and end-of-life counseling
- Intimacy-related issues
- Isolation / loneliness
- Jealousy
- LGBT
- Mood disorders
- Panic disorder and panic attacks
- Post-traumatic stress
- Relationship issues
- Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)
- Self esteem
- Self-harm
- Self-love
- Sexual assault and abuse
- Sexuality
- Social anxiety and phobia
- Veteran and Armed Forces Issues
- Women's issues
- Workplace issues
- Young adult issues
Training and background
| Register | LMHC |
|---|---|
| Years in practice | 9 |
| 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
Practical approaches for online therapy
Anna often uses Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) to help people clarify values, accept difficult feelings, and take steps toward a meaningful life. ACT focuses on the things that matter most and on developing flexible ways to respond to stress and anxiety.She also uses Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) to identify and change unhelpful thinking and behavior patterns. CBT is useful for anxiety, depression, and managing strong emotions by teaching concrete skills and thought checks.
Finding the right approach is part of the work together. The therapist will talk with the client about goals and preferences and then try techniques that fit. If an approach doesn’t feel right, they adjust the plan collaboratively so sessions stay helpful.
Online therapy offers several practical benefits. Video calls allow face-to-face conversation and visual cues, while phone sessions can be easier when bandwidth is low or a quick check-in is needed. Live chat and text-based messaging let people send messages between sessions, share updates, or use therapy in shorter moments during the week. These formats make it easier to fit therapy into a busy schedule and to keep steady progress over time.
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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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