Anna Murphy

Anna Murphy is a licensed mental health counselor (LMHC) based in Iowa who helps people facing strong emotions and life changes. She focuses on practical ways to manage stress, anger, anxiety, and mood challenges while supporting people through grief, trauma, addiction, and relationship concerns.

She draws on nine years of experience across psychiatric hospitals, schools, community mental health centers, and private agencies. That range means she has worked with people at many stages of life and with varied challenges. In sessions she keeps a warm, interactive, and client-centered tone, treating each person as the expert on their own story.

Anna blends methods to fit each person’s needs. She uses Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to identify unhelpful thinking patterns, Dialectical Behavior Therapy for emotion regulation skills, and trauma-informed techniques when past harm affects daily life. She also incorporates Acceptance and Commitment Therapy ideas and expressive therapy options when clients want them.

Practical coping skills are a core part of her work. Clients can expect to learn tools for managing intense feelings, improving communication, and navigating life transitions. She emphasizes small, achievable steps and checks in on what is and isn’t working.

Anna completed a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and Studio Arts at the University of Iowa and earned a Master of Science in Art Therapy and Counseling from the College of New Rochelle. Her clinical background includes work with trauma, persistent mental illness, mood and anxiety disorders, substance use, codependency, and emotion management challenges.

How certain approaches translate to online care

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) helps people notice painful thoughts without getting stuck in them and identify actions that match their values. It’s often useful for stress, anxiety, and coping with life changes. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) focuses on spotting unhelpful thoughts and testing them with practical experiments, which can reduce anxiety and depressive symptoms. Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) teaches clear skills for managing intense emotions, improving distress tolerance, and strengthening interpersonal effectiveness.

Finding the right approach is part of the work together. The therapist will talk with each person about goals, preferences, and what has helped or not helped before. From that conversation she tailors a mix of techniques and checks in regularly to make adjustments in a collaborative way.

The practical benefits of online therapy can include easier scheduling and fitting sessions into a busy week. Many people find that meeting remotely lets them keep momentum between appointments and try skills in everyday settings. The biography does not list specific session formats, so confirm the current options before booking. This ensures sessions fit with technology, time, and goals rather than assuming a single way of working.