Anna Murphy

Anna Murphy is a licensed mental health counselor (LMHC) based in Iowa. She greets people with a calm, straightforward manner and focuses on helping them manage stress, anxiety, trauma, and life changes. Her style is warm and interactive, aimed at helping each person feel heard and understood.

Anna has worked in psychiatric hospitals, schools, community mental health centers, and private agencies. Over the past nine years she has supported people facing mood disorders, substance use, grief, and persistent mental health concerns. She also has experience with issues such as abandonment, adoption and foster care, and caregiving strain.

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. The MS degree is used alongside practical experience across settings and age ranges. Anna draws on that mix when she plans sessions.

In sessions she uses an interactive, client-centered approach. She helps people learn coping skills, practice new ways of managing emotions, and try expressive techniques when that fits. Trauma-Focused Therapy informs her work with traumatic stress alongside Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Dialectical Behavior Therapy.

Anna aims to collaborate on goals and tailor strategies to each person’s needs. She guides people through concrete skills, mindfulness practices, and reflective conversation so they can try different ways of coping and see what helps in daily life.

How certain approaches translate to online therapy

Anna uses Trauma-Focused Therapy to help people process and cope with traumatic memories and their effects. This approach focuses on reducing the day-to-day impact of trauma and building tools for managing symptoms. Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) teaches practical skills for noticing thoughts and choosing actions that match personal values; it can help with anxiety, depression, and life transitions.

Finding the right approach is a collaborative process. The therapist will talk with the client about goals, preferences, and what has worked or not worked before. Together they decide which methods to try and adjust the plan over time based on progress and comfort.

Confirm the therapist's current session options before booking. Online work can make it easier to fit sessions into a busy life, shorten check-ins between tasks, or avoid travel time. It can also allow for different ways of practicing skills, like guided mindfulness or worksheets shared during a meeting, so techniques learned in sessions can be used during everyday routines.